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08 May 2024
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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 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.
No incidents of disruption on the three UFS campuses
2016-01-25
State of our campuses #2
Comparative figures still indicate that day-to-day registration compares well with that of 2015.
Activities on all three campuses continued as normal last week, with no incidents of disruption. The registration process on the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses is making good progress, with comparative figures still indicating that our day-to-day registration compares well with that of 2015. The registration process on the South Campus will start today.
A successful first-year athletics event took place on the Bloemfontein Campus on Wednesday 20 January 2016 with its normal spirit, colour and flair. Senior students staying in residences on the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses will register from 25 to 29 January 2016, and the Qwaqwa Campus will welcome its first-years on Tuesday 26 January 2016.
In a letter to staff, distributed on Friday 15 January 2016, Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector, provided a clear position about what the university is doing for students who are academically capable, but lack the funds to study. He also provided standpoints on protests on our campuses.