Postgraduate Student Network

Students build a network of their own

Student participation has moved from a project-wide ambition into local structures. On 13 July 2026, the University of South Africa launched its SASUF Student Network for postgraduate students. The launch established an interim coordinating team with a mandate to mobilise students, support research collaboration and create academic and professional opportunities.

The Unisa chapter forms part of a wider student network taking shape across South African and Swedish universities. Local chapters are intended to give students a route into international research and educational collaboration rather than limiting their role to attendance at large events.

The network has also used smaller online exchanges. On 21 May, Oskar Holm, former SASUF Student Representative at Uppsala University, organised a Coffee Break session with Associate Professor May-Britt Öhman. The discussion examined decolonising science and education through SING Sábme, a summer internship for Indigenous peoples in genomics. In September, the Student Leadership Programme turns to intercultural communication, ethical and sustainable leadership, teamwork and conflict resolution.

The next step will be to follow individual students: the fieldwork they undertake, the research relationships they enter and the roles they take in shaping projects.

Written by: Beth Amato, University of the Witwatersrand