Departments Applied Sciences
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2024 Top Achievers
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Head of Department: Prof Feroz Mahomed Swalaha Tel: 031 373 2689 Email: fswalaha@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Campus ORCID ID: 0000-0002-9184-1360 SCOPUS ID: 6505713815 Qualification & Institution: BSc (HONS), M.Sc. (Cum Laude) UDW, DTech (DUT). Area of Expertise: Water microbiology, biostatistics, survey and treatment of microbial pathogens in water . Short Bio: Prof Swalaha is the head of an excellent team who are the Department of Biotechnology and Food science. He has worked extensively in the fields of biological wastewater treatment with the aid of mathematical modelling and statistical experimental design. Prof. Swalaha is has previously worked on modelling anaerobic digestion with genetic algorithms, applying constructed wetlands to urban water treatment and algal scrubbing of CO2 emissions from waste industrial gases. He is currently heading a unit for waterborne pathogens and is investigating the efficacy of pathogenic bacteria removal during wastewater treatment, risks of transfer of pathogens in agricultural products and development of standards for viral pathogen monitoring in rivers. Academic Interests: Water and wastewater treatment, water -borne microbial pathogens, biostatistics, academic leadership and management. |
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Secretary: Mrs. Priscilla Phillips Tel: 031 373 5321 Email: phillipp@dut.ac.za Location: S9 Level 1 Campus: Steve Biko Campus Qualification & Institution: National Higher Diploma in Office Administration, (M L Sultan Technikon) Area of Expertise: Office Administration |
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Administrative Assistant: Miss Zinhle Mdluli Tel: 031 373 6769 Email: ZinhleM6@dut.ac.za Location: S9 Level 1 Campus: Steve Biko Campus Qualification & Institution: Postgraduate Diploma in Business and Information Management (DUT). Area of Expertise: Office Administration |
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Professor: Prof Kugen Permaul Tel: 031 373 5327 Email: kugen@dut.ac.za Location: S9 Level1 Campus: Steve Biko Campus ORCID ID: 0000-0001-5032-3092 SCOPUS ID: 15078201000 Qualification & Institution: PhD (UKZN) Area of Expertise: Molecular Biology, Enzyme Technology Short Bio: Prof Kugen Permaul obtained his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. His early research projects focused on bacterial molecular genetics, especially plasmid biology. He graduated with a Ph.D in 1999 and spent a year as a postdoctoral fellow before leads the Enzyme Technology Research Group – a focus area of research at DUT. He has steadily progressed up the academic ranks and was awarded full professorship in 2011. He was appointed as Head of the Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology from 2014-2017. His research projects involved: detection and quantification of mycotoxins in food commodities; production of potable water by ultrafiltration; characterisation and production of amylase, inulinase and chitinase enzymes; directed evolution and expression of a xylanase enzyme and genomic sequencing of a thermophilic fungus. Current research projects focus on expression of carbohydrase genes; and the use of chitin as a bioresource. He was the principal investigator of a BRICS bioethanol project involving researchers from universities from all 5 BRICS nations and is involved in a new BRICS biohydrogen grant until 2025. Academic Interests: Microbiology, Biotechnology, Science Awareness |
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Professor: Prof Tukayi Kudanga Tel: 031 373 5286 Email: tukayik@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Campus ORCID ID: 0000-0003-0958-9846 SCOPUS ID: 56056164600 Qualification & Institution: PhD (TUGraz, Austria) Area of Expertise: Enzyme Biotechnology, Biocatalysis, Biomaterials . Short Bio: Professor Kudanga joined the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science as Associate Professor in September 2014 and was promoted to Full Professor in December 2018. His areas of expertise include enzyme Biotechnology, biocatalysis and biomaterials. His current research focuses mainly on enzymatic synthesis of bioactive compounds, enzymatic modification of food biopolymers, and development of green technologies for functionalization of lignocellulose materials. Readmore |
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Professor: Prof Eric Amosnou Tel: 031 373 5314 Email: eamonsou@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Campus Qualification & Institution: PhD Food Science (UP) ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6299-0466 SCOPUS ID: 26021735700 Area of Expertise: Functional food biopolymers . Short Bio: Prof Amonsou is currently a C2-Rated NRF Scientist in South Africa and the leader of the Food and Nutrition security research focus area at the Durban University of Technology. He won several awards including the DUT innovators of the year. Prof Amonsou research activities focused on plant protein characterisation and modification for improved functionality and application in emulsion stabilisation and formation of hydrogels. Readmore |
