Prof Von Eschwege continues collaborating with the Laser Research Institute at the Physics Department at Stellenbosch University (femtosecond laser spectroscopy), and the University of Pretoria Medical faculty (fine particulate matter in atmospheric pollution), together with universities in Sweden. He also started collaborations with the Universities of Gaborone in Botswana, the Ain Shams University in Cairo Egypt, the University of Yaounde Cameroon, and appointed a research fellow from the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria.
Prof Visser and Dr Schutte-Smith focus part of their research on the development of anti-cancer and anti-bacterial compounds involving metals such as gold, silver and rhenium. For this research they collaborate with Dr Gilles Gasser from ParisTech, France, Prof Justin Wilson, Cornel University, USA and Prof Olihile Sebolai, from the UFS Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry.
Prof Brink continued collaborating with Prof John Helliwell, University of Manchester. Their research practice of promoting the sharing of raw diffraction images correctly stored in repositories and linked to the publication to ensure the safe guarding of metadata – was highlighted during June 2022 by the International Union of Crystallography data-sharing policy as a mandate for all IUCr journals. Additional collaborators involved in the research projects include Dr Colin Levy & Dr Mathew Cliff (Manchester Institute of Biotechnology), Prof Dirk Opperman (Biochemistry, UFS) and Prof Ted Kroon (Physics, UFS). An interdisciplinary collaboration with Prof T Makhafola (Central University of Technology) and Prof Nick Gerasimchuk (Missouri State University) is ongoing
Dr Langner collaborated nationally Dr. Kobus van der Walt (Central University of Technology) on the development of polypropylene powders for laser sintering. He also collaborated internationally with members of COST Action CA21101 COSY – Workgroup 3: A European Collaborative project.
Prof Dusko Dudic (University of Belgrade, Serbia) on ZIF nanoparticles in composites with sensing abilities.
Prof Erasmus collaborated nationally with Profs’ H.G. Visser (Inorganic Chemistry) and H. Swart (Physics) she also collaborated internationally with Prof J.W. Niemantsverdriet from SynCat@DIFFER in the Netherlands working on Frustrated Lewis Pairs.
Dr Müller collaborated internationally with Prof J.W. Niemantsverdriet from SynCat@DIFFER in the Netherlands.
Prof Moskaleva collaborated nationally with Prof H.G. Visser (UFS, Inorganic Chemistry) and internationally with researchers from NAGOCAT research unit funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). She also collaborated internationally with Prof R Ramakrishnan from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Hyderabad, India, funded jointly by NRF and DST (India), on combustion chemistry and data science, with Prof Zhi-Jian Zhao from Tianjin University, China, funded jointly by NRF and MOST (China), on the development of efficient Cu-based catalysts for CO2 (photo-)electro reduction.with Prof María-Pilar de Lara Castells from CISC, Madrid, on a Spanish National Research project with the focus on the computational studies supported subnanometric clusters of coinage metals and Members and co-leaders of Working Group 3 of COST Action CA21101 COSY – A European Collaborative project.
Professor Conradie collaborated internationally with Prof Abhik Ghosh (Department of Chemistry and Centre for Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway), with Prof JH Potgieter (Wits and Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK),with Karl M. Kadish (University of Houston, Houston, Texas, United States), with Prof Elisa Tomat (The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ), with Prof Sanjib Kar (National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, Khordha, India and Homi Bhabha National Institute, Training School Complex, Anushakti Nagar, Mumbai, India), with Dr Jean Jules (Fifen University of Ngaoundere, Ngaoundere, Cameroon) and Prof Fridolin Nya Tchangnwa (University of Maroua, Maroua, Cameroon).
The Marais/Bezuidenhoudt group collaborates with Chemical Process Technologies, Pretoria, Wildlife Pharmaceuticals, Nelspruit, and with PETLabs Pharmaceuticals on the analysis and synthesis of compounds with medical applications.
Drs Bonnet and Wilhelm continues collaboration with Prof Sophia Khom- Steinkellner from the University of Vienna and Dr Lucie Rarova from Palacky University in Czech Republic. Dr Bonnet and Wilhelm collaborates with Dr Leon van Kralingen from the Wattle Industry, Pietermaritzburg, on projects involving the derivatization of wattle tannin extracts for industrial applications, and with Dr Richard Burghoff from the Institute for Commercial Forestry Research, UKZN (Grant received from Forestry Sector Innovation Fund).
Prof Azov has started a new collaboration with Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium, funded by the joint NRF/FWO grant, aimed at the synthesis of unnatural amino acids containing donor and acceptor groups for materials and biomedical applications. He also participates in large international collaboration involving scientists from several universities (University of Leipzig, Purdue University, PNNL,) related to the gas phase chemistry of dodecaborates and also collaborates with Prof Vande Velde (University of Antwerp)/Dr M Zeller (Purdue University) on crystallography of organic molecules.
The Chemistry Department continued collaboration with Insect Science in Tzaneen, Limpopo regarding the synthesis of environment friendly pesticides.
Prof Purcell collaborated with Prof Herman Potgieter from the School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering at Wits, where he is also a visiting professor, and with Prof Hendrik Swart from the UFS Department of Physics, Ms Justine Magson, from the UFS Department of Geology, Kumba Iron Ore and various industrial partners.
Prof Purcell, Dr Alba Gómez-Arias (Postdoctoral Fellow) and Dr Julio Castillo Hernandez UFS (Microbiology and Biochemistry) successfully submitted an ERAMIN3 application to the European Commission (EU) Horizon Europe. The research, to extract REE from mine tailings using chemical and micro-biological processes, will be undertaken in collaboration with researchers from Chile, Spain and Portugal.
Members of the Organic Division and the Head of the Department, visited the headquarters of Insect Science in Tzaneen, on 8 and 9 November 2021. Insect Science is a research-oriented company developing and manufacturing innovative products for eco-friendly pest-management solutions, which allow the production of environmentally safe crops without harmful chemical residues. During the visit, research collaborations were discussed and established. As part of this collaborative agreement, Insect Science will sponsor three PhD bursaries at the UFS.