Lochner Marais is Professor of Development Studies at the Centre for Development Support, University of the Free State, and Honorary Professor at the Sustainable Minerals Institute, University of Queensland, Australia. He serves on the editorial boards of Extractive Industries and Society, Habitat International, and Sustainable Cities and Society, and on the advisory boards of Housing Studies, International Journal of Housing Policy, and Housing and the Built Environment. His research focuses on housing policy, mining and renewable-energy communities, small cities and towns, mine closure, and urban health, particularly child wellbeing. He has authored or co-authored more than 250 peer-reviewed publications, co-edited eleven books, and written two scholarly books. Over the past decade, he has led or collaborated on international research projects worth approximately R40 million. His work is characterised by interdisciplinary, policy-relevant research addressing real-world challenges in housing, urban development, mining communities, and public health.

Actively involved in the full research process, from inception to completion. His expertise includes survey design, fieldwork and fieldwork management, data analysis and interpretation, and supporting report writing. He also coordinates the Youth Research Project in collaboration with the Free State Youth Commission.

Lucretia Smith is the office manager of the SARChI Chair in Higher Education and Human Development.

Mohlophehi Mngomezulu is the programme coordinator for Development Studies, overseeing the day-to-day academic administration and operational management of postgraduate programmes, including PGDip, master’s, and PhD. He ensures efficient programme delivery, supports student administration and academic records, and facilitates effective communication among stakeholders. Working closely with the programme director, he also contributes to maintaining high academic and administrative standards across all programmes.

He lectures on research methodology and research ethics. His role in the centre also includes supervision, planning, administration of electronic data collection, and data management. He also serves as a member of the General Human Research Ethics Committee.

He is actively involved in the full research process, from inception to completion. His expertise includes survey design, fieldwork and fieldwork management, data analysis and interpretation, and report-writing support. He also coordinates the Youth Research Project in collaboration with the Free State Youth Commission.

Mikateko Mathebula works at the Centre for Development Support (CDS) within the SARChI Chair in Higher Education and Human Development (HEHD) Research Programme. Her research examines the relationship between processes of higher education, development, sustainability and human flourishing in South Africa. She teaches on the Masters programme in Development Studies, and supervises PhD candidates. Professor Mathebula is the UFS representative in the collaborative partnership with the UNESCO Chair in Wellbeing, Equity/Inclusion and Education, at the University of Minnesota, USA. She is one of the co-founders and a member of the Research Alliance for Higher Education in Africa (RAHEdA) - a collaborative research and capacity building partnership with the University of Malawi and the University of Zambia. She is an Education Officer of the Human Development and Capabilities Association and an Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities.

Prof Faith Mkwananzi is an associate professor in the Centre for Development Support within the Higher Education and Human Development Programme. She serves as an international advisory board member of the Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education (JCIHE) and is one of the founding members of the Research Alliance for Higher Education in Africa (RAHEdA). Her research sits at the intersection of higher education and global development, focusing on how educational opportunities shape shared well-being and social justice in sub-Saharan Africa. Drawing on perspectives from migration, gender, youth, post-conflict, and development studies, her work is grounded in cross-cultural learning and interdisciplinary approaches. She is also interested in how universities and communities collaborate to address contemporary societal challenges. Her research seeks to bridge academic scholarship, development practice, and community experience by generating knowledge that informs locally relevant educational policy, practice, and interventions. Prof Mkwananzi has experience in postgraduate teaching and supervision, thesis examination, and capacity strengthening for early-career researchers. Her current work advances the operationalisation of the capability approach in the internationalisation of higher education, with a focus on the well-being of students and staff.

Nomvula Makhubu is a senior assistant officer within the SARChI Chair in City-Region Economies.

He lectures on research methodology and research ethics. His roles at the Centre also includes, supervision, planning, administration of electronic data collection, and data management. He also serves as a member of the General Human Research Ethics Committee.

Dr Anita Venter is an interdisciplinary practice-based artist and researcher working at the intersection of informal settlement upgrading, culture, and socio-ecological development. Her practice draws on decades of scholarship in fine arts, philosophy, sociology, gender studies, and development studies. She trained as a regenerative practitioner with the Earthship Biotecture Academy in Guatemala and the Natural Building Collective in South Africa. She is also a certified UNESCO community-based participatory research (CBPR) trainer and has completed a course on decolonising arts practice at the Berlin Art Institute. Her artistic and research work co-creates post-natural theory, exploring repair, care, and emergence in landscapes and communities shaped by extraction and ecological collapse.

Prof Andreas Scheba is an associate professor in the Centre for Development Support at the University of the Free State (UFS), South Africa. He is also an executive member of the NRF Chair in City-Region Economies at the UFS. He holds a PhD in development policy and management from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom. His research focuses on how housing ideology, policy, and practice shape urbanisation and urban (economic) development in South Africa and the Southern African region. He has done extensive research on informal rental housing, social rental housing, building occupations, public land, and urban segregation. Through engaged research with communities and partners from civil society and the public sector, Prof Scheba seeks to influence urban policy and practice to create more affordable, equitable, and inclusive cities. 

He has led, co-led, or contributed to many research projects of various sizes, including large international consortia. He teaches courses on housing and human settlements and supervises postgraduate students. His research has been published widely in academic outlets and popular media, including documentaries (city-occupied.net), websites (socialhousingportal.org.za), policy briefs, and newspaper articles.