In the small village called eNqgele, near eDikeni (Alice) in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, is where Dr. Matshabane was born and raised in a traditional Xhosa home by her grandparents. In Ngqele is where she spent her first 1000 days – which developmental psychologists posit are a critical phase of a child’s life, as the things that occur to and around the child significantly influence the child’s brain, body and emotional development. During this developmentally critical phase, Dr. Matshabane was surrounded by not only her grandparents, but also the warm Ngqele community members who from a young age modelled African values of Ubuntu. Later, Dr. Matshabane moved to Cape Town, South Africa – which is an urban city. This is where she was privileged to attend well-resourced schools and later, it is where she pursued her undergraduate and graduate training in community psychology and ethics of African genomics. Stemming from village roots, not many would have expected that Dr. Matshabane would go on to lead and influence the global conversation around neuroethics and African perspectives in science, in the ways that she has.
The great powers of the world may have done wonders in giving the world an industrial look, but the great gift still has to come from Africa – giving the world a more human face
Looking back, Dr. Matshabane’s journey from a rural South African village to becoming one of the world’s leading voices in neuroethics represents more than personal achievement; it embodies the isiXhosa maxim that she writes about – and demonstrates – in her work, that “umntu ngumntu ngabantu”, meaning ‘a person is a person because of other people’. In her case, the people who have had a significant impact on her life journey, are her family, community as well as the role models and mentors she has crossed paths with.
On the latter she says: “it is the role models and mentors that I have been so privileged to know, who have deeply influenced my purpose-driven leadership approach. Now, working alongside the talented team members in the Africa Neuroethics Research Group, I am always curious and asking questions, both out loud and internally, about what steps we can take that involve everyone growing in ways that they wish to grow, in order to be even better contributors to the improvement of brain and mental health science in Africa – which is really at the core of the neuroethics work that we do”.
The Academic Architect: Building Bridges Across Disciplines
Dr. Matshabane’s academic journey reads like a carefully orchestrated symphony of interdisciplinary excellence. From her undergraduate studies in psychology at the University of the Western Cape to her graduate studies at Stellenbosch University and then her doctor of philosophy degree in medicine at the University of Cape Town, each step has been aligned in ways that uniquely position her as a rising star – empowered to contribute to the mission of advancing ethical neuroscience and equitable access to effective brain and mental health interventions in Africa and globally.
Upon completing her Ph.D. in 2019, Dr. Matshabane became the youngest female on record to graduate with a Ph.D. in Medicine from the University of Cape Town. Her research, under the supervision of Professor Jantina de Vries and Professor Megan Campbell, explored the impact of a genetic explanation for schizophrenia and rheumatic heart disease on stigma experiences within the amaXhosa cultural group. Looking back at why she went on to pursue a career in neuroethics, she says:
“I think, with my background in psychology and my former PhD primary supervisor being a leading bioethicist in Africa, I became drawn to the closely aligned sphere of neuroethics in Africa,” Dr. Matshabane explains. “A space which merges both brain science as well as ethics in unique yet important ways, in order to ensure that we have ethical innovations in African neuroscience.” As neurotechnology and artificial intelligence-based brain and mental health interventions are being introduced, we must have people who are carefully interrogating the ethics – and this is what I (and members of our team) set out to contribute to.
Pioneering African Voices In Global Neuroethics
Dr. Matshabane’s work at Stellenbosch University has become a beacon for African representation in global neuroethics discourse. Her research group within the Department of Psychiatry collaborates with African partners, including through a Pan-African women led’ collaboration with Dr. Mary Bitta from the Brain and Mind Institute at Aga Khan University in Kenya, to conduct groundbreaking research that centers African perspectives in neuroethics.
The collaborative project that they work on is supported by an African Academy of Sciences and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation APTI Grant awarded to Dr. Matshabane, which represents a paradigm shift in how neuroethics guidelines are developed. Through community-engaged empirical research, the project has involved experts from over 10 African nations, including people with lived experience of brain and mental health conditions, neuroscientists, neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, bioethicists, community mental health workers, activists, lawyers, policymakers, and traditional healers.
Through the Africa Neuroethics Research Group, Dr. Matshabane currently supervises three Master’s Neuroscience students at Stellenbosch University. “When I see our students and trainees lead neuroethics presentations at major national and international conferences, I am profoundly moved and inspired because I know that through them, Africa is represented in the global neuroethics discourse,” she reflects with evident pride.
The APTI project holds particular significance as it emphasizes diversity and inclusivity through efforts to incorporate perspectives from a wide range of African countries. “The deliberative approach that we use recognizes that effective neuroethics guidelines must be iteratively co-created by diverse individuals, for them to be culturally relevant and contextually appropriate for the communities they serve” – she emphasized. In her 2021 article published by a Lancet journal, she clearly stated her position: “As an African woman in academia, I firmly believe in the need to advocate for both the inclusion of African people in neuroscientific research and for considerations of potential neuroethical issues pertinent to Africans in the international neuroethics discourse” (Matshabane, 2021).
