UP academic becomes first African elected to International Society of Microbial Ecology board of directors

Posted on October 16, 2018

Dr Thulani Makhalanyane, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology at the University of Pretoria, has recently been elected to the board of the International Society of Microbial Ecology (ISME). The board currently has 12 directors from the USA, Europe, South...

Second International Conference for Food Safety and Security kicks off in Pretoria

Posted on October 15, 2018

The recent listeriosis outbreak in South Africa has made the topic of food safety even more urgent. From 15 to 17 October 2018, food safety experts and scholars from around the world will gather at the St George’s Hotel, Pretoria, for the 2nd International Conference for Food Safety and...

Revolutionary times: How MeerKAT and Earth-sized telescopes are expanding our thinking

Posted on October 11, 2018

There was global excitement when MeerKAT, the biggest radio telescope in the world, was launched in Carnarvon in the Northern Cape in July. But few people could have been as excited as Professor Roger Deane, who heads up the University of Pretoria’s radio astronomy research team in the...

Danielle Roodt awarded a DST fellowship for her PhD

Posted on October 02, 2018

‘First I was overjoyed when I received the email informing me that I had been nominated for the Department of Science and Technology (DST) doctoral fellowship, and then absolutely thrilled to be a winner of this prestigious award.’ These were the words of an elated Ms Danielle...

Prof Christian Pirk named among world’s top 1% of reviewers in Publons’ global Peer Review Awards

Posted on October 02, 2018

Prof Christian Pirk, Head of the Social Insects Research Group in the Department of Zoology and Entomology at the University of Pretoria (UP), was recently named a top reviewer in Publons' global Peer Review Awards after having been placed among the top 1% of reviewers in Plant and Animal Science...

UP ISMC clinches double win at malaria research conference

Posted on August 14, 2018

The University of Pretoria Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control (UP ISMC) researchers scooped awards at the recent Southern African Malaria Research Conference held at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in Johannesburg. Hosted by the South African Medical Research Council,...

Agricultural Economists are central in the process of working towards the SDGs

Posted on August 14, 2018

This was a clear message from the discussions at the triannual International Conference of Agricultural Economists in Vancouver, Canada. From the 28th of July to the 2nd of August the world’s agricultural economists got together at the 30th International Conference of Agricultural...

Advancing the frontiers of science

Posted on August 12, 2018

Dr Vinet Coetzee’s main research objective is to create workable health solutions for Africa that can be used in both hospitals and rural areas. Because access to adequate health facilities is often limited in Africa, she knows her approach has to be different. Using her expertise in...