Meet the WISH-ROOTS  Consortium

Current Position: Senior Researcher at the Agricultural Research Council-Natural

Resources and Engineering, Pretoria, South Africa

Education: ​​PhD, Microbiology & Biotechnology, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa 

Hobbies: Art & crafts, Reading, Gardening

Bio: I have worked primarily in the field of renewable energy generation from organic waste and microalgae. Current research focus includes optimization of anaerobic digestion using microbial and nanotechnology mediated approaches, improving ex situ cultivation of indigenous medicinal plants and nanofertilizer development. 

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Role: My role in the WISH-ROOTS project is to supervise our field trials at the ARC Brits experimental farm, mentor students on the project and, together with the team, ensure smooth running of the project in SA.

Current Position: Researcher at the Agricultural Research Council-Natural 

Resources and Engineering, Pretoria, South Africa

Education: ​PhD, Chemical Engineering, North-West University, South Africa

Hobbies: Hiking, Zumba

Bio: I have a background in bio-processing for production of second 

generation biofuels through microbial techniques and nanotechnology. Current research focus is on the potential use of nano-structured materials as nanofertilizers  for agricultural applications. We study the behavior of the plant and soil in response to nanofertilizer application.

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Role: My role in the WISH-ROOTS project is to supervise field trials at the Agricultural Research council (Brits experimental farm), conduct soil analysis and ensure that milestones are met timeously.

Current Position: Researcher at the Agricultural Research Council-Natural 

Resources and Engineering, Pretoria, South Africa

Education: MSc Soil Science

Hobbies: Cycling, Bonsai and building working model steam trains

Bio: Worked many years at training rural farmers how to produce crops following conservation agricultural principles, and doing research on the changes in the soil when CA is adopted. Presently working at understanding the dynamics of root exudate movement into the soil and utilisation by the microbes for cultivated and CA soils.

 

Role: My role in the WISH-ROOTS project is to supervise field trials at the Agricultural Research council (Brits experimental farm), and perform soil analysis, including soil water measurements.