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UFS appoints Prof Paul Oberholster as Dean: Faculty of Natural And Agricultural Sciences

10 October 2023 | Story Lacea Loader | Photo SUPPLIED

The University of the Free State (UFS) has appointed Prof Paul Oberholster as Dean: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences as of 1 January 2024.

Strong networks and winner of prestigious awards for research, innovation, and leadership

Prof Oberholster is currently the Director: Centre for Environmental Management at the UFS. He completed his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at the UFS before obtaining a PhD in water resource management at the University of Pretoria.

After several years in secondary education, Prof Oberholster started his scientific research career as a Senior Scientist at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in 2007. In 2017, he became a Chief Scientist (the highest scientific position at the CSIR, and senior management) managing large multidisciplinary projects on the African continent related to integrated water resource management and natural-based treatment solutions/ecological engineering.

During his time at the CSIR, he acted as extraordinary professor and lecturer in several academic departments at different institutions, including Stellenbosch University, the University of Pretoria, and the University of the Western Cape. During the same time, he received several prestigious awards for research, innovation, and leadership.

In 2019, Prof Oberholster joined the UFS as Director of the Centre for Environmental Management and also received the National Science and Technology Foundation (NSTF) award in the category Water Research Commission, with a focus on natural-based passive phyco-remediation and phytoremediation treatment technology. In 2022, he was elected as a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) in recognition of his academic achievements in South Africa, and in 2023 he was appointed as the Managing Director of the Ecological Engineering Institute of Africa (EEIA).

Rated among top 2% in the world in the scientific category of engineering/technology, ecological engineering and environmental engineering.

Currently, Prof Oberholster is rated among the top 2% in the world in the scientific category of engineering/technology, ecological engineering, and environmental engineering. “Prof Oberholster has an extensive and impressive international research standing and has established extensive networks and partnerships. He can lead and manage the faculty in support of the UFS Vision 130’s ultimate intent for the coming years to be a research-led, student-centred, and regionally engaged university,” says Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Vice-Chancellor and Principal.

“It is a privilege to be part of the leadership team in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences – we will ensure that the faculty is known nationally and internationally as an excellent faculty serving our community. We aim to consolidate and build on the strengths of the university in order to extend its excellence in research and teaching and learning, which is imbedded in the UFS Vision 130,” says Prof Oberholster.

Prof Oberholster will succeed the current Dean, Prof Danie Vermeulen, who will be retiring at the end of December 2023.

News Archive

UFS History lecturer becomes Visiting Fellow at Harvard

2015-05-25

Dr Chitja Twala
Photo: Eugene Seegers

Prestige Scholar and lecturer of African/South African History at the UFS, Dr Chitja Twala, was recently accepted as a Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS).

A Visiting Fellow status is available to individuals holding a doctoral degree to pursue independent research at Harvard. The Fellowship is for non-degree purposes but aims at the enhancement and further intellectual development of those involved. It focuses on enrichment and development programmes.

Twala was appointed in the Department of History at the UFS in the beginning of 2003. His research field is Liberation History, with specific reference to the liberation movements on the SADC region. He has published extensively on this field and presented papers in local and international conferences.

“I applied (to Harvard GSAS) in April 2014 for the Fellowship through the South Africa Harvard Fellowship Programme,” says Twala.

“After being successful in the interviews conducted by the GSAS panel in July 2014, I had to apply for admission in the Department of African and African American Studies at Harvard, and got accepted for the Fall Semester of 2015.”

At Harvard, Twala will be mentored by Prof Emmanuel Akyeampong (African History Expert).

“Firstly, my main assignment will be to grasp a much deeper theoretical knowledge/framework in historical studies and a broader repertoire of methodologies in the field of African History. Secondly, if time permits, I will be presenting seminars and attending some in a very challenging, stimulating, and intellectually demanding environment where my ideas can be tested and expanded. Thirdly, I will be exposed to new trends as far as African historiography is concerned. Lastly, I will informally engage and exchange some ideas with some experts in the field of African History.”

The programme was recommended to Twala by the Vice-Chancellor and Rector, Prof Jonathan Jansen and Prof Ian Phimister, Centre for Africa Studies Senior Professor at UFS.

“As per the priorities of the Prestige Scholarship Programme, the Fellowship will assist in inculcating in me the intellectual breadth and depth required to pose critical questions and generate ground-breaking knowledge for History as a discipline. It is important for the UFS to establish and sustain international networks with other leading universities and scholars around the world.

“I applied for this Fellowship in order to advance further and broaden the scope in the three areas of scholarship in higher education: discovery, teaching, and public engagement,” says Twala.

Twala will be leaving for Harvard by mid-August and will return by the end of December 2015.

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