TWAS has announced its new Council elected to serve a two-year term from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2028.

The TWAS Council is elected by the Academy’s roster of TWAS Fellows and provides guidance on matters concerning the Academy. The incoming Council comprises 11 women and four men, reflecting TWAS’s longstanding commitment to advancing the participation of accomplished women in science from the developing world in leadership roles.

The incoming TWAS President, Hou Jianguo of China, is president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a distinguished physical chemist and nanomaterials scientist. He said he was honoured to be elected to the position and appreciated the trust invested by the TWAS Fellows.

“During the past four decades, thanks to the joint efforts of successive presidents and all Fellows, TWAS has witnessed the flourishing development of science and technology, and the steady growth of scientific research personnel in the global South,” he said. “Today, rapid advancement in cutting-edge technologies such as AI drives a new round of scientific and technological revolution.”

He added that the latest round of technological advancement has posed opportunities and issues that TWAS, as an important platform for the scientific community of the global South, needs to address and provide solutions for in the future. The Academy should play a leading role by promoting the building of a fair, inclusive, and sustainable global science and technology governance system, as well as strengthening cooperation both within the South and between the South and North, building scientific capacity of developing countries, and contributing to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

“It is just as the TWAS founder, Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam, said: ‘Scientific knowledge is the common and shared heritage of all mankind. East and West, South and North have all equally participated in it’, and we hope they will continue to do so in the future,” emphasized Hou. “I look forward to working together with all TWAS Fellows and colleagues to advance this vision.”

“On behalf of TWAS members, I warmly welcome the illustrious team of incoming Council members,” said current outgoing TWAS President Quarraisha Abdool Karim. “Significantly, this is the first time in TWAS’s 40-year history that 11 of the 15 incoming elected Council members are distinguished women scientists from the Global South, including TWAS-identified Science- and Technology-Lagging Countries. Also, I offer hearty congratulations to the incoming TWAS President, Prof. Hou, and the incoming Council. They are well positioned and prepared at this consequential moment to ensure that TWAS and its members continue to make a difference in advancing innovative solutions for sustainable futures for generations to come.”   

Find the full roster of the new council below.

President
      Hou Jianguo (China) 
Immediate Past President
      Quarraisha Abdool Karim (South Africa)
Vice-Presidents
      Africa: Olubukola Oluranti Babalola (Nigeria)
      Arab Region: Rajaâ Cherkaoui El Moursli (Morocco)
      Central and South Asia: Shahlo Turdikulova (Uzbekistan)
      East and South-East Asia: Raja Noor Zaliha Rahman (Malaysia)
      Latin America and Caribbean: Helena Nader (Brazil)
      North: Rajeev K. Varshney (Australia/India)
Secretary General
      Sabah AlMomin (Kuwait)
Council Members
      Africa: Abdon Atangana (Cameroon)
      Arab Region: Najoua Kamoun Turki (Tunisia)
      Central and South Asia: Firdausi Qadri (Bangladesh)
      East and South-East Asia: Inez H. Slamet-Loedin (Indonesia)
      Latin America and Caribbean: Lilliam Alvarez Diaz (Cuba)
      North: Romain Murenzi (the United States of America/Rwanda)