Biography
Professor Orde Munro
Embedded Files
Orde Munro
Orde Munro
October 2021: Photo taken by T. Lau with WITS University's new dual wavelength Bruker D8 Venture X-ray Diffractometer in the background.
Biography
Biography
Professor Munro graduated with a Ph.D. in bioinorganic chemistry (heme-peptide model systems for heme proteins) from WITS University in April 1996. He then spent 18 months as a post-doctoral researcher working on the synthesis, spectroscopy, X-ray structures, and molecular simulations of iron porphyrins with Prof. Robert Scheidt at the University of Notre Dame (Indiana, USA).
In July 1997 he joined the Department of Chemistry at the University of Natal (which became the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2004), where he continued to work on metalloporphyrins and other functional coordination compounds until July 2015. While at UKZN, Prof. Munro served a 3-year term (2012-2015) as Academic Leader – Chemistry on the Pietermaritzburg campus in the School of Chemistry & Physics.
Professor Munro is a member of the American Chemical Society and the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Research Foundation (NRF) President’s Award (2000), the Vice Chancellor’s Research Award (UKZN, 2007), and the Raikes Medal of the South African Chemical Institute (2008). In 2011/2012 Prof. Munro held a Visiting Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Central Florida (College of Medicine) working with Prof. Mark Muller on mechanistic studies of a new class of gold-based anticancer compounds. He is a participant in the Developmental Therapeutics Program (DTP) of the NIH (USA) and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of TopoGEN Inc.
In 2014, Professor Munro was awarded the SASOL Innovator of the Year Medal for his work on novel anticancer metallodrugs. Prof. Munro rejoined WITS University in August 2015 as the DST/NRF Chair in Bioinorganic Chemistry, is Professor of Bioinorganic Chemistry, and Chair of Inorganic Chemistry.
Professor Munro has published more than 90 papers in ISI-rated international journals, including 6 full papers in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. His contributions to the scientific literature have been cited more than 2300 times (current h-index, 27) and include two US patents (one currently in the published application phase). Notably, Professor Munro has through both supervision and co-supervision graduated 10 PhD students and 13 MSc students. Numerous (> 25) Chemistry Honours students have completed successful research projects in his group which focuses on the chemistry and biochemistry of metal chelates and macrocycles.
Honours
Honours
2014: SASOL Chemistry Innovator of the Year Medal.
2011: Fulbright Scholarship.
2008: Raikes Medal of the South African Chemical Institute—most distinguished research career for a chemist under 40 years of age in South Africa.
2007: Vice Chancellor’s Research Award—most distinguished young researcher at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (across all faculties).
2005: Co-Editor of the ISI-rated international journal Acta Crystallography, Section C (International Union of Crystallography; term served = 18 months.
2004: Certificate of Excellence (distinguished contribution to research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal).
2000: National Research Foundation (NRF) President’s Award.
SASOL Post Graduate Medal—most distinguished Ph.D. scholar, 1994.
Backeberg Research Scholarship, 1993–1994.
Mellor Research Fellowship, 1993.
AECI Research Fellowship, 1990–1992.
AECI Gold Medal—most distinguished Chemistry Honours graduate, 1990.
Unico Chemical Company Gold Medal—most distinguished B.Sc. Honours graduate, 1990.
James Moir Medal of the South African Chemical Institute—most distinguished Chemistry Honours graduate, 1990.
AECI Gold Medal—most distinguished B.Sc. Chemistry graduate, 1989.
Positions
Positions
2023: Professor of Bioinorganic and Inorganic Chemistry, WITS University, Johannesburg, RSA.
2015–2022: SA Research Chair in Bioinorganic Chemistry (Tier 1), WITS University, Johannesburg, RSA.
2013–2015: Academic Leader (Deputy to Dean and Head of School), Chemistry, Pietermaritzburg, RSA.
2011–2012: Visiting Fulbright Scholar—College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, USA –research program on novel metal-based human topoisomerase inhibitors.
2008–2015: Full Professor of Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, RSA.
2003–2007: Associate Professor of Bioinorganic Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of KwaZulu-Natal.
1999–2003: Senior Lecturer in Inorganic/Bioinorganic Chemistry, School of Chemical & Physical Sciences, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, RSA.
1997–1999: Lecturer in Inorganic/Bioinorganic Chemistry, School of Chemical & Physical Sciences, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, RSA.
1995–1997: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556, USA. Advisor: Professor W. Robert Scheidt.
1994–1995: Full Time Junior Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, WITS University, Johannesburg, RSA.
Publications
Publications
ORCID ID: Please visit the page below for a formal, validated list of Professor Munro's publications.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8979-6321
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse