About us
The Empathy Lab combines decades of experience in research, design, heritage and development. Our most valuable asset is our network of trusted specialists, including experts in archives and heritage, geospatial and data sciences, design thinking and technology, and software engineering and development. Our client base extends from South Africa to the EU and UK.
Our team’s professional affiliations include the Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI); International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES), American Anthropological Association (AAA), Association of Southern African Professional Archaeologists (ASAPA), World Archaeological Congress (WAC) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) amongst others.
Nicola du Toit
Partner & Experience Lead (M.Phil, LRSM) | Johannesburg, ZA
Nicola is a seasoned digital product designer and researcher with over a decade of experience in human-centred design, educational development and knowledge transmission. Her career has included design and management roles in e-commerce, finance, education and the social impact sector, driven by advocacy for accessibility and inclusivity
Andrew skinner
Research Consultant (PhD, FRAI) | Johannesburg, ZA
Andrew is an accomplished field researcher with deep expertise in research design and implementation, community-engaged anthropology, and complex systems ethnography. With a background in publicly-funded, transnational research programmes, he brings skills in research project management, knowledge development and public engagement.
Ewald Zietsman
Data & Analytics Lead (M.Sc) | Johannesburg, ZA
Ewald is an experienced data scientist with a background in astrophysics and geomatics. Skilled in machine learning, recommender systems, natural language processing, big data analysis and software engineering, he specialises in applying computational methods to solve complex problems across social and scientific research domains.