Science Internal AWARDS DST/NRF Prof Renée Kraan-Korteweg, from the Department of Astronomy, was named as one of 12 SARChI six new UCT Fellows. Chairs External AWARDS Prof Michael Feast, Lifetime Achievement Award from NRF. Accredited journal units 351 Assoc Prof Gina Ziervogel, a senior lecturer in the Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, and a research fellow in the African Climate and Development Initiative, won the Distinguished Young Women Researcher Award at the Women in Science Awards 2015. R Income raised 159m Prof Peter Dunsby, Department of Mathematics and by contracts Applied Mathematics, was awarded the 2015/16 NSTF Award for research capacity development over the last five to 10 years. 47% Increase in rand value of contracts in 2015 over 2014, via 307 Dr Robyn Pickering, a newly appointed lecturer in contracts from government and the Department of Environmental and Geological Science, was awarded a P rating by the NRF, one non-government sources, local and of only 12 awards across the country. foreign Emer Prof Jennifer Thomson, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, was recently awarded a global Lifetime Achievement Award for Women NRF ratings in Science, by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). 171 7 P rated Emer Prof George Ellis, Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, has been A rated elected Doctor Honoris Causa by the Pierre and 19 Marie Curie University in Paris. He will also receive an honorary degree from the University of the Witwatersrand. NEW NRF A RATINGS since June 2015 Prof Bruce Hewitson Prof Chris Reason Prof Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan 1 UCT RESEARCH & INNOVATION 2015–16 Faculty highlights HIGHLIGHTS from June 2015 to June 2016 New leadership appointments new evidence confirms the antiquity of a fossil primate from the Dominican Republic. Prof Jill Farrant, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, new DST/NRF SARChI Chair, who was awarded Prof Michael Meadows and postgraduate students a chair in systems biology studies on plant desiccation from the departments of Environmental and Geographical tolerance for food security. Science and Geological Sciences have been involved in a major collaborative research project called RAiN (Regional Assoc Prof Amanda Weltman, Department of Archives for Integrated iNvestigations), which investigates Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, new DST/NRF terrestrial and marine environmental archives in South Africa. SARChI Chair, who was awarded a chair in physical cosmology. Prof Nicola Illing, students Stephen Schlebusch and Zoe Gill, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, and Dr Walter L Eckalbar provide new insights on limb New initiatives development, based on a decade of research on bats. Establishment of the URC-accredited Human Evolution Research Institute (HERI), under the directorship of Major research grants Assoc Prof Rebecca Ackermann, Department of Prof Bruce Hewitson (environmental and geographical Archaeology. science): R26 million Establishment of the URC-accredited interdisciplinary The project ‘Future Resilience for African CiTies And Human-Wildlife Institute, under the directorship of Prof Lands’ (FRACTAL) is a large international consortium Justin O’Riain, Department of Biological Sciences. funded by the UK, for which Climate System Analysis Group is the lead partner. Significant research contributions Prof Ed Rybicki (molecular and cell biology): R12 million The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries partnered with Dr Serge Raemaekers, from the The Biopharming Research Unit obtained funding of Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, R12 million from the Technology Innovation Agency for to launch a new fishing application called Abalobi. a three-year project, with the CSIR and the University of Pretoria, on developing plant-made vaccines to similar Jeremy Midgley, Harry Bolus Professor of Botany, RNA viruses causing bluetongue disease in sheep and Gary Bronner, MSc student Joseph White and Steve African horse sickness in horses. Johnson (UKZN), have shown that, unexpectedly, free- ranging small mammals were intergral to dispersal of Prof Kelly Chibale (chemistry): R 6.8 million Ceratocaryum nuts. This research grant was received from the Celgene Dr Robyn Pickering of the Department of Environmental Corporation for the development of optimised leads and Geological Science. The million-year-old monkey: against tuberculosis. Prof Kelly Chibale (chemistry): R23 million POSTGRADUATES This research grant from the Strategic Health Innovation Partnerships (SHIP) unit of the Medical Research Council (end-2015) is for development of optimised leads against malaria, TB and non-communicable diseases. Prof Sue Parnell (environmental and geographical Master’s students 481 science): R8.9 million This consortium grant to the Urban ARK project is to address vulnerability and hazard assessments, the root causes and Master’s graduates 142 historical trajectories of risk, governance and planning. 