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Tshilidzi Marwala (born 28 July 1971) is a South African
artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
engineer, a
computer scientist A computer scientist is a person who is trained in the academic study of computer science. Computer scientists typically work on the theoretical side of computation, as opposed to the hardware side on which computer engineers mainly focus (al ...
, a mechanical engineer and a university administrator.


Early life and education

Marwala was born at
Duthuni Duthuni is a village in the Tshivhasa Region of the former Venda in Limpopo Province in South Africa. The Chief of Duthuni is Khosi Vho-Ndwamato Ligege. The Tshivhasa Tea Plantation is located in this village, so is Tshitaka tsha Vhutanda. Some of ...
Village in the
Limpopo Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature is ...
Province. He obtained a PhD in artificial intelligence from the
University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
and Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from
Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reser ...
, graduating with a
Magna Cum Laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...
. He attended school at Mbilwi Secondary School and St.John's College in
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
.


Career

Marwala is the Rector Designate (Appointed on the 25 July 2022 to begin working on the 1 March 2023) of the
United Nations University The (UNU) is the think tank and academic arm of the United Nations. Headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, with diplomatic status as a UN institution, its mission is to help resolve global issues related to human development and welfare thro ...
and UN Under-Secretary-General. Marwala is a
vice-chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...
and principal of the
University of Johannesburg The University of Johannesburg (UJ) is a public university located in Johannesburg, South Africa. The University of Johannesburg came into existence on 1 January 2005 as the result of a merger between the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU), the Te ...
. He was previously the deputy vice chancellor for research and internationalization as well as the dean of
engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
at the
University of Johannesburg The University of Johannesburg (UJ) is a public university located in Johannesburg, South Africa. The University of Johannesburg came into existence on 1 January 2005 as the result of a merger between the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU), the Te ...
and a professor of
electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
at the
University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...
. He was a post-doctoral fellow at
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
. He has served as a trustee of the
Nelson Mandela Foundation Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
and on a board of
Nedbank Nedbank Group is a financial services group in South Africa offering wholesale and retail banking services as well as insurance, asset management, and wealth management. Nedbank Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nedbank Group. Nedbank' ...
. One of the books he co-authored on modelling interstate conflict has been translated into Chinese by the National Defense Industry Press. His work and opinion have appeared in media such as ''
New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publishe ...
'', ''Time'', ''
The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...
'',
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
, and
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. He has also given talks at
Rhodes House Rhodes House is a building part of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on South Parks Road in central Oxford, and was built in memory of Cecil Rhodes, an alumnus of the university and a major benefactor. It is listed Grade II* on ...
,
Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
,
Cambridge Union The Cambridge Union Society, also known as the Cambridge Union, is a debating and free speech society in Cambridge, England, and the largest society in the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1815, it is the oldest continuously running debatin ...
, Harvard's
Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society The Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society is a research center at Harvard University that focuses on the study of cyberspace. Founded at Harvard Law School, the center traditionally focused on internet-related legal issues. On May 15, 2008, ...
and
Oxford Union The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford England, whose membership is drawn primarily from the University of Oxford. Founded in 1823, it is one of Britain's oldest ...
. In 2016 Tshilidzi Marwala delivered the
Bernard Price Memorial Lecture The Bernard Price Memorial Lecture is the premier annual lecture of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers. It is of general scientific or engineering interest and is given by an invited guest, often from overseas, at several of the m ...
in South Africa. With Stephen Hawking and
Guy Laliberté Guy Laliberté, (born 2 September 1959) is a Canadian billionaire businessman, and poker player. Along with Gilles Ste-Croix, he is the co-founder of Cirque du Soleil. In January 2018, Laliberté was ranked by ''Forbes'' as the 11th wealthiest ...
he was a judge of the
YouTube Space Lab YouTube Space Lab was a 2011–2012 international science competition launched by YouTube and Lenovo, in cooperation with NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Founded by Zahaan Bharmal of Google ...
competition.


