Judy Backhouse

Judy Backhouse

United Nations University (UNU-EGOV), Portugal

Judy Backhouse has experience as both an academic scholar and an information and communications technologies (ICT) practitioner. She is currently a Senior Academic Fellow at UNU-EGOV, after eight years as an Associate professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Her recent research has been into measures for smart cities. She has researched ICT for development as well as aspects of e-Government.

Dr Backhouse has worked in the private and public sectors. In the private sector she worked in technical and management roles over a twelve-year career which began with designing and programming systems and ended with the strategic management of ICT within organisations. She spent two years at the South African Council on Higher Education where she was responsible for monitoring the Higher Education Sector in South Africa and advising the Minister of Higher Education. She also has experience as an entrepreneur, having launched (and closed) a co-working business in Johannesburg.