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Dr Adam Pantanowitz is the Angela and David Fine Chair in Innovation and Mr Letlotlo Phohole is the Acting Director of the Wits Innovation Centre (WIC).
Dr Adam Pantanowitz
Angela and David Fine Chair in Innovation
As Chair, he drives the academic aspects of innovation and is responsible for growing the innovation ecosystem within and beyond Wits. His roles include crafting policies and guidelines for innovation and providing input on commercial negotiations and deals. The Chair is a strategic position that serves in an advisory capacity to the Wits Innovation Centre (WIC).
“Wits is a place brimming with all of the ingredients for innovation: brilliant minds, academic freedom, multi-disciplinary work, diversity of thought, and remarkable research. I see unbridled potential for us to solve problems from our unique vantage point, and ultimately to make change happen from within the Wits ecosystem for the benefit of society at large. The best part is that we can all be a part of this.”
Dr Adam Pantanowitz is an iconic biomedical and electrical engineer, well-known for initiating and leading the first group in the world to connect a human brain live and mobile to the internet in a project called the Brainternet – a term he coined. He joined the School of Electrical and Information Engineering at Wits University in 2009 where he lectures in engineering and medicine.
An artificial intelligence expert, technologist, and entrepreneur, Pantanowitz uses his applied sciences skills to make real-world impact. He is the co-founder or early-stage partner of multiple startups such as AURA (a mobile security app), Resolute Robotics (an online education forum to promote engineering and robotics), think3dots (an innovative incubator focused on biotechnology, AI, and engineering), and Tariffic (a platform to best predict a customer's preferred mobile plan).
His areas of expertise are applied artificial intelligence, ethics, biotechnology, engineering, and robotics. His research has been published in international peer-reviewed journals and has also resulted in a number of patents.
Letlotlo Phohole
Acting Director of the Wits Innovation Centre
As Acting Director, he oversees all strategic and operational aspects of the Wits Innovation Centre and provides leadership to the Innovation Support team, the innovation laboratories, and the Industry Solutions Laboratories.
“My vision for the WIC is to ignite a passion for innovation and progress in all Faculties, inter-Faculty entities and members of the Wits community, with a focus on serving society through our efforts. We will achieve this by continuously embracing the spirit of learning, challenging our own mental models and collaborating with a diverse range of stakeholders both within and beyond the university. By doing so, we will maintain Wits as a leader in shaping the future and creating positive impact.”
Letlotlo Phohole is a seasoned technology and innovation management professional with over 25 years of experience spread across industry, government agencies, academia and entrepreneurship.
He has a proven track record of integrating engineering, systems engineering, technology management and business consulting to create effective holistic solutions that benefit multiple industries like mining, manufacturing, automotive, aerospace & defence, arts & craft and freight logistics.