Academic contributions and research

Marwala's research interests include the theory and application of artificial intelligence to engineering, computer science, finance, economics, social science and medicine. He has made fundamental contributions to engineering science including the development of the concept of pseudo-modal energies, proposing the theory of rational
counterfactual thinking Counterfactual thinking is a concept in psychology that involves the human tendency to create possible alternatives to life events that have already occurred; something that is contrary to what actually happened. Counterfactual thinking is, as it ...
, rational
opportunity cost In microeconomic theory, the opportunity cost of a particular activity is the value or benefit given up by engaging in that activity, relative to engaging in an alternative activity. More effective it means if you chose one activity (for example ...
and the theory of flexibly
bounded rationality Bounded rationality is the idea that rationality is limited when individuals make decisions, and under these limitations, rational individuals will select a decision that is satisfactory rather than optimal. Limitations include the difficulty of ...
. He was a co-inventor of the innovative methods of radiation imaging and with
Megan Jill Russell Megan Jill Russell is a Biomedical and Electrical engineer based in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is popularly known for inventing an artificial larynx which was featured by MIT Technology Review, but perhaps more importantly, she is involve ...
as well as David Rubin the artificial larynx. Marwala also observed that the applicability of
prospect theory Prospect theory is a theory of behavioral economics and behavioral finance that was developed by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky in 1979. The theory was cited in the decision to award Kahneman the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics. Based ...
depends on how much artificial intelligence is used to make a decision. He also observed that the more artificial intelligence is used for decision making the more efficient the markets become. For example, if all decisions are made by artificially intelligent machines then the markets will be fully rational. Marwala together with Israeli researcher Daniel Muller mathematically solved the St. Peterburg paradox through the use of the concept of the relative net utility. Marwala together with Evan Hurwitz proposed that there is less level of
information asymmetry In contract theory and economics, information asymmetry deals with the study of decisions in transactions where one party has more or better information than the other. Information asymmetry creates an imbalance of power in transactions, which ca ...
between two artificial intelligent agents than between two human agents and that the more artificial intelligence there is in the market the less is the volume of trades in the market. With Evan Hurwitz, Marwala was the first researcher to build software agents that are able to
bluff Bluff or The Bluff may refer to: Places Australia * Bluff, Queensland, Australia, a town * The Bluff, Queensland (Ipswich), a rural locality in the city of Ipswich * The Bluff, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a rural locality * Bluff River (New ...
on playing a game of poker. Tshilidzi Marwala and Evan Hurwitz in their book applied
Lewis turning point The Lewis turning point is a situation in economic development where surplus rural labor is fully absorbed into the manufacturing sector. This typically causes agricultural and unskilled industrial real wages to rise. The term is named after eco ...
theory to study the transition of the economy into automated production and identified an equilibrium point (Lewis turning point) where it does not make economic sense to move human labor to automated machines. Tshilidzi Marwala and Evan Hurwitz in their book observed that the advent of intelligent online buying platforms such as Amazon and technologies such as flexible manufacturing offers the opportunity for individualized
supply and demand In microeconomics, supply and demand is an economic model of price determination in a Market (economics), market. It postulates that, Ceteris paribus, holding all else equal, in a perfect competition, competitive market, the unit price for a ...
curves to be produced. They observed that these reduce the degree of arbitrage in the market, permit for individualized pricing for the same product and brings fairness and efficiency into the market. Furthermore, with Evan Hurwitz in their book they observed that decision making and predicting machines that are executed using
artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
and other
machine learning Machine learning (ML) is a field of inquiry devoted to understanding and building methods that 'learn', that is, methods that leverage data to improve performance on some set of tasks. It is seen as a part of artificial intelligence. Machine ...
techniques reduce the biases and variances of the errors on decision making and thus make decisions in a closer manner to the conclusions of
rational expectations In economics, "rational expectations" are model-consistent expectations, in that agents inside the model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16 ...
theory than human decision makers. Marwala and Bo Xing have also studied the relationship between
blockchain A blockchain is a type of distributed ledger technology (DLT) that consists of growing lists of records, called ''blocks'', that are securely linked together using cryptography. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, a ...
and artificial intelligence. In his response to
Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions ...
, Marwala has also brought to the attention of the difficulty of taxing robots given the fact that a great deal of the devices that we use have robotics features.