Global Leadership With African Values
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Dr. Matshabane’s influence extends far beyond the academic realm through her involvement in prestigious international organizations. She serves as one of 24 global leaders appointed by UNESCO’s Director General Audrey Azoulay to the UNESCO Ethics of Neurotechnology Ad Hoc Expert Group. Her membership in UNICEF’s Expert Advisory Group on Ethics of Neurotechnology in Children and her role as the only African member among 20 global leaders within the World Economic Forum’s Future Council on Neurotechnology demonstrate her unique position in global neuroethics leadership.
In these international forums, she consistently advocates for the inclusion of African values and principles. Her approach is grounded in the belief that Africa has significant contributions to make to global discourse. Drawing inspiration from Steve Biko’s words, she notes: “The great powers of the world may have done wonders in giving the world an industrial look, but the great gift still has to come from Africa – giving the world a more human face.”
These collaborative spaces are set to produce tangible outputs for humanity, including UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Neurotechnology, which as a progressive instrument, could inform local policy on neurotechnologie,s globally, if adopted by all member states in November 2025. Following this very important step, Dr. Matshabane’s research recognizes the need to expand these guidelines to ensure that they are contextually and culturally relevant to African communities.
Defining Neuroethics For The Future
Dr. Matshabane’s explanation of neuroethics reveals her deep understanding of its implications for human dignity and social justice. “Neuroethics is pivotal in influencing our views on humanity and the effects of neurotechnologies on individuals, communities, and society as a whole,” she explains.
Involving communities in culturally grounded ways, her vision for neuroethics extends beyond theoretical frameworks to practical applications that ensure just access to both neurotechnologies and information about neuroethics and neurotechnologies. She emphasizes that effective neurotechnologies must be ethically and fairly distributed, ensuring that they are accessible not only to those in affluent settings but also to individuals in remote African villages – like the one she is from – in so doing, creating opportunities for people to access potentially lifesaving neurotechnologies regardless of geographic or economic circumstances. “This is what my colleagues in bioethics call, distributive justice”, she says. Both justice and freedom are crucial principles to hold onto as the advancements in neuroscience, artificial intelligence and their intersections continue. As a South African Black woman born during the apartheid era, freedom and justice are two principles she fundamentally believes in.
Empowered Women Empower Women: Inspiring A Community Of Women Trailblazers
Beyond her specific contributions to neuroethics, Dr. Matshabane’s vision encompasses inspiring community among women trailblazers across Africa and globally. This aspect of her societal leadership role recognizes that sustainable change requires not just individual excellence but collective action and mutual support among women leaders.
“We certainly need more women at – and contributing to – the tables that set to the scientific agenda in (and for) Africa”, she says.
“I often find myself in panels and rooms where I am the only woman. This can’t be the reality in 2025. We need to commit ourselves to gender equality. When I get the opportunity to be in a room full of powerhouse women, I am grateful for it, because I know that I will walk away inspired and affirmed by the wisdom of women leaders who are doing excellent and important work in the world”. She goes on to share, “The most recent opportunity was during the Stellenbosch Women Alumni Network (SWAN) 2025 International Women’s Day Event at Stellenbosch in South Africa, where I was honoured to be invited as a speaker on a ‘Women’s Wellness’ panel together with incredible women (Roxanne Botman and Santie Gouws – pictured in image 5). I emphasized that, as women we need to 1) know that we are worthy of being in the roles and rooms that we are in; 2) take care of ourselves by practicing both self-care and community-care in order to be our best selves and to fully show up for the roles that we hold at work and at home, and finally, 3) to celebrate ourselves because we deserve to be celebrated”. In closing, to young African women in science, she recommends finding three crucial elements: a mentor, an advocate, and a community of trusted peers.
Legacy Building
Over the next five years, she says. “I really hope we realize the vision that we wrote in a Nature article in 2022, together with colleagues from South Africa, Ghana and the United States, to establish a Consortium for Neuroethics Research in Africa. The space would be enriching and would take us forward in our quest towards Africa led neuroethics research, that can inform the global discourse”.
In her growing team, Dr. Matshabane also envisions the research group to contribute to the consortium and to become an increasingly important force for change in global neuroethics. The thriving group of talented emerging scholars represents the foundation for this expansion, with each member contributing to the broader mission of ensuring African perspectives are integrated into global neuroethics discourse.
She ends by saying: “Overall however, I hope my legacy will not be measured by publications, citations, grants and awards achieved, but rather in the lives transformed, the communities empowered, and the global conversations reshaped” which she hopes to achieve while grounded in her African heritage, values and perspectives, while promoting sustained universal human dignity.
A Vision For Africa’S Scientific Future
Dr. Olivia Matshabane represents a new generation of African scientists who are reshaping global academic discourse while remaining deeply rooted in their African values and commitment to community. Her career demonstrates that world-class research and global leadership can emerge from and serve local communities, creating pathways for sustainable development and social justice. Her work challenges the traditional center-periphery model of academic knowledge production, positioning Africa not as a recipient of global knowledge but as a key contributor to global understanding. Through her research, advocacy, and leadership, she is creating new models for how African scholars can engage with global academic communities while maintaining their commitment to local development.
As Dr. Matshabane continues to build her research group and expand her influence in global neuroethics discourse, her career serves as a model for how African science rising stars can achieve global impact while remaining committed to local transformation.
