Centre for Bioprocess Engineering Research

We are proud to share that we recently celebrated the graduation of not one, not two, but three PhD candidates from our research group!

🎓 Join us congratulating:

🔬 Dr Catherine Edward
Thesis title: “The effect of thiocyanate on ferrous iron and sulfur oxidation kinetics of biooxidation microorganisms.”
🌿 Dr Siphiwe Mahlangu PhD
Thesis title: “Extraction and identification of endophytes for skin health.”
⚡ Dr Carol Zethu Ngwenya, Ph.D
Thesis title: “Feasibility of renewable bioenergy production from carbohydrate-rich waste streams using confectionery waste as a substrate.”

🎓 Our MSc graduate:

Your dedication, resilience, and curiosity have led to this incredible milestone. Congratulations to the students and their supervisors. 

Joining them in celebration is also one of our MSc graduates, Elsa Breedt (formerly Visser; MSc with distinction) making this a day to remember for our entire group. 

👏🎉

(2/2) We also recently bade farewell to Caryn Horn, who closed out an incredible ten years at CeBER — from postgraduate student, to postdoc, and beyond. Caryn was involved in our bioproducts research space, and was instrumental in plasmid production for mRNA vaccine work. Thank you, Caryn, for a decade of dedication, growth, and contribution to the team!💙 Caryn was also involved in supervising some of our students and their appreciation is evidenced in the bespoke t-shirt thank you she received 😁 We are deeply grateful for everything you brought to CeBER and wish you every success in what comes next.

Recently, we have had to say a few goodbyes at CeBER — and this one was a big one.

Derik Wilbers joined CeBER initially as a postdoctoral researcher, and over time he steadily became integral to the running of the entire group. For the past two years, he held the fort as our lab manager, a role he truly made his own. So much more than just this title, he constantly went above and beyond.

The tea room was packed (Derik supprted a good dose of tea), the jokes abounded, and some tears may have been spotted. We wish you all the very best with your new chapter at Afrikelp. Your impact has been immense and you will be sorely missed!

🎓 Celebrating Success at CeBER!

Scenes of joy and achievement as we celebrate six of our MSc students who graduated last week.

We’re incredibly proud of their hard work and dedication — and we wish them all the best in their future endeavours! 🌟

Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting Andre Germishuizen, PhD from the National Bioproducts Institute. He shared fascinating insights into the medicinal products derived from human plasma and the sophisticated purification processes involved. 💉

A big thank you to Dr. Germishuizen for shedding light on the science behind these life-saving therapies!

Ishaaq Hajee at UCT's Inventor Brunch, in celebration of our patent on the stabilization of coal waste using microbial induced calcite precipitation 🥳 A new mug for all the cups of coffee to help him come up with the next invention 😉

We’re thrilled to share another exciting research milestone with the first paper from Obakeng Jona’s PhD work having just been published! 🎉🧪

The work presents the development of a plant-based Soytone Medium as an alternative to the widely used animal-derived MRS Broth for the cultivation of South African vaginal Lactobacillaceae strains with probiotic potential for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis – a condition that affects more than 50% of females in Southern Africa.

Head over to our LinkedIn page to access the full article (link in bio). 

Our CeBER representation at the Interinstitutional Chemical Engineering Symposium earlier this month! An enriching day which showcased the research being done across UCT, Stellenbosch University and CPUT. We’re incredibly proud of Msimelelo for winning Best Poster for his work on coal waste valorisation👏🔥

Don’t let the fun and games fool you—there’s serious writing energy in this office! 🎉 Two fresh papers out from these two; a little friendly competition never hurt anyone 😜 Head over to our LinkedIn page to check out the latest in HPV research and coal waste stabilization. Link in bio!

At CeBER, we take our games seriously.