Dr Melusi Thwala is an environmental scientist specializing in water quality assessment and monitoring. He holds a PhD from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Prior to joining Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) he was a Principal Research Scientist at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa. He also has government policy development experience obtained from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), South Africa, where was a Freshwater Scientist. He is a UNESCO Keizo Obuchi Fellow with a track record of international collaborations and has served in various multilateral organizations. Furthermore, he is an academic who trains research students and serves in Editorial Boards of scientific journals.