Tshilidzi Marwala is the Rector of the United Nations University and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Prior to taking up the role of UNU Rector on 1 March 2023, Tshilidzi Marwala served as Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg (South Africa). He had previously served as that university’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Internationalization (2013–2017) and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (2009–2013).

From 2003–2008, Marwala progressively held the positions of Associate Professor and Full Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa). From 2001–2003 he was Executive Assistant to the Technical Director at South African Breweries, and from 2000–2001 he was a Post-Doctoral Research Associate at Imperial College (then University of London).

Marwala has been a visiting scholar/professor at universities in the USA, the UK, China, and South Africa. He has extensive academic, policy, management, and international experience, and is a co-holder of five patents. His research has been multi-disciplinary, involving the theory and applications of artificial intelligence to engineering, social science, economics, politics, finance, and medicine. He has served on a variety of global and national policymaking bodies, and has worked with United Nations entities such as UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO, and WIPO.

He holds a PhD degree from the University of Cambridge (UK), a Master of Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Pretoria (South Africa), and a Bachelor of Science degree from Case Western Reserve University (USA). He also completed management and leadership programmes at the Columbia Business School and Harvard Business School.