Society 5.0

A distinguished full professor in the Department of Informatics, Prof. Van der Merwe supervises postgraduate students and specializes in designing socio-technical solutions. Her research encompasses Enterprise Architecture, Society 5.0, and various theories on effective technology use within organisations. As Deputy Dean, she focuses on enhancing student success through innovative technological applications to improve throughput. Prof. Van der Merwe has held prominent roles in the academic community, including past president of the South African Institute for Computer Scientists and Information Technologists (SAICSIT) and currently as the chair of the AIS Enterprise-level Information Systems (SIG EntSys). Internationally, she contributed to the formation of the IEEE SMC Enterprise Engineering and Enterprise Architecture Technical Committee and served as the IFIP 8 Vice-chair until 2020. In 2021, she was honoured with the AISSAC Life Achievement Award for her significant contributions to the field of Information Systems, both in Southern Africa and globally. In 2023 she received the life-long award for her contribution to the IS community in South Africa from SAICSIT.