Project Management
2022-2024
DIVAGRI (Revenue Diversification Pathways in Africa through Bio-Based and Circular Agricultural Innovations)R
EU Horizon2020 Project 101000348, Prof Gideon Wolfaardt, SU Lead
Collaborators
Hochschule Wismar (Germany)
Institut für Polymer- und Produktionstechnologien e. V. (IPT) (Germany)
Agricultural Research Council (ARC) (SA),
Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) (Namibia)
University of Cape Coast (UCC) (Ghana)
National Agricultural Research and Development Institute (NARDI) (Botswana)
İstanbul Avrupa Araştırmaları Derneği (IAAD) (Turkey)
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-CRI) (Ghana)
Lake Agege Farm Association LBG (LAF) (Ghana)
Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) (Botswana)
Instituto Superior Politécnico de Manica (ISPM) (Mozambique)
Centro de Investigação e Transferência de Tecnologias para Desenvolvimento Comunitário (CITT) (Mozambique)
FH Joanneum GmbH (FHJ) (Austria)
Institut Po Ovoshtarstvo-Plovdiv (FGI) (Bulgaria)
Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje (UKIM) (North Macedonia)
Project Concept
The overall goal of the DIVAGRI project is to provide African subsistence and smallholder farmers with tools to sustainably improve farm productivity, profitability and resilience through improved management of farming resources, output diversification and creation of high-value circular bioproducts. It tests the ciruclar implementation of seven bio-baed technologies, on nine demonstration sites (small-holder farms) across five African countries, including South Africa.
Role
SU project manager, including budgeting, reporting, coordinating all international communication, as well as a local team of scientists and social scientists involved in local technology design and build of the technologies, farmer engagement, business and municipal engagement, as well as scientific, social and economic monitoring of the project interventions.
2017-2025
The Circular Economy of Water Wastes as Soil Amendments: Agricultural Potential of Non-Edible Crops on City Sludge Wastes
Current Grant (as Principal Investigator)
Water Research Commission of South Africa (2022/2023-00820)
Value: R550 000
Collaborators
Prof Cathy Clarke, Dept of Soil Sciences, SU
Dr Willem de Lange, Department of Agro-economics, SU (multiple)
Prof Anna-Mart Engelbrecht, Dept of Physiology, SU
Prof Willie Perold, Dept of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, S
Prof Ryan Pereira, Lyell Institute, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
Prof Karen Johnson, Environmental Engineering, Durham University, UK
John Quinton, Soil Sciences, Lancaster University, UK
Roger Jacques, Philippi Economic Development Initiative (PEDI)
Lynsay Blake, Durham University, UK
Tariro Gwandu, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
Project Concept
The study assesses the risks and benefits of co-applying waste sources (water treatment residual, the sludge from the clean water treatment process; and sewage biosolids, the sludge from waste water treatment) to enrich degraded and nutrient-poor land for plant growth, including textile crops like hemp and biofuel crops. It has the benefit of disrupting the funnelling of valuable nutrients from landfill into productive applications, according to the City's landfill ban, legislating the diversion of all organics to useful applications by 2027. We are targeting high value crops for biofuel and oil and textile production (like hemp, bamboo and canola), due to the risks and public perception of growing edible crops on sewage. This involves monitoring scientific risk and benefit parameters in the plants, soil and water (plant biomass, nutrients, toxicity, pathogens, microbial diversity, micropollutant bioaccumulation, bioremediation and carbon sequestration in co-amended sludges). In addition, we have engaged collaborators from PEDI and the SU School of Public leadership to explore logistical and socio-economic questions, such as cost-benefit analyses of transport to landfill versus agricultural redistribution, and surveying the public perception of utilising sewage sludge in land application. Relationships are established with Sven Sotemann (Head of CCT Development and Infrastructure Planning: Wastewater Branch, Water and Sanitation Department, Water and Waste Directorate) and Swastika Surjlal-Naicker (Head of CCT Analytical Laboratory: Scientific Services Branch – Water and Sanitation Department, R&D), who are both eager to see the results of this research. This work has been published (twice) in the Journal of Environmental Quality, as well as a review in the Journal of Soil Security. A collaborative article from this project on sediment microbiology was also published in Microorganisms. Another is in preparation. The current focus areas include ecotoxicity remediation, economic risks and benefits, groundwater protection and carbon sequestration.
Role
Working in collaboration with Cathy Clarke (Soil Sciences) to develop the project, coordinate the partners, apply for grants, facilitate laboratory management, experimental execution, co-authoring manuscripts, student supervision, and municipal and WRC liaison.
2020
Poverty and Inequality Mapping, Swartland Municipality
Prof Thuli Madonsela, SU
Collaborators
Dr. Pali Lehohla (previous National Statistician General of South Africa)
Project Concept
Established the basis for a research project to be executed in 2021, under the umbrella of the Social Justice and COVID-19 Relief and Policy Monitoring Alliance (SCOPRA) and the SU Social Justice Chair M-Plan. The study utilised data to inform policy and legislation, facilitating the South African law's constitutional social justice commitment and equality duty, which requires that everyone is treated with equal consideration, but also tilts the scales in favour of the most disadvantaged. Interviews were designed to assess the COVID-19 experience of those in need of relief and organisations that provided relief, with the aim of utilising data to facilitate matching resources to need. A review of this work is currently published in AMBIO, and a data article in Open Research Africa.
