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Celebrating the life and contribution of AAS Fellow Lydia Makhubu
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Celebrating the life and contribution of AAS Fellow Lydia Makhubu
The African Academy of Sciences is deeply saddened to have heard of the death of AAS Fellow, Professor Lydia Makhubu who died in Eswatini, Swaziland in July 2021.
Professor Makhubu received her higher education in Lesotho and at the Universities of Alberta and Toronto, where she earned a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry is known for many firsts. She was the first woman to be elected as an AAS Fellow in 1986 and the first woman member of the AAS Governing Council.
She was also the first President of the Third World Organization for Women in Science, which provides fellowships for postgraduate study; the first Woman Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Association of Commonwealth Universities and the first Swazi Woman to earn a PhD.
Building on her study of chemistry, Prof Makhubu has had a distinguished career as a scientist in the area of health and traditional medicine, as a leader in higher education, and as a commentator on science, technology, and development in Africa and other developing regions.
She has received numerous grants and honours, including a MacArthur Foundation grant (1993–1995), and honorary doctorates from various universities, including a Doctor of Laws from Saint Mary’s University, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1991.
The AAS remembers her for contribution to the growth of the Academy, that extended into her retirement where she remained available for the AAS activities, until her passing.