Professor Albert Thembinkosi Modi is the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Walter Sisulu University following almost 30 years of teaching, research and senior management  (Deputy Vice Chancellor) experience at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. His an agronomist specialising in Crop Science (Plant Physiology) with a keen interest in Community Development in the context of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS), sustainable environmental management and food security. He currently holds many leadership recognitions as an academic and leader in agriculture. These include Senior Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences, Fellow of GreenMatter ® , former President (South African Society of Crop Production, Associate Editor (South African Journal of Plant and Soil), CEO (Moses Kotane Institute for Science and Technology) and Chairperson of LEAP-Agri (an EU-Africa international research development forum).