Dr Phil Mjwara has served as the Director General of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) since April 2006. In this capacity he is responsible for all policy development in the science and technology sector in South Africa, as well as the portfolio management and governance of South Africa’s systems of government laboratories. His responsibilities further include the management of South African science and technology official development assistance and the driving of the implementation of South Africa’s National Research and Development Strategy and the management of South Africa’s new DST 10 Year Innovation Plan.
Prior to his appointment at DST, Dr Mjwara was the Group Executive: Research and Development; Strategic Human Capital Development at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). At the CSIR, he was responsible for assisting the CSIR strengthening its Science and Technology base including Human Capital Development. In 2001, Dr Mjwara joined the National Laser Centre (NLC) as its head, where he has been instrumental in growing the centre’s activities since its inception and in creating a network of centres in Africa, i.e. African Laser Centre (ALC).
He has also held positions at the then Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology; as Director of Technology; at the University of Pretoria as professor of S&T policy and at the Universities of the Witwatersrand, South Africa and Fort Hare as a physics lecturer. He has been involved in the discipline of Management of Technological Innovation as well as in processes for policy formulation. He has led a team that conducted the South African Technology Foresight project. He has published and presented numerous papers on physics, technology analysis and foresight related topics.
Dr Mjwara has served on various advisory councils and review boards. He currently serves on the Board of the World of Platinum of South Africa. He also serves on the Council of the University of Johannesburg.