RATIONALE
The Interdisciplinary Centre for Digital Futures (ICDF) at the University of the Free State serves as a hub for responsible digital transformation. Its purpose is to build expertise across the social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, and technical fields, ensuring that digital technologies associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) are adopted ethically, critically, and in ways that benefit society.
The ICDF focuses on understanding digital technologies within their broader social, environmental, and cultural contexts. This includes addressing the challenges of change management, technology adoption, and integration into societal structures. The Centre also investigates the unintended consequences of digitalisation, such as privacy erosion, surveillance, cybercrime, and emerging social, psychological, and political impacts.
Working with industry, communities, and government, the ICDF aims to drive an inclusive digital future where technological tools are accessible, meaningful, and socially responsive. As a collaborative and co‑creative space, it brings diverse disciplines together to address real-world questions through interdisciplinary research and innovation.
ICDF PROJECTS
The ICDF’s current priority projects focus on sustainable, socially aware digital solutions aligned with the evolving demands of the 4IR. These projects fall into three key clusters:
1. Interoperable Data and Digital BackbonesThese projects develop interoperable data systems and data lakes that support ethical data sharing across sectors such as agriculture and healthcare. By working closely with industry and government, the ICDF helps establish ethical frameworks, policy guidelines, and the digital infrastructure necessary for robust data ecosystems. The resulting data lakes assist policymakers, industries, academia, and open-science initiatives in enabling more transparent and democratic decision‑making. |
2. Enterprise and Innovation Cluster ManagementThis project cluster focuses on integrating the full value chain of research, innovation, implementation, and governance. The ICDF facilitates the adoption of innovative technologies within industry while ensuring alignment with policy and societal needs. Central to this work is understanding how 4IR technologies will shape and impact society and ensuring that these developments serve the public good. |
3. Digital Science & AI‑Driven InterpretationDigital science projects explore the vast data generated online—scraped, stored, and analysed using artificial intelligence and interpreted through social‑scientific frameworks. This rapidly growing field blends digital technologies with humanities and social science perspectives to better understand online behaviour and virtual communities. The ICDF already supports government and industry partners by providing insights into complex issues emerging in cyberspace. With five interdisciplinary working groups across all UFS campuses, the Centre continues expanding its network and societal impact. |
About the team
Take a look at what each team member of the ICDF is busy with below:
Herkulaas MvE Combrink (Dr)
Co-Director | Senior Lecturer
Dr Herkulaas MvE Combrink is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences and Co-Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Digital Futures (ICDF) at the University of the Free State. His research focuses on artificial intelligence, computational infodemiology, human language technology, digital transformation, policy, and predictive analytics, with a strong emphasis on developing AI-driven solutions that address social, educational, and public health challenges.
Current focus areas:
- Computational Infodemiology research
- Human Language Technology initiatives
- South African Sign Language (SASL) technologies
- Digital transformation and AI research
- Multilingual AI and digital inclusion projects
- Social Stress Indicator (SSI) development
- Policy and Digital Policy
Katinka De Wet (Prof.)
Co-Director | Associate Professor (Sociology)
Katinka de Wet is co-director of the ICDF as well as associate professor at the Sociology Department. Her areas of expertise are in medical sociology, digital sociology, research ethics, and qualitative methodologies. She is involved in several multi- and interdisciplinary research initiatives. A broad interpretation of wellbeing lies at the core of her research interests.
Her current focus areas at the ICDF include:
- Digital wellbeing
- Digital heritage
- Critical digital studies
Kgomotso Motlhakoana (she/her)
Strategic and Administrative Support Officer
Kgomotso Motlhakoana is the Strategic and Administrative Support Officer at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Digital Futures (ICDF) at the University of the Free State. She provides strategic, financial, and operational support to the Centre, overseeing budget administration, procurement, stakeholder coordination, and the delivery of key projects and events that support the ICDF's research and innovation initiatives.
Current focus areas:
- Financial administration and budget monitoring
- Procurement and contract administration
- Project and event coordination
- Stakeholder engagement and operational support
- Administrative support for ICDF research initiatives
Phelokazi Mkungeka (they/them)
Assistant Researcher
Phelokazi Mkungeka is an interdisciplinary researcher with a background in Sociology, specialising in artificial intelligence and health misinformation in digital environments. They currently serve as an Assistant Researcher at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Digital Futures (ICDF) at the University of the Free State. They are a PhD candidate in Development Studies at the University of the Free State and hold a Master of Social Science with specialisation in Sociology. Their work focuses on health infodemics, knowledge mapping, and the social dynamics of digital information ecosystems.
Current focus areas:
- Health infodemics
- Knowledge mapping
- Risk communication and Community engagement
- Artificial intelligence and health misinformation research
Priscilla Keche (she/her)
Assistant Researcher | Line Manager
Priscilla Keche is an Assistant Researcher at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Digital Futures (ICDF). With qualifications in Pharmacy and Biotechnology, her work combines research with operational implementation through data analysis, project coordination, monitoring and evaluation, healthcare systems strengthening, and stakeholder engagement.
