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"Why Compute Reality?, Rather Compute What Reality will and May Be" - Peace Mkhonto
About Dr. Peace Mkhonto
Dr. Peace P. Mkhonto holds a doctor of philosophy (PhD) in Physics (Computational Modelling of Materials) and he is currently an associate professor at the University of Limpopo, Materials Modelling Centre. He also holds a post graduate diploma in engineering (Metallurgy and Materials) from the University of the Witwatersrand. He is also a National Research Foundation (NRF) Y1-Rated researcher. He is a passionate interdisciplinary research scientist and an educator. His niche area is on Computational Modelling and Processing of Minerals. He employs a wide range of computational method to investigate mineral surfaces interaction with various reagents molecules for flotation purpose, which are validated with microflotation experiments. The minerals of interests are base metal sulphides (BMSs), platinum group minerals (PGMs), lithium bearing minerals, carbonate minerals and other oxide minerals.
He is an ordinary member of the South African Institute of Physics (SAIP). He also is an associate member of the National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences (NITheCS). He held a number of funding that includes NRF Thuthuka grant and South African Minerals to Metals (SAMMRI) funding. Currently he is co-principal investigator in the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI)-Joint Research Centre (JRC) funding between South Africa and China under the belt and road for utilization of minerals resources. He is currently a candidate in the Future Professor Program (FPP) Phase 2: Cohort 3, Funded by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and the University Capacity Development Program (ucdp), facilitated by the University of Johannesburg (UJ).
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (2014-2017):
University of Limpopo, Polokwane, South Africa, Conferred: 12 April 2017
Master of Physics, converted to PhD (2011-2014):
University of Limpopo, Polokwane, South Africa.
Bachelor of Science Honours in Physics (cum laude) (2010-2011):
University of Limpopo, Polokwane, South Africa, Conferred: 15 June 2011
Batchelor of Science in Physics and Chemistry (2007-2010):
University of Limpopo, Polokwane, South Africa, Conferred: 24 May 2010
Postgraduate Diploma in Engineering (Metallurgy and Materials) (2018-2019):
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, Conferred: 26 April 2023
Matriculation (2006):
WEM Private School, Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, South Africa.
ADDITIONAL TRAINING
Attended a three-day workshop on Materials Design (MedeA), San Francisco, USA, (2012).
Attended a five-day High Performance Computing School on MPI, OpenMP and CUDA, using the C, FORTRAN or python programming languages offered by Centre for High Performance Computing at the University of Free State, Bloemfontein (2012).
Attended five-day school on introduction to Linux and python programing offered by Centre for High Performance Computing at the Centre for Scientific Industrial Research, Pretoria (2011).
Attended online training webinar on Elasticity and Beyond: Predicting Mechanical Properties with MedeA (2020).
Attended online training webinar on “On-the-fly” Machine-Learning Force-Fields with MedeA VASP (2022)
First Aid Training Level 1, 2 and 3 (combined), Facilitated by EMCARE Training Academy, Polokwane, Valid: August 2022 – August 2025.
Attended a seven (7) hours short course on “Geometallurgy for Mineral Processing in the Energy Transition”, at the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME): XXXI IMPC-International Mineral Processing Congress, Washington DC, USA, 29th September 2024.
RESEARCH, TEACHING AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
01 May 2024 – present: Associate Professor
Materials Modelling Centre, University of Limpopo
July 2025 - Present: Geology (Minerals Processing and Metallurgy) Lecture
Department of Geology and Mining, University of Limpopo
01 June 2018 – 30 April 2024: Senior Researcher
Materials Modelling Centre, University of Limpopo
01 May 2017 – 31 May 2018: Postdoctoral fellow
Materials Modelling Centre, University of Limpopo
February 2011 – 2016: Research Assistant
Materials Modelling Centre, University of Limpopo
February 2013 – October 2016 (First and second year extended program): Physics Tutor
Department of Physics (Extended Program), University of Limpopo
February 2012 – October 2012 (Second years): Physics laboratory assistants
Department of Physics, University of Limpopo
March 2009 – September 2011 (First years): Physics laboratory assistants
Department of Physics, University of Limpopo
EXCHANGE WORK PROGRAMS
15 October – 14 December 2016: Visiting Research Fellow
State Key Laboratory of Mineral Processing Research, Beijing Minerals to Metals Research Institute (BGRIMM) Group.
