The Faculty of Science has a strong ethos of research excellence and makes an important contribution to society through research outputs with impact. Currently 88% of our academic staff have PhDs and 67% of them have NRF ratings. We are home to 40% of the A-rated scientists at Stellenbosch University, i.e. scientists regarded as world leaders in their fields.
Approximately 22% of our students are postgraduate students and in 2021 we conferred 48 PhDs. We strongly focus on the publication of the research outputs of staff, postdoctoral fellows and postgraduate students in international journals of high standing.
Our researchers play a major role in several University-wide initiatives, including the:
- School for Data Science and Computational Thinking
- School for Climate Studies
- SU Water Institute
- Centre for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering
- African Microbiome Institute
The Faculty of Science hosts two DSI-NRF Centres of Excellence and 11 research chairs, sponsored inter alia by Sasol, ERWAT, Rand Water, the Millenium Trust and the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI).
Centres of Excellence
DSI-NRF South African Centre of Excellence for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (SACEMA)
Prof Juliet Pulliam
Director: SACEMA
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DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (CIB)
Prof Guy Midgley
Interim Director: CIB
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Research chairs
Prof Cang Hui
SARChI chair in Mathematical and Theoretical Physical
Biosciences Department of Mathematical Sciences
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Prof Kathy Myburgh
SARChI chair in Integrative Skeletal, Muscle Physiology, Biology and Biotechnology
Department of Physiological Sciences
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Prof Jacky Snoep
SARChI chair in Mechanistic Modelling of Health and Epidemiology
Department of Biochemistry
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Prof Tammy Robinson-Smythe
Millenium Trust Chair in Invasive Species Management in Protected Areas
SU School for Climate Studies
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Prof Mark Tame
Research chair in Ultrafast and Ultra-Intense Laser Science
Department of Physics
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Prof Albena Lederer
Sasol Chair in Analytical Polymer Science and Head of the Center for Macromolecular Structure Analysis at the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, IPF Dresden
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Prof Gideon Wolfaardt
East Rand Water Care Company (ERWAT) Chair in Water Management and Director of the Stellenbosch University Water Institute
Department of Microbiology
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Prof Len Barbour
Former Research Chair in Nanostructured Functional Materials
Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science
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Prof Bert Klumperman
Former Research Chair in Advanced Macromolecular Architectures
Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science
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Prof Gary Stevens
Former Research Chair in Experimental Petrology
Department of Earth Sciences
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A-rated researchers in the Faculty of Science
Prof André Weideman
Department of Mathematical Sciences, Applied Mathematics Division
Expertise: Numerical analysis and scientific computing
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Prof Andries Engelbrecht
Voigt Chair in Data Science Computer Science Division and the Department of Industrial Engineering
Expertise: Artificial Intelligence
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Prof Willem Visser
Department of Mathematical Sciences, Computer Science Division
Expertise: Software failure, software engineering and software development
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Prof Len Barbour
Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science
Expertise: Nanostructured functional materials
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Prof Guy Midgley
Interim Director of the School for Climate Studies, Department of Botany and Zoology
Expertise: Ecology and ecophysiology
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Prof Dave Richardson
Director: DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology
Expertise: Biological invasions and conservation biogeography
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Prof Bert Klumperman
Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science
Expertise: Living radical polymerization and advanced macromolecular architectures
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