Tanaka Last Jere is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) School of Public Health, supported by the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security since July 2026.

His research interests include Indigenous Knowledge Systems; indigenous crops and food systems; public health nutrition; food security; medicinal plants; community well-being; health equity; decolonial knowledge governance; sustainable medicinal-plant commercialisation; and equitable benefit-sharing.

Tanaka’s PhD research examines the meaning of Indigenous knowledge and medicinal plants for Community Development: Governance, Livelihoods and Well-being. His emerging research agenda explores how indigenous crops and traditional food knowledge can inform dietary diversity, food security and nutrition-sensitive interventions, particularly among rural and vulnerable communities. His master’s research explored Indigenous Knowledge Systems and indigenous medicines during the COVID-19 pandemic and received a Self-Initiated Research Grant award from the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) in 2022.

Tanaka gained medicinal-plant industry exposure through an internship at Parceval, including exposure to Sceletium, Pelargonium, Aloe, and quality assurance practices. His methodological expertise includes qualitative and mixed-methods research, Community-Based Participatory Research, and stakeholder engagement. At UKZN, he taught undergraduate Sociology, including sociological theory, social issues, social change, and research methodology. He also supervised Honours research projects and mentored students and junior academics.

His engagements include Pan African Information Communication Technology Association (PAICTA) research on decolonising programmes and digital inclusion; the Emerging Leaders in Australia–Africa Diplomacy (ELAAD) programme; SANO Exchange Programme Cohort 3- Norway & South Africa Exchange Program; the Leaders of Africa Institute Grant Writing and Funding Workshop 2026; and the BRICS Debate 2026 on global governance and inequality. He is an active member of the South African Sociological Association (SASA).