Albert Thembinkosi Modi is the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), South Africa. His academic experience goes back to 1996, when he was first appointed as a Crop Science lecturer, following many years of working as an agronomist for Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a subsidiary of publicly traded Corteva Agriscience (the agriculture business of DowDuPont). After completion of a PhD in Seed Science at Ohio State University (USA) he continued to grow his impact as a researcher and teacher of Crop Science at the university of KwaZulu-Natal, where he developed and introduced curriculum is Seed Science and Technology as well as Sustainable Agriculture. This led to his ability to establish a research group focusing on water-energy-food nexus, including establishment and launch of the Moses Kotane Institute for Science and Technology in KwaZulu-Natal in 2008.

His national and international recognitions include membership of the New York Academy of Sciences, Third World Academy of Science (TWAS), Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), Green Matter Senior Fellow, Chairperson of the South African Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean’s Association (SAALSDA),  President and Fellow of the South African Society of Crop Production, Chairperson of LEAP-Agri (an EU-Africa international research development forum), Deputy Chairperson of National Agricultural Research Forum (South Africa), WRC Award for Human Capacity Development in Water and Science Sectors, International Alumni Award (College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the Ohio State University, USA), University of KwaZulu-Natal Distinguished Teacher and Top 3 Researcher Awards, Fellow of the Mangosuthu University of Technology. He has been on  South African Advisory Committee for Genetic Experimentation. He is a registered member South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP; Registration No. 400582/15). In 2018, he established the Centre for Transformative Agricultural and Food Systems (https://ctafs.ukzn.ac.za/) which plays a significant role in his efforts to take university research to the rural communities for  the purposes of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals and influence government policy (see https://youtu.be/QTh15JtA2Ds and https://youtu.be/SWa9_paVGOQ)