Biography
Daniel is a South African Rhodes Scholar, Allan Gray Fellow, and DPhil (PhD) candidate in International Relations at the University of Oxford. He holds three degrees, has four years of award-winning experience at the highest levels of student leadership, and previously worked with the One South Africa Movement (now Build One South Africa), directly with the former Leader of the Opposition in South Africa, Mmusi Maimane MP. He strives to improve prospects for sustainable and inclusive development in Africa through his research into the politics of international energy cooperation, specifically looking at African states’ cross-border electricity trade in Southern and Eastern Africa. He has conducted around 100 elite and expert interviews across multiple continents for this research, and has presented at numerous reputable industry conferences in addition. His DPhil is sponsored by the Rhodes Trust, the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust, and St Catherine’s College.
Daniel has consistently performed at the highest academic levels in three fully-funded degrees: a Master’s degree in International Relations from Oxford, an Honour’s degree in the same discipline from the University of Cape Town (UCT), and a Bachelor’s degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from UCT. Concurrently with these degrees, he has provided research/teaching assistance to various academics, and serves as a Trustee of the Oxford Climate Alumni Network. Additionally, he has served in multiple senior student leadership roles, including as the Social Sciences Divisional Representative at Oxford and as a member of UCT’s Students’ Representative Council. At UCT, he earned multiple awards for his efforts, which include building the University's largest student-run entrepreneurship competition (“The Pitch”). His other extracurricular involvements include various sporting, musical, and service endeavours.