Vice-Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg


Fourth Industrial Revolution

As Vice-Chancellor, Marwala positioned the University of Johannesburg to drive the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) in South Africa to accelerate the United Nations'
Sustainable Development Goals The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...
(SGDs). To drive the fourth industrial revolution, Marwala introduced a compulsory course on artificial intelligence as well as an Africa Insights course for all students irrespective of their majors. Furthermore, he introduced Africa by Bus Project, where thousands of students travel by bus to various African countries to understand the African continent.


Rankings

Under his leadership, the University of Johannesburg was ranked first in Africa in the 2021 Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings on Sustainable Development Goals, 1st position globally for Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8). In the 2022 Times Higher Education Impact Ranking, it was ranked second in Africa and first in South Africa. From 2018 to 2022, the University of Johannesburg increased research output from position 6 to position 2 in South Africa. Furthermore, according to the
Quacquarelli Symonds Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) is a British company specialising in the analysis of higher education institutions around the world. The company was founded in 1990 by Nunzio Quacquarelli. History On 5 October 2017, QS Quacquarelli Symonds acquired Hob ...
(QS) ranking, UJ increased from being number 5 in Africa in 2021 (announced in 2020) to number 2 in Africa in 2023 (announced in 2022).


Fundraising

Marwala is a formidable fundraiser, and under his leadership, the University of Johannesburg increased its endowment from US$61 million to US$200 million from 2018 to 2022. During his tenure, the University of Johannesburg purchased and financed two additional campuses, Devland Campus (US$10million) and Media 24 Park (US$20 million), and completed the Soweto Residence Complex (US$30million). Furthermore, the University of Johannesburg increased electricity consumption from solar energy from 0% to 15% from 2018 to 2022.


Institutes

Marwala was the brainchild of the establishment of the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Study, UJ Press, Johannesburg Business School, and Institute of Intelligent Systems.


Governments and United Nations

Marwala has served globally and nationally on policymaking bodies. Most recently, he was the Deputy Chair of South Africa’s Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (with the President of South Africa
Cyril Ramaphosa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician who is currently serving as the fifth democratically elected president of South Africa. Formerly an anti-apartheid activist, trade union leader, and ...
serving as Chair). This committee developed the country’s fourth industrial revolution strategy. Continentally, Marwala is the Chair of the International Scientific Advisory Board for the African Centre of Excellence in the Internet of Things (ACE-IoT) based in Rwanda. Globally, he was a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) committee that developed the ethical guidelines of using artificial intelligence in medicine. Furthermore, he was a member of the committee that developed the international accord on open data for the International Council for Science (ICSU) in Paris. He was appointed by the government of Namibia on the Fourth Industrial Revolution Task Team. Marwala has also worked with the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
through agencies such as
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
,
UNIDO The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) (French: Organisation des Nations unies pour le développement industriel; French/Spanish acronym: ONUDI) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that assists countries in e ...
,
WHO Who or WHO may refer to: * Who (pronoun), an interrogative or relative pronoun * Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism * World Health Organization Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Who, a creature in the Dr. Seuss book '' Horton He ...
,
ITU The International Telecommunication Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established on 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Unio ...
,
ILO The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and ol ...
,
UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...
, and
WIPO The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO; french: link=no, Organisation mondiale de la propriété intellectuelle (OMPI)) is one of the 15 specialized agencies of the United Nations (UN). Pursuant to the 1967 Convention Establishin ...
.


