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08 May 2024 Photo SUPPLIED
Dirk Opperman

The Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Prof Paul Oberholster, has the pleasure of inviting you to the inaugural lecture of Prof Dirk Opperman.

Date: 21 May 2024

Time: 17:30

Venue: Equitas

Click to view document Click here to RSVP before Wednesday, 15 May 2024. Alternatively, contact Christelle van Rooyen on +27 51 401 9190.

 

About Prof Dirk Opperman

Prof Dirk Opperman obtained his PhD in Biochemistry at the University of the Free State in 2008. This was followed by postdoctoral research on directed evolution with Prof Manfred T Reetz at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research (Germany). In 2010, he was appointed in the Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry. He subsequently established structural biology at the UFS, and his current research focus lies at the interface of evolutionary and structure-function relationships of biocatalysts, and their application in green chemistry. He is an NRF B-rated researcher with co-authored papers in Science, Nature Communications, and Angewandte Chemie.

His research has been funded by both local and international organisations, ranging from industries such as SASOL to the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF, UK). He has a long-standing collaboration with researchers at the Delft University of Technology (TUDelft, the Netherlands) and is currently part of a European Research Area Network Cofund (ERA-NET Cofund) partnership on Food Systems and Climate (FOSC) that develops biocatalysts for upcycling waste.

News Archive

UFS welcomes Prof Francis Petersen in style
2017-05-19

 

Description: Bloem welcoming celebration web story photo Tags: Bloem welcoming celebration web story photo

Photo: Johan Roux

 

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Through a series of joyous events, the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Qwaqwa, South, and Bloemfontein Campuses officially welcomed Prof Francis Petersen as the 14th Rector of the UFS during the past week.

Celebrations end on a high note
The Bloemfontein Campus would not be upstaged and they came out in full support. Performances by staff and student talent impressed the crowd. Invited school performances brought flair and a youthful energy to the celebrations.

Prof Petersen thanked all in attendance, including his family. “It has been a great time of prosperity and well wishes from all three campuses. I have experienced a sense of belonging. I want this experience for all staff, students, and for all those who visit our campus,” said Prof Petersen.

“There is an African idiom that says: ‘If you want to go fast, travel alone; but if you want to travel far, travel together’. If we want to go far as an institution, we will all need to travel together and that means working together,” Prof Petersen added.

Prof Petersen concluded by stating that the UFS is a good institution, but together, it will be a great institution, not just in Bloemfontein or the Free State, but in South Africa, in Africa, and finally globally.

 

Description: Bloem Welcoming photo 2 Tags: Bloem Welcoming photo 2

Prof Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS
Photo: Johan Roux


 

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