The Queue That Changed a Career: How an Unexpected Chat Led Dr Prudence Makhura to UP
What began as a plan to become a psychologist took an unforeseen turn after a chance meeting with a sociology professor while in line to enrol for her chosen path.
Dr Prudence Makhura arrived at the University of Pretoria (UP) with a reputation forged across South Africa’s higher-education sector and on international platforms.
As UP’s new Director of Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Education, she brings decades of experience in research funding, science diplomacy, international partnerships and capacity development.
Yet the journey that led her here began not with a carefully crafted career plan, but with an unexpected conversation in a university registration queue.
As an undergraduate at the then Vista University in Vanderbijlpark, Dr Makhura majored in Psychology and Sociology. Her future seemed clear: she would become a psychologist. After graduating, she was accepted to pursue an honours degree in Psychology at the former Rand Afrikaans University (now the University of Johannesburg), where she excelled academically.
Then fate intervened.
While standing in a registration queue with her parents, a sociology professor struck up a conversation and asked what had brought them there. The discussion soon moved from the queue to the professor’s office, where over tea he spoke passionately about sociology, its relevance and the opportunities it offered.
Before the day was over, Dr Makhura had registered for an honours degree in Industrial Sociology instead.
“That’s how my career got rerouted,” she recalls. “It was an accidental conversation that changed the trajectory of my life.”
What appeared to be a spontaneous change of direction would ultimately shape a distinguished career in higher education. Today, Dr Makhura is recognised as an expert on the internationalisation of higher education, with extensive experience working across policy, research, funding and global collaboration.
She joins UP after spending 12 years at the National Research Foundation (NRF), where she most recently served as Executive Director of International Grants and Partnerships and Acting Executive Director of the Knowledge Advancement and Support Directorate. Before that, she spent four years at the Department of Higher Education and Training as Deputy Director for Africa and the Middle East, helping to strengthen international cooperation across the sector.
Her earlier career included a pivotal role at Higher Education South Africa, now Universities South Africa, where she managed projects focused on sector development, strategic research and internationalisation.
This professional journey was complemented by a PhD from the DaVinci Institute for Technology Management. Her doctoral research examined how international exposure through conferences, partnerships and academic networks can enhance professional growth and career development, a theme that has remained central to her work.
At UP, Dr Makhura sees an opportunity to bring together the many strands of her career. Her appointment aligns closely with the University’s ThriveUP 2038 strategy, particularly its ambition to strengthen impact-driven research and expand global partnerships.
“For me, leadership is about enablement,” she says. “I need to create an environment where researchers and postgraduate students can thrive and excel in their work.”
Her vision focuses on strengthening support systems for researchers, expanding access to funding opportunities and building partnerships that create meaningful opportunities for the University’s research community. She is also passionate about fostering collaboration across disciplines, recognising that many of society’s most pressing challenges require expertise from multiple fields.
“I’ve always located myself at the intersection of research, policy, science diplomacy and capacity development,” she explains. “All these things come together beautifully in this portfolio because it is about advanced research, innovation and partnerships.”
At the heart of her leadership philosophy is a commitment to helping others succeed. Whether supporting an established researcher, facilitating international collaboration or assisting a student to secure funding, she sees her role as removing barriers and creating opportunities.
“A researcher can be a leader in their field but become frustrated by systems and processes,” she says. “My role is to take away those frustrations and create an environment where researchers can flourish.”
She is particularly motivated by the transformative impact that postgraduate funding can have on students and their families.
“To be able to give a student hope, to give a student that fellowship or bursary award letter, makes a difference,” she says. “It changes not only the student’s trajectory, but often the fortunes of an entire family.”
The variety of her work is another source of inspiration. One day may involve high-level strategic discussions on international partnerships; the next may centre on a conversation with a student about funding opportunities or a researcher exploring a new collaboration.
“I enjoy the balance,” she says. “I enjoy connecting with individual journeys that bring the strategy to life.”
Beyond UP, Dr Makhura remains actively involved in the global higher-education and research community. She serves as the Funders’ Representative on the Future Earth Governing Council and is a member of both the Future Earth Africa Hub Advisory Board and the Swiss Alliance for Global Research Partnerships. These roles provide valuable insight into the opportunities and challenges shaping research systems around the world.
“It helps me understand the broader factors driving the system and the challenges facing different stakeholders,” she says.
Looking back, Dr Makhura still keeps in touch with the sociology professor whose impromptu intervention redirected her future all those years ago. What began as a chance meeting in a registration queue became the first step in a career dedicated to advancing knowledge, building partnerships and creating opportunities for others.
Now, at the University of Pretoria, that journey enters a new chapter—one focused on enabling research excellence, strengthening global connections and supporting the next generation of scholars to thrive.
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