Visiting appointments

Marwala has been a visiting fellow at
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
,
Wolfson College, Cambridge Wolfson College () is a colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The majority of students at the college are postgraduate education, postgraduates. The college also a ...
, and
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
He is an honorary professor at the
Nanjing Tech University Nanjing Tech University (NJTech; ), colloquially known as Nan Gong (or Nangong, 南工), is a university located in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. It is located 300 km from Shanghai. NJTech was part of the first group of universities app ...
as well as the
Central South University Central South University (CSU; ) is a national public university in Changsha, Hunan, China. The university is sponsored by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, China Ministry of Education. It is a Chinese state Double Fir ...
in The People's Republic of China.


Awards and honors

Marwala is a member of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...
,
TWAS The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) is a merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting 1,000 scientists in some 70 countries. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable devel ...
, and the
African Academy of Sciences The African Academy of Sciences (AAS) is a non-aligned, non-political, not-for-profit, pan-African learned society formed in 1985. The AAS elects fellows ( FAAS) and affiliates. The AAS also awards the Obasanjo Prize for Scientific Discovery and ...
. In high school he won the National Youth Science Olympiad and represented South Africa in the London International Youth Science Forum. He is the recipient of the
Order of Mapungubwe The Order of Mapungubwe is South Africa's highest honour. It was instituted on 6 December 2002, and is granted by the President of South Africa, for achievements in the international arena which have served South Africa's interests. The order orig ...
. In 2022, Marwala was awarded the IT Personality of the Year Award in South Africa for his work on the fourth industrial revolution. Marwala has received honorary doctorates from the
Caucasus University Caucasus University is a private university in Tbilisi, Georgia. The university was established in 2004 on the foundation of Caucasus School of Business, which was established in 1998 in partnership with Georgia State University, Atlanta, U.S., ...
in
Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...
in Georgia and the
University of Venda The University of Venda (Univen; ve, Yunivesithi ya Venḓa, af, Universiteit van Venda) is a South Africa, South African comprehensive rural-based institution, located in Thohoyandou in Limpopo, Limpopo province. It was established in 1982 u ...
.


Books

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Patents

* D.M. Starfield, D.M. Rubin and T. Marwala. United States Patent: 20080296504 “Method and Apparatus for Radiation Imaging”.https://patents.google.com/patent/US20120106699 * D.M. Starfield, D.M. Rubin and T. Marwala. United States Patent: 20110190616A1 “Coded Aperture Masks for Radiation-Based Medical Imaging”. https://patents.google.com/patent/US20110190616A1/en * M.J. Russell, D.M. Rubin, B. Wigdorowitz and T. Marwala. United States Patent: 9129595B2 “An Artificial Larynx”. https://patents.google.com/patent/US9129595B2/en?inventor=marwala&oq=marwala * Dipanjan Paul Tshilidzi Marwala, and Satyakama Paul. (WO2019224739A1) System and method for real-time prediction of water level and hazard level of a dam. https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2019224739A1/en * Tshilidzi Marwala, Rendani Mbuvha. United States Patent: 20210350928. A system and method for imputing missing data in a dataset, a method and system for determining a health condition of a person, and a method and system of calculating an insurance premium. https://patents.justia.com/patent/20210350928


Publications

* * * D. Lunga, T. Marwala. Online forecasting of stock market movement direction using the improved incremental algorithm. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, In Neural Information Processing, Springer Berlin / Heidelberg, Volume 4234, 2006, pp. 440–449. * * . *


References


External links


Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marwala, Tshilidzi 1971 births Living people People from Thulamela Local Municipality Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Case Western Reserve University alumni University of Pretoria alumni Senior Members of the IEEE University of South Africa alumni
Inventors An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...
University of Pretoria faculty University of Johannesburg academics Alumni of St John's College (Johannesburg) Vice-Chancellors of University of Johannesburg South African engineers South African inventors
Computer A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...
South African computer scientists 21st-century inventors Fellows of the African Academy of Sciences