Lise Korsten is a professor at the University of Pretoria and a distinguished plant pathologist specializing in food security and fresh produce safety. She holds a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology (1993) from the University of Pretoria and was awarded an honorary doctorate from Ghent University in 2025 for her contributions to sustainable agriculture. In 2024, she assumed the presidency of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS). She also serves as Co-Director of the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security and has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers, shaping global food safety standards through her research.