415 PhD students 63 PhD graduates 139 POSTDOCS (end-2015) SCIENCE 2 DOCTORAL GRADUATIONS urolithiasis in South African population groups with different kidney stone risk profiles: theoretical modelling, in vitro crystallisation experiments and in Source: Doctoral Degrees Board vivo human studies Supervised by Professor A. Rogers and Professor G. T.B. ANDERSON (CHEMISTRY) Jackson Towards the synthesis of the unusual Y. GOVENDER (MOLECULAR & CELL BIOLOGY) monosaccharides found in the Shigella sonnei Role of the glucocorticoid receptor and HIV-1 Vpr O-antigen and analysis of Shigella flexneri 2a in inflammatory gene expression and HIV-1 LTR glycoconjugate vaccine samples transcription in response to dexamethasone and Supervised by Associate Professor D.W. Gammon progestogens and Associate Professor N. Ravenscroft Supervised by Professor J.P. Hapgood and Dr C. D.C.Z. ARENDSE (ZOOLOGY) Avenant Experimental cultivation of the South African D.T. GUZHA (MOLECULAR & CELL BIOLOGY) scallop, Pectin sulcicostatus Investigating the biological roles of the HSPRO Supervised by Emeritus Professor C. Griffiths and genes in Arabidopsis thaliana Dr G. Pitcher Supervised by Dr R. Ingle F.H. BALETA (ENVIRONMENTAL & D.C. GWYNNE-EVANS (BOTANY) GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCE) Systematics of Hermannia L. (Malvaceae): a The concept of shared risk in public and private taxonomic review of the genus sector water security: a case study of Grabouw and Supervised by Professor T. Hedderson the Elgin Valley, Western Cape, South Africa Supervised by Dr K. Winter A. HAMMOUDA (CHEMISTRY) Development of copper peptide complexes as anti- C.G.G. BELTRAN (MOLECULAR & inflammatory drugs CELL BIOLOGY) Supervised by Professor G.E. Jackson Proteomic investigation of the immune response of the South African abalone, Haliotis midae I.E. IREKA (APPLIED MATHEMATICS) Supervised by Associate Professor V. Coyne Computational analysis of non-isothermal flow of non-Newtonian fluids R. COOPER (ZOOLOGY) Supervised by Dr T. Chinyoka Systems modelling of the South African offshore demersal hake trawl fishery: an economic R. KAMIES (MOLECULAR & CELL BIOLOGY) perspective A proteomic approach to investigate the response Supervised by Associate Professor A. Jarre of TEF (eragrostis tef) to drought Supervised by Dr S. Rafudeen and Professor J. R. COZETT (CHEMISTRY) Farrant Studies on the use of peptide auxiliaries in the meso-desymmetrization of epoxides, and the I.K. KEMP (MOLECULAR & CELL BIOLOGY) kinetic resolution of secondary alcohols Identification and preliminary characterization of Supervised by Professor R. Hunter the 2,5-diphenyloxazole biosynthetic pathway in Streptomyces polyantibioticus SPRT S.M. CURTIS (MOLECULAR & CELL BIOLOGY) Supervised by Dr P. Meyers Enhanced phylogenetic analysis and targeted search for the genus Kribbella E.V.M. KIGONDU (CHEMISTRY) Supervised by Dr P. Meyers Repurposing chlorpromazine and its metabolites for antituberculosis drug discovery O.R. DAVIES (ZOOLOGY) Supervised by Professor K. Chibale and Associate Taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography of Professor D.F. Warner cisticolas (Cisticola spp.) Supervised by Professor T.M. Crowe M. KUMAR (CHEMISTRY) Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of F. ELMAGBARI (CHEMISTRY) verapamil analogues, reversed isoniazids and hybrid Synthesis and design of ligand copper complexes efflux pump inhibitors against Mycobacterium as anti-inflammatory drugs tuberculosis Supervised by Professor G.E. Jackson Supervised by Professor K. Chibale S. FAKIER (CHEMISTRY) The effect of inositol-hexakisphosphate (phytate) on urinary risk factors for calcium oxalate 3 UCT RESEARCH & INNOVATION 2015–16 K.A. LAWAL (ENVIRONMENTAL & using regional climate models GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCE) Supervised by Dr B. Abiodun Understanding the variability and predictability of B. MONGWANE (APPLIED MATHEMATICS) seasonal climates over West and Southern Africa Problems in cosmology and numerical relativity using climate models Supervised by Professor P.K. Dunsby and Dr B.O. Supervised by Dr B. Abiodun and Dr D.A. Stone Osano (external) A. MSUTU (CHEMISTRY) M.C. LEWIS (ZOOLOGY) New methodology for the organocatalyzed Behavioural and isotope ecology of marine- α-animation reaction foraging chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) on the Supervised by Professor R. Hunter Cape Peninsula, South Africa Supervised by Professor M.J. O’Riain and Dr T. MUTABAZI (ASTRONOMY) A.G.West The distance to the Norma cluster and its relation to the great attractor region P.M. MAISTRY (BOTANY) Supervised by Dr S. Blyth and Professor P.A. Woudt Aspalathus and Podalyria