Ms Shanna Nienaber

Ms Shanna Nienaber

Manager at the Water Research Commission (WRC)

Ms Shanna Nienaber is a research and innovation ecosystem practitioner with 15 years of experience working in the national innovation system related to water, climate, ecosystems, green economy, and related fields. She has worked within science councils, national government, funding, and ecosystem coordination agencies and volunteered in the non-profit sector. This professional journey has afforded her the opportunity to work as a researcher, policy maker, specialist program manager, project implementer, and stakeholder and partnership facilitator.

From early in Shanna’s career, her core preoccupation has been the question of how the knowledge, solutions, and technologies generated within the science system can transform society. This led her on a journey to explore dynamics that drive the science-policy-society nexus, communities of practice that build social capital for science impact and relevance, business development, and technology uptake needs within the water, climate, and ecosystems sectors.

Shanna is currently working as a manager at the Water Research Commission, facilitating the implementation of a range of water system of innovation projects