Mr Marc W. Van Goethem, a final year Ph.D. student at the University of Pretoria Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics (CMEG), was recently selected as one of the Top 100 university students in South Africa through the Gradstar Awards programme.

The programme recognizes students from universities across South Africa and implements a rigorous 4 phase judging process to select the Top 100 students from thousands of entries spanning various degree programmes and disciplines. Mr Van Goethem was one of 32 students from the University of Pretoria to be recognised through the programme and feels privileged to be recognised for his hard-work and enthusiasm towards scientific research.

"This award means a great deal to me. Firstly, I would like to thank the various sponsors of the awards for their support in connecting us with business mentors and for providing such a lovely conference. Overall, I have had a wonderful experience in the Gradstar programme, and I will continue persevering in my scientific research and would like to teach students about science through different science communication platforms."

Marc Van Goethem