The Institute for Wine Biotechnology (IWBT), part of the Department of Viticulture and Oenology, was established at Stellenbosch University in 1995. The IWBT is an internationally recognised postgraduate training and research institute offering visionary training and innovative research to support the South African wine and grapevine industries.
The IWBT's research programme follows a globally unique, integrated and multidisciplinary approach, combining cutting edge high-throughput and systems-based approaches derived from the core sciences of biology and chemistry with the traditional wine sciences of viticulture and oenology. Themes include grapevine ecophysiology and molecular biology; microbial diversity, physiology and molecular biology; analytical chemistry; and computational biology.
The IWBT is led by an academic management team. Additional staff consists of part-time extra-ordinary academics, post-doctoral researchers, as well as technical, administrative and other support staff.
The IWBT is situated in the JH Neethling Building and has several modern and fully equipped molecular and chemical research laboratories. A greenhouse for transgenic grapevine plants and an experimental cellar are also available. The building also houses the Central Analytical GC-MS Facility of Stellenbosch University. In addition to lecture theatres and conference rooms, students and researchers benefit from demarcated study areas and laptop computers are available to students on request.
Institute for Wine Biotechnology (IWBT)
Faculty of AgriSciences
Private Bag X1, 7602 Matieland, South Africa
Academic
Name | Tel. | Email | Focus area |
Prof Florian Bauer | 021 808 4346 | fb2@sun.ac.za | Yeast Molecular and Cellular Biology |
Prof Benoit Divol | 021 808 3141 | divol@sun.ac.za | Wine Microbiology |
Prof Maret du Toit | 021 808 3772 | mdt@sun.ac.za | Wine Microbiology and Biopreservation, Chairperson |
Dr John Moore | 021 8082733 | moorejp@sun.ac.za | Grapevine Biochemistry, Metabolomics |
Dr Hélène Nieuwoudt | 021 808 2748 | hhn@sun.ac.za | Spectroscopy |
Dr Evodia Setati | 021 808 9203 | setati@sun | Wine Microbiology |
Prof Melané Vivier | 021 808 3773 | mav@sun.ac.za | Grapevine Molecular and Cellular Biology |
Dr Philip Young | 021 808 9204 | pryoung@sun.ac.za | Grapevine Molecular Physiology, Biotechnology |
Technical Staff
Administrative and Financial Staff
Name | Tel. | Email | Designation |
Stephany Baard | 021 808 3797 | sb2@sun.ac.za | General DVO-IWBT enquiries |
Lorette de Villiers
| 021 808 3770 | lorette@sun.ac.za | Postgraduate Administration |
Assistants
Name | Tel. | Email | Designation |
Egon Februarie | 021 808 3770 | efebs@sun.ac.za | Maintenance Coordinator & cleaning tasks at JH Neethling Building |
Tania Jansen | 021 808 3770 | jansen@sun.ac.za | Cleaning & catering tasks at JH Neethling Building |
Judy Williams | 021 808 4545 | jpoole@sun.ac.za | Cleaning & catering tasks at Paul vd Bijl Building |