Danille Elize Bester

Danille Elize Arendse obtained her PhD in Psychology from the University of Pretoria and holds a BA Honours in Psychology and an MA in Research Psychology from the University of the Western Cape. She became a uniformed member of the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) in 2011, serving as a Research Psychologist at the Military Psychological Institute (MPI). Now a Major, Arendse has previously held the roles of Research Psychology Intern Supervisor and Coordinator at MPI. Additionally, she serves as a Research Associate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Pretoria and a Research Fellow in the Department of Psychology at Stellenbosch University. Her awards include the 2022 Diverse Black Africa Research and Travel Grant, 2023 NIHSS HSSAA Alumni Best Poster Award, 2025 Military Health Research Centre Excellence in Research and Development from MPI, 2025 APA Foremothers Mentorship Early Career Award, and 2026 Best Poster Award for the South African Military Health Services (SAMHS) Academic Days Symposium. She recently published her first poem in the Gathered Seams poetry collection by Modjaji Books. Her personal reflection on being ‘Coloured’ in Pretoria was published as part of the Gauteng City-Region Observatory's top 25 winners. She is an appointed board member for the HPCSA Professional Board of Psychology. She has presented and published papers both locally and internationally.