Research Interns

SCIS hosts an internship programme for Wits students undertaking their masters or PhD studies. Internships last for six months on a part-time basis, and expose interns to the world of academic research. Each intern is placed in one of our research programmes, and works alongside our senior research team. Meet our current interns below: 

Yashila Govender

Yashila Govender is a second-year master’s student at the Global Change Institute at Wits University. Her thesis is looking at the potential of regenerative agriculture in creating climate-adaptive and gender inclusive food systems in rural communities of Mpumalanga. Outside of academia, she spends her time advocating for climate education.  She is currently with the Climate Change and Inequality Project.

Vhutshilo Ndlovu

Vhutshilo Ndlovu is an intern on the Wealth Inequality and Elites project. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree majoring in Economics from the University of Pretoria. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Economic Science Honours degree at the University of the Witwatersrand. Vhutshilo’s interests include income and wealth inequality, sustainable industrial development, climate finance and energy economics.

Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi is an intern on the Climate and Inequality project. He holds a BA (Law, Politics, International Relations) and a BA (Hons) in International Relations cum laude from the University of the Witwatersrand. He is an Emancipatory Futures Studies grantee, with a Master’s research focused on the climate crisis and a quantitative study of the impact of arms in the environment. He complements this by promoting Food Sovereignty at Wits, as an organiser of volunteers at the food gardens, and involvement with the Climate Justice Charter Movement, as chairperson of the newly recognised club at Wits.

Melody Madubeko

Melody Madubeko is a research assistant on the Intersectionality project. She is currently pursuing a Master of Management in Development and Economics. Melody holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Labour and Economic Sociology and a Bachelor of Arts Double Major in Organisational Psychology and Industrial Sociology from the University of the Witwatersrand. She previously worked as an intern in Service Delivery Intervention at the office of the Gauteng Premier.