Speakers

Jacobus Retief Hoffman

Place of Birth : South Africa
Position : James Martin Professorial Fellow in the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing at the University of Oxford, UK, Honorary Professor in the Institute of Ageing in Africa at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, Director of the International Federation of Ageing
Field of study : Ageing studies in Africa / Global South, Long-Term Care, Long-Term Care Economy, Poverty/Inequalities, Families and Intergenerational dynamics, Intergenerational Programming, ICT use by older persons

Prof. Jaco Hoffman, DPhil (Oxon) and National Research Foundation (NRF) rated researcher in South Africa, is a socio-gerontologist and leader of the Optentia Research Unit programme: Ageing and Generational Dynamics in Africa (AGenDA) at North-West University (Vanderbijlpark Campus), South Africa as well as a James Martin Professorial Fellow in the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing at the University of Oxford, UK ‒ a position he retained on his return to South Africa at the beginning of 2015. He is also an Honorary Professor in the Institute of Ageing in Africa at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He, furthermore, coordinates the UN-endorsed African Research on Ageing Network (AFRAN). This network aims to bring together African and international institutions and individuals from academia, policy and practice to develop and expand African research and training capacity on ageing. He is a past President of the South African Gerontological Association (SAGA). Jaco co-directs, with Prof. Sebastiana Kalula (UCT), the International Longevity Centre (ILC) – South Africa and serves as a director of the International Federation of Ageing (IFA). Jaco was recently appointed as one of 15 Lancet Commissioners on Long-Term Care for Older Persons. Jaco read for his DPhil in Sociology at the University of Oxford and his research experience relates to the fields of the Social Sciences (Sociology, Anthropology) with specialisation in Socio-gerontology, intergenerational relationships, care, families, community development, and qualitative research methods.

• Full Professor of Socio-Gerontology (Chair – Ageing and Generational Dynamics in Africa - AGenDA) – North-West University, South Africa (2015 – ongoing)
• James Martin Research Fellow – University of Oxford, UK (2006 – 2009)
• James Martin Senior Research Fellow – University of Oxford, UK (2009 – 2014)
• James Martin Professorial Fellow – University of Oxford, UK (2015 – ongoing)
• Honorary Professor, Department of Medicine - University of Cape Town, South Africa (2015 – ongoing)
• South African National Research Foundation (NRF) C1 Rated Researcher
• Co-Director – International Longevity Centre South Africa – ILC SA (part of the ILC Global Alliance)
• Chair of 17^th Global IFA Conference on Ageing, Cape Town, Sept 2025
• Director – International Federation of Ageing – IFA (membership organization with UN / WHO status)
• Lancet Journal Commissioner on Long-Term Care (2023 – 2025)
• Board Member – International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics – IAGG – E-Training Programme (Europe, Middle East and Africa)
• Editorial Board Member: Ageing and Society (Cambridge University Press); Journal of Population Ageing (Springer); Journal of Intergenerational Relationships (Taylor & Francis)
• Panellist of several Research Funding Bodies, including the National Research Foundation (NRF), South Africa; ESRC, UK; VIDI, The Netherlands; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Canada; Wellcome Trust, UK.
• Coordinator of UN-endorsed African Research on Ageing Network (AFRAN) at University of Oxford