Professor Jacek Banasiak holds a prestigious DST/NRF SARChI Chair in Mathematical Models and Methods in Biosciences and Bioengineering at the University of Pretoria, Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics. He also maintains strong academic ties with Lodz University of Technology in Poland where he serves as a research professor in the Department of Mathematical Modeling. His career spans several decades with extensive contributions to mathematical modeling, particularly in population dynamics, fragmentation-coagulation processes, and epidemiological modeling. Professor Banasiak's research interests center on mathematical modeling of biological and physical processes, with particular expertise in singular perturbation theory, semigroup theory, and transport equations on networks. His work bridges theoretical mathematics with practical applications in epidemiology, ecology, and population biology. He has developed sophisticated mathematical frameworks for understanding fragmentation-coagulation phenomena, malaria transmission dynamics, and savanna ecosystem modeling. His publication record shows a consistent trajectory of high-impact research, with recent work focusing on climate-based malaria models, multiscale epidemiological systems, and mathematical analysis of growth-fragmentation equations. His publications appear in top-tier journals across mathematical analysis, epidemiology, and mathematical biology fields, demonstrating the interdisciplinary nature of his work. DST/NRF SARChI Chair in Mathematical Models and Methods in Biosciences and Bioengineering Author of numerous influential publications spanning from 1984 to 2025 Editor of special issues and author of several books including 'Introduction to Mathematical Methods in Population Theory' (2025) Professor Banasiak has supervised over 15 PhD students, many of whom have gone on to successful academic careers. His mentoring spans topics including fragmentation-coagulation with transport effects, telegraph systems on networks, and mathematical modeling of malaria transmission. His research has attracted significant funding, particularly through his SARChI Chair position which supports advanced mathematical research in biosciences and bioengineering.