Liesel Ebersöhn is Director of the Centre for the Study of Resilience and Full Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Pretoria. Liesel is known for educational psychology studies on resilience in schools in challenged settings – specifically for an indigenous, Afrocentric psychology theory (relationship resourced resilience). The theory posits flocking as resilience-enabling social support to bolster better than expected outcomes for a collective in a severely unequal context.

She is Secretary General of the World Education Research Association, is invited often to read keynote papers (i.e. Plenary at the 2016 Global Development Network Conference, Lima, Peru), has been visiting professor (Yale University, Edith Cowan University), and have received numerous research awards. She serves on the Editorial Board of the prestigious Review of Education Research, is a member of the International Research and Scholarship Committee (Division C, Learning and Instruction, of the American Educational Research Association), and is international representative to the Building Resilience in Teacher Education (BRITE) Project Reference Group, Murdoch University. Liesel has published prolifically (including 78 peer reviewed articles, multiple book chapters in international psychology-focused science texts, several edited and co-authored books). In addition, more to 80 masters and doctoral students have completed their studies under her supervision. She is a registered educational psychologist. She teaches career psychology to graduate students.

Prof Ebersöhn is die Direkteur van die Sentrum vir Veerkragtigheidstudies en ʼn professor in die Departement Opvoedkundige Sielkunde in die Fakulteit Opvoedkunde.

As ʼn NNS-gegradeerde navorser word sy beskou as ʼn toonaangewende vakkundige en onderriggewer in veerkragtigheid en intervensies wat dit in hoë-risiko skoolomgewings bevorder. Haar navorsing is geposisioneer in kontekste wat tipies is van ʼn ontluikende ekonomie in ʼn land wat transformeer. Sy kombineer emansipatoriese en intervensiemetodologieë om weë na veerkragtigheid te ondersoek as menslik-ekologiese en kulturele aanpassingsreaksies op chroniese en kumulatiewe teëspoed. Haar erkende wetenskaplike bydraes sluit in ʼn generatiewe teorie (verhoudings-gebaseerde veerkragtigheid) wat ʼn emiese sisteem beskryf om chroniese teëspoed teen te werk, asook ‘kuddevorming’ (‘flocking’), ʼn woord wat sy geskep het om ʼn kollektiewe inheemse sielkundige weg na veerkragtigheid te beskryf.

Prof Ebersöhn is die aangestelde Sekretaris-Generaal van die World Education Research Association (WERA). Sy is voorsitter van die American Educational Research Association se internasionale navorsings- en beurskomitee (Afdeling C, Leer en Onderrig) en was Suid-Afrika se internasionale verteenwoordiger in die Building Resilience in Teacher Education (BRITE)-projekverwysingsgroep by Murdoch-universiteit.

In Maart 2016 het sy ʼn volle sessie as gasspreker by die Global Development Network se 17de jaarlikse konferensie in Lima aangebied en in 2014 by ʼn simposium oor inheemse weë na veerkragtigheid tydens die vergadering van die Amerikaanse Sielkundige Vereniging. Sy was besoekende professor by Yale-universiteit en Edith Cowan-universiteit. Haar navorsingsfokus het ʼn besliste impak gehad op die kurrikula vir onderwyseropleiding by verskeie hoëronderwysinstellings in Suid-Afrika.

Prof Ebersohn het self, asook saam met studente en medenavorsers, meer as 70 portuurbeoordeelde artikels, talle hoofstukke in boeke en bydraes vir boeksamestellings gelewer. Haar onderrig- en navorsingsuitsette getuig dat navorsing, onderrig en leer, en gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid effektief met hoër onderrig geïntegreer kan word. Dit dat haar pedagogiek aansluiting vind by wêreldburgerskap en opleiding as sleutelstrategieë in die herstrukturering van postkoloniale omstandighede.

Prof Ebersöhn ke Molaodimogolo wa Senthara ya Twantšho le profesa ka Kgorong ya Saekolotši ya Thuto ka Lefapheng la Thuto.

Monyakišiši yo a lekanyeditšwego ke NRF, Prof Ebersöhn o tšewa bjalo ka moithuti wa ketapele le morutiši wa twantšho le go godiša ditsenagaro tša twantšho mo ditikologong tša dikolo tša ditikologo tšeo di lego kotsing. Nyakišišo ya gagwe e beilwe maemong mo pharologantšhong ya diteng tša naga ya ekonomi ye e sa golago ka diphetogong. O kopanya mekgwa ya go lokolla le ya go tsenagare go nyakišiša ditsela tša twantšho bjalo ka dikarabo tša ekholotši ya motho le kamantšho ya setšo mo kotsing ya go ya go ile le ye e golago. Go kgatha tema ga gagwe ga saense mo go lemogwago go akaretša teori ya tswalo (twantšho ya methopo ya kamano) ye e hlalošago mokgwa wa emiki go ya go kotsi ya karabo ya go ya go ile, gammogo le ‘Sehlopha sa batho bao ba laolwago ke motho o tee’ seo a se hlotšego go bontšha tsela ya twantšho ya saekolotši ya kgoboko ya mathomong.

Prof Ebersöhn ke Mongwaledi-Kakaretšo wa Mokgatlo wa Lefase wa Dinyakišišo tša Thuto (WERA). O thušitše bjalo ka Modulasetulo wa Komiti ya Thekgo ya Ditšhelete tša Thuto le Dinyakišišo tša Ditšhabatšhaba (Karolo ya C, Go ithuta le Ditaelo ya Mokgatlo wa Dinyakišišo tša Thuto wa Amerika),gape e bile moemedi wa ditšhabatšhaba wa Afrika Borwa mo Protšekeng ya Sehlopha sa Kakanyetšo mo Kagong ya Twantšho mo Thutong ya Barutiši (BRITE) Yunibesithing ya Murdoch.

O abile mohlakano wo o feletšego ka Hlakola 2016 bjalo ka seboledi se se laleditšwego mo Khonferenseng ya Ngwaga ka Ngwaga ya bo 17 ya Netweke ya Tšweletšopele ya Lefase (Global Development Network) kua Lima le simphosiamong sa Ditsela tša Mathomong tša Twantšho mo mohlakanong wa 2014 wa Mokgatlo wa Saekolotši wa Amerika. O swere dipeano tša ditšhabatšhaba, go swana le go ba profesa ya moeng ya Yunibesithi ya Yale le Yunibesithi ya Cowan Edith. Nepo ya nyakišišo ya gagwe e bile le khuetšo ya sephetho mo lenaneothutong ya tlhahlo ya barutiši mo diinstitušeneng tša thuto ya godimo tše mmalwa mo Afrika Borwa.

Mmogo le baithuti le banyakišišimmogo, Prof Ebersöhn o kgathile tema mo diathekeleng tšeo di lekotšego ke badirišani tša go feta tše 70, dikgaolo tše mmalwa tša dipuku le dipuku tše mmalwa tše di rulagantšwego le go ngwalwa mmogo. Ditšweletšwa tša gagwe tša go ruta le dinyakišišo di bontšha gore thuto ya godimo e ka kopanya nyakišišo, go ruta le go ithuta, gammogo le go tšea karolo setšhabeng. Thuto ya gagwe e thekgana le bodudi bja lefase le thuto bjalo ka mekgwa ya motheo ya kagolefsa ya maemo a ka morago ga bokoloni.