Role
Project management (4 month temporary contract). Responsible for assisting with and managing instrument (survey) design, funding applications, successful ethics approval, interviewer sensitivity training, MOU agreements with Swartland municipality and SALGA (the South African Local Government Association) and proposal development. Successfully received ethical clearance and developed tools. Handed over to successor in January 2021.
2018-2019
Probiotic Built Environment
Claude Leon Foundation
Project Concept
Executed a project entitled, “To Sterilize or Not to Sterilize? Understanding the Probiotic Hospital Built Environment as an Extension of the Human Immune System.” In consultation with the disinfection staff at local hospitals, the study assessed the impact of disinfection on microbial diversity on surfaces, and the consequences on microbial competitive exclusion for surface infection control. The study showed that an increased reliance on disinfectants decreases competitive exclusion on surfaces, promoting the survival of pathogens. This work is published in Microorganisms.
Role
Concept development, sourced funding (Claude Leon Foundation), laboratory management, experimental execution, authoring manuscripts, student supervision.
2016-2019
CabECO Technology SafeWaterAfrica
EU Horizon2020 Project 689925, Prof Gideon Wolfaardt, SU
Collaborators
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V. (Germany)
CONDIAS GmbH (Germany)
Universita degli Studi di Ferrara (Italy),
Universidad de Castilla La Mancha (Spain)
Advance Call (Pty) Ltd
Virtual Consulting Engineers VCE (Pty) Ltd,
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)
Tshwane University of Technology
Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA)
Salomon, Lda (Mozambique)
Tobi Louw, Process Engineering, SU
Thinus Booysen, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, SU
Project Concept
Decentralized water treatment with Carbon-Based Electrochemical Oxidation (CabECO) technology. The project explored the implementation of German technology based on electrochemical ozone production for decentralized water treatment in rural and peri-urban areas. In addition, the study involved the development of an alarm system for reactor disturbances and clean water system contamination, based on microbial respiration. This work is published in PloSOne, with another manuscript currently resubmitted after minor reviews to Toxicology Research and Application.
Role
Assisting with laboratory management, experimental execution, co-authoring manuscripts, student supervision and project reporting. Travelling to represent the team at EU meetings. This involved science as well as socio-economic engagement (siting in South Africa and Mozambique), stakeholder engagement, water quality monitoring and the development of an alarm system for remote monitoring of microbial contamination.
2017-2019
Legionella in Hot Water Geysers
Prof Thinus Booysen, SU
Project Concept
Engineering for Legionella control in built infrastructure (geyser and pipes). This study has been published in Energy for Sustainable Development.
Collaborators
Tobi Louw, Process Engineering, SU
Thinus Booysen, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, SU
Gideon Wolfaardt, Stellenbosch University Water Institute, SU
Martin Nieuwoudt; Institute for Biomedical Engineering, SU
WWInc, a private Legionella consulting firm
Role
Leading the laboratory management, experimental execution, co-authoring manuscripts, and liaison with the commercial company, WWInc.
2012-2016
Microbial Processes and Nuclear Waste Storage
Prof Gideon Wolfaardt, Ryerson University, Canada and SU
Project Concept
Executed a project entitled 'Implications of Anaerobic Microbial Processes on Used Fuel Container Corrosion and Long Term Performance in a Deep Geological Repository' for the Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Canada, Project DS252. The study explored microbial metabolism in extreme environments, with application in materials stability in nuclear waste storage repositories. The work was published in Frontiers in Microbiology, Applied Clay Science, and the Journal of Microbiological Methods.
Role
PhD Student, experimental execution, laboratory management, student supervision, co-author, reporting.
2015-2016
Antimicrobial Synthetic Materials Applications
Prof Mark Towler, Ryerson University, Canada
Project Concept
Collaborated with a group of engineers (Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University) on the evaluation of the antimicrobial properties of newly developed synthetic materials for prosthesis and dental applications. This work has been published in Materials Science and Engineering: C; Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials and the Journal of Biomaterials Applications.
Role
Experimental design and execution, co-authoring publications.
2012
Microbial Infections and the Circadian Rhythm
Dr Rob Ingle, University of Cape Town
Project Concept
Involved in a number of molecular research projects, working as a research assistant for Dr. Rob Ingle. The projects included investigating the role of the circadian clock on the immune system of Arabidopsis thaliana, as well as exploring the genetic mechanisms involved in the resurrection ability of Xerophyta humilis using RACE (Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends) PCR, Splinkerette PCR for the discovery of promoter sequences and flow cytometry. The study was published in The Plant Journal.
Role
Experimental execution, co-authoring.
2010
Microbial-Insect Interactions: Ni Hyperaccumulation
Prof Alf Botha, SU
Project Concept
Worked with the Materials Research Department of iThemba LABS (Somerset-West, South Africa) on the isolation of nickel-resistant yeasts and fungi from the gut of the chrysomelid beetle Chrysolina clathrata (formerly described as Chrysolina pardalina), a herbivorous grazer feeding exclusively on the Ni hyperaccumulator Berkheya coddii Roessl. (Asteraceae). The results were published in Symbiosis.
Role
Early experimental design and execution, co-authoring of manuscript.
2008-2011
FISHing for Anammox Bacteria
Prof Alf Botha, SU
Concept
Executed a project entitled 'FISHing for Anammox Bacteria', Water Research Commission of South Africa, Project K5/1823, 2008-2011. The project involved the isolation of local anammox species from the ocean and local wastewater treatment works, and subsequent reactor development, for the application of anammox technology in South African wastewater treatment. The results were published in WaterSA.
Role
Experimental execution, co-authoring manuscripts, presentation of findings, reporting.