Current focus areas:
- Healthcare systems strengthening
- Strategic pharmaceutical supply planning
- Data analysis
- Project coordination and management
- Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)
- Stakeholder engagement
Charne Bornman (she/her)
Researcher
Charné Bornman is an Assistant Researcher at the ICDF. She engineers scalable data pipelines to integrate high-dimensional numerical and computer vision data for artificial intelligence and digital twin systems.
She is currently pursuing a master's in medical science degree where her academic work focuses on applying machine learning to healthcare and bioinformatics, specifically in the field of human genetics.
She holds a Bachelor of Science and an Honours degree in behavioural genetics from the University of the Free State, alongside a certificate in Data Science and Machine Learning from MIT. She maintains an active published academic record with an h-index of 12 as of August 2026.
Nola Redelinghuys (Dr)
Senior Researcher
Nola Redelinghuys is a senior lecturer in Sociology, specialising in environmental sociology, and a senior researcher at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Digital Futures (ICDF). Her current research focuses on the social and environmental implications of digital technologies, as well as digital well-being and labour.
Current focus areas:
- An exploratory study on the knowledge, awareness, attitudes and practices of e-waste ge neration and recycling among staff and students at the University of the Free State.
- The Wellbeing of South African Gig Workers in the Transnational Labour Platform Economy
Sandile Ndlovu (he/him)
Assistant Researcher
As an assistant researcher, his role includes writing research proposals, ethical clearance applications, conducting research interviews, writing research reports, and coordinating engaged scholarship activities.
Current focus areas:
He is involved in two projects under our Digital Well-Being pillar, namely
- E-Waste project
- Digital Labour Platform project
Nick Coetzee (he/him)
Data Analyst
Nicholas Coetzee is an early-career researcher with an interdisciplinary background, holding BSc degrees in Microbiology and in Computer Science. He is currently completing a BSc Honours in Computer Science and Informatics at the University of the Free State. His goal is to deepen this cross-disciplinary expertise at the Centre and direct it toward research with social impact.
Current focus areas:
- Data Analysis
- Digitisation
- Proof-of-concept development
- Artificial Intelligence
- Natural Language Processing
Nhlanhla Simelane (him)
Research Assistant | College Prime (West College, UFS)
Nhlanhla works across several operational and digital functions within the ICDF, with a particular focus on engagement initiatives and digital platform development.
He currently coordinates the ICDF Hand Painting Workshops, supporting the collection of Human Language Technology datasets while managing workshop logistics, participant engagement, reporting, and programme development.
In addition, he contributes to the maintenance and development of the ICDF digital ecosystem, including website management, website mapping, and digital content coordination. He is also involved in the development of systems and processes that support the Centre's day-to-day operations and long-term sustainability.
Current focus areas:
- Hand Painting Workshops
- ICDF website development and updates
- Digital ecosystem mapping
- Sign Language terminology development
- Internal systems and process development
Lethabo MaMawatle Phalime (she/her)
Research Assistant
Lethabo Phalime is a Research Assistant at the Interdisciplinary Centre for Digital Futures (ICDF). Her work supports the Centre's research objectives through data analytics, technical writing, and the development of datasets that contribute to Human Language Technologies, including South African Sign Language resources.
Current focus areas:
- Human Language Technologies
- South African Sign Language dataset construction
- Data analytics
- Technical book writing
Malaleng Matsemela (she/her)
Data Analyst
With a background in Information Technology support, data engineering, and networking, Malaleng holds a BSc in Computer Science and Statistics, an Honours degree in Computer Science and Informatics, and is a Certified Azure AI Engineer and CompTIA Network+ professional.
Current focus areas:
- Building and managing data environments
- Data pipeline development
- System integration
- Data processing
- Providing analytical solutions that support research and institutional decision-making
Sibahle Mabaso (she/her)
Assistant Researcher
Developing an arts-informed inquiry into digital entanglements, specifically the negotiation of care and attention in a digitally entangled world using installation, performance and participatory artmaking.
Gerhard Volschenk (he/him)
Officer
Gerhard Volschenk is an IT and Business Studies graduate, previously involved in technical and networking assistance. He is currently an officer at the ICDF Research Centre, where he helps with project management and technical support.
Current focus areas:
- Website administration and development
- Technical support for ICDF initiatives
- Workshop logistics and operations
- Digital platform implementation
Reatile Seekoei
Research Assistant | Digital Development and Technical Support
Reatile is a BCom Finance graduate and an Honours Business Analytics student. He contributes to the ICDF through the Social Tension Observatory for Risk and Markets (STORM), a student-led initiative applying the Social Stress Indicator (SSI) to financial and economic environments. His work focuses on using social media sentiment, subjectivity, and information-seeking behaviour to examine their relationships with cryptocurrency market volatility. He also contributes to the development of the STORM research environment at the Digital Scholarship Centre and the extension of the SSI into broader economic and societal expectations.
At its core, the ICDF recognises that people drive digital futures. Its mission is to build a collaborative environment where diverse expertise comes together to create a more inclusive, ethical, and prosperous digital society.