(16 March – 22 June 2019) and (15 October – 22 December 2019): China-South AFrica Bilateral Young Scientist Exchange Program
State Key Laboratory of Mineral Processing Research, Beijing Minerals to Metals Research Institute (BGRIMM) Group.
AWARDS, HONOURS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Best MSc. poster presentation by Centre for High Performance Computing (CHPC), at 57th SAIP conference held at University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 13th July 2012.
First prize for best MSc. oral presentation at the UL Faculty of Science and Agriculture Research Day, held at Bolivia Lodge, Polokwane, 5th October 2012.
Best MSc. poster presenter by South African Institute of Physics (SAIP), at the 59th SAIP conference held at the University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, 11th July 2014.
National Research Foundation (NRF): Y1-Rated Researcher, (2024 – 2026).
Candidate in the Future Professors Programme (FPP) Phase 2: Cohort 3, Funded by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and the University Capacity Development Program (ucdp), facilitated by the University of Johannesburg (UJ), January 2025 – December 2026.
Vice-Chancellor Excellence Award: Best Researcher in the School of Physical and Mineral Sciences (SPMS) (Second Place) at the University of Limpopo, 2025.
RESEARCH FUNDING AND GRANTS
National Research Foundation (Thuthuka Grant) (Principal Investigator) (2022 – 2024).
South African Minerals to Metals Research Institute (SAMMRI) (Principal Investigator) (2023 – 2024).
Phase 2 - South Africa-China Joint Research Centre (JRC) (Co-Principal Investigator) (2020 – 2022).
Phase 3 - South Africa-China Joint Research Centre (JRC) (Co-Principal Investigator) (2025 – 2028).
National Research Foundation (KIC Grant) (Principal Investigator) (July - December 2025).
National Research Foundation (Y-Rated Researcher Grant) (Principal Investigator) (2026 – 2028).
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Prof. Peace Mkhonto leads the Minerals Modelling and Processing (MMP) Group. His current research emphasizes the utilization of the ab-initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) adopting the machine learning force field (MLFF) technique developed for robusness of AIMD. The learn-on-the-fly of the MLFF is based on the learning from ab-initio to genate foece field that may be utilised on large systems. He also used the of ab initio methods and harnessing the predictive capacity of first-principles calculations to gain a detailed understanding of the fundamental science needed to rationally design and engineer novel reganets for minerals separation recovery. He also complement his computational simulations with microflotation experiments to test various reagents at different pH conditions. The four main strands of research in the MMP Group are (i) the rational design of green reagents for effective separation of minerals, (ii) unraveling the complex surface-reagents-water interactions phenomena on mineral surfaces, (iii) the development of collector reagents for platinum group minerals (PGMs), base metal sulphide and lithium bearing minerals (iv) providing atomic-level insights into environmentally relevant reactions and geochemical processes occurring at mineral surfaces/interfaces, including crystal growth, adsorption reactions, mineral extraction, and mineral dissolution.
Computational Modelling
Modelling Minerals-Reagents Interaction
Flotation Experiment Lab
Microflotation of Minerals
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP AND FELLOWSHIPS
Student Member of the South African Institute of Physics (2013 – 2017).
Ordinary Member of the South African Institute of Physics (2017 – Present).
Associate Member of the National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences (NITheCS), South Africa (2021 – present).
SCIENTIFIC REVIEWING AND EDITOR ACTIVITIES
SCIENTIFIC REVIEWING AND EDITOR ACTIVITIES
Molecular Liquid Journal
Applied Surface Science Journal
International Journal of Mining and Technology
Journal of Minerals Engineering
MDPI Minerals Journal
MDPI Minerals Journal Special Issue Guest Editor: Experimental and DFT Study on Interaction of Flotation Reagents with Mineral Surfaces. To contribute click Here.
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
TEACHING ACTIVITIES
SMPA 082: Geology (Minerals Processing and Metallurgy) - University of Limpopo
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