Welcome to the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology.

The current department arose from the merger in 1988 of the departments of Microbiology and Biochemistry (both founded in the early 1960s), and the more recent merger with the department of Food Science in 2002. The department was awarded the status of a MIRCEN (Microbiological Resources Centre) by UNESCO in 1996, with the mission of serving as a resource of yeast cultures and training for southern Africa. The MIRCEN yeast culture collection is the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere, and is a valuable research resource in the department, as well as nationally and internationally.

The department comprises 20 full-time academic staff,support staff and 70 post-graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. We offer training in the broad disciplines of Biochemistry, Microbiology, Biotechnology and Food Science at an undergraduate level as well as at B.Sc. Hons., M.Sc. and Ph.D. levels. A particular strength of the department is the close association between the disciplines of biochemistry and microbiology, resulting in a dynamic interchange of ideas and expertise. Most of the academic staff in the disciplines of microbiology and biochemistry have an NRF (National Research Foundation) rating, and research is funded by a wide range of national and international agencies. This translates to our post-graduate students and post-doctoral fellows being trained in cutting-edge science by internationally recognised researchers.

The focus of the ten research groups in the department is on various facets of microbial, biochemical and food biotechnology, including yeast physiology and taxonomy, biocatalysis, protein biochemistry, molecular biology, chromatin structure and gene expression, food chemistry, bacteriology & biotechnology, lipid biotechnology, fermentation biotechnology and veterinary biotechnology. We strive to remain on the forefront of developments in these fields, as exemplified by the recent establishment of a node at UFS as part of the National Bioinformatics Network and the implementation of an undergraduate learning module in bioinformatics.

By offering undergraduate and postgraduate training that is in step with current trends in science, we aim to serve society with innovative and relevant research projects and by delivering graduates with excellent skills in fundamental and applied science as is needed in the knowledge society of the 21st century.

Academic Staff                                        Some of our foreign post-graduate students and post-doc fellows

Staff and Post-graduate Students