Dr Palesa Natasha Mothapo serves as Director: Research Support and Management at Nelson Mandela University’s Division for Research Development. Expanding on her passion for capacity development in academia, she expertly assists Researchers in transitioning from academia to industry - with a focus on improving the holistic development of PhD candidates and Postdoctoral Researchers. Concurrently, Dr Mothapo is a Steering Committee Member for Research Management Network (RemNet), a Technical Sub-Committee (TSC) Member for Good Research Management Practice at The African Academy of Sciences, and a Member of The Research Management Programme in Africa (ReMPro Africa). She is an ardent advocate for young women in STEM and devotes much of her time to mentoring young women from rural and underdeveloped areas - serving as a Mentor for STEMI-Africa and Smart Tribe (Multi-National STEM Mentoring Programme). An extensively published and noted academic, Dr Mothapo has achieved many accolades, participated on several Committees, led numerous Research Projects, and given presentations at Key Conferences while remaining active as a Lecturer and Learning Coordinator. Dr Mothapo is one of 2020s Inspiring Fifty Women in STEM, an alumnus of the 2018 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders and the GreenMatter WWF Nedbank Green Trust Emerging Leaders Program. She is listed on the 2014 Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans to Watch, is a Lifetime Member of the Golden Key International Honour Society, and a Global Goodwill Ambassador for Science and Technology.