Dr Patrick Nonjola is a manager in the Industry, Innovation and R&D Unit within the International Grants and Partnerships Department and also serves as acting senior specialist in the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Department at the Research, Innovation, Impact Support and Advancement (RIISA) Division of the National Research Foundation.

He leads and supports the implementation of innovative academia–industry programmes, such as partnerships with SASOL and Telkom. Other partnership programmes under his leadership include collaborations with other
government departments, science councils, foundations, and development agencies.

Dr Nonjola provides support and contributes to strategic management activities while leading and managing
assigned portfolio responsibilities. He proactively establishes and maintains working relationships with key stakeholders, both internal and external, at national and international levels. He also contributes to the conceptualisation, improvement, and drafting of RIISA-specific policy and strategic documents to support key decision-makers. Dr Nonjola holds a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of the Free State.

Previously, he has served as a senior researcher at the CSIR Energy Centre, where he played a key role in research analysis and innovative programmes related to energy infrastructure and systems.