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Honorary Research Professor: Prof Oluwatosin Ademola Ijabadeniyi Tel: 031 373 5310 Email: oluwatosini@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Campus ORCID ID: 0000-0002-6283-8517 Qualification & Institution: PhD Food Science (UP) Area of Expertise: Food Safety and Quality . Short Bio: Professor Ijabadeniyi is a Professor in the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, Durban University of Technology. His current research focuses on incidence of food borne pathogens that constitute public health risk, including Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli OI57:H7 Salmonella and Aspergillus flavus. The use of different interventions to control persistent pathogens in foods also form a vital part of his food safety… Readmore |
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Associate Professor/ Food Science Coordinator: Prof John Jason Mellem Tel: 031 373 5592 Email: johnm@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Campus ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4784-699X SCOPUS ID: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=41361686800 Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.co.za/citations?user=w9MIhQUAAAAJ&hl=en Qualification & Institution: DTech: Food Technology (DUT) Area of Expertise: Bioactive peptides, Nutraceuticals/functional foods, Starch functionality . Short Bio: Prof John Mellem is a Professor within the Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). His role at DUT focuses on capacity development through teaching, research, and postgraduate supervision, and is one of three leading researchers within a relatively newly created research focus area in DUT, “Food and Nutrition Security”. Furthermore, he is also involved in collaborative projects with various members of the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) with research focused around the use of indigenous underutilized food crops for innovative product development in the form of value addition, technology transfer and market improvement. He has been involved in the area Food Technology/ Plant Biotechnology research since 2004 with projects that have being based on the use of an indigenous food crop for phytoremediation of heavy metals, production of wine from indigenous palms, and the use of indigenous grains/legumes to address non-communicable diseases. Currently, his research focuses on the characterization of biomolecules for the development of functional foods or nutraceuticals to address non-communicable diseases [viz. diabetes, cancer, CVD (cardiovascular diseases)], and malnutrition. Specific interests include the health benefits of antioxidants/ phytochemicals in fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes against oxidative stress, and the development of bionanomaterials for the delivery of bioactive compounds. |
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Associate Professor: Prof. Saheed Sabiu Tel: 031 373 5330 Email: sabius@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Campus ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7209-9220 SCOPUS ID: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=56530797400 Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Nr2-nNQAAAAJ&hl=en WOS: https://publons.com/researcher/1456663/saheed-sabiu/ Qualification & Institution: Ph.D (UFS) Area of Expertise: Computational Drug Discovery and Development, Phytotherapeutics, Computational and Systems Biology, Redox Biology, and Metagenomics . Short Bio: Prof. Saheed leads the Computational Drug Discovery and Development Research Group in the Department. The Group bioprospects for secondary metabolites against degenerative and microbial diseases for new small molecule targets discovery. He is also interested in the molecular dynamics of enteric and respiratory viruses using whole-genome sequencing, in silico and metagenomic approaches. His research has attracted funding from the National Research Foundation (NRF), Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) and the South African Medical Research Council (MRC). He has mentored several postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Besides holding the NRF Y-rating as an emerging researcher, Prof. Saheed is a Fellow of the Future Professors Program of the DHET and a member of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Focus Group on Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPD). Academic Interests: Computational and Systems Biology, Biochemistry, Medical Biotechnology and Virology. |
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Associate Professor/ Programme Coordinator (Biotechnology): Prof Viresh Mohanlall Tel: 031 373 5426 Email: vireshm@dut.ac.za Location: B Block, 1st Floor Campus: ML Sultan Campus ORCID ID: 0000-0002-0103-7089 SCOPUS ID: 14825471800 Web of Science Researcher ID: AAW-6205-2020 Qualification & Institution: B.Tech (Durban University of Technology) Area of Expertise: Phytochemistry and Drug Discovery . Short Bio: Prof Viresh Mohanlall is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science. Biochemistry, phytochemistry, indigenous plant knowledge, nanotechnology, drug discovery and development, and analytical chemistry are among his areas of expertise. The Plant Biotechnology Research Group, led by Professor Mohanlall has isolated new lead compounds from plant species and created chemical analogues of natural compounds to enhance their biological activity. Research in synthetic chemistry is currently focused on the development of novel benzopyridines and coumarins. A patent application was submitted in 2019 (PATENT APPLICATION NO. 2019/05328) for the newly synthesized coumarins that showed tremendous potential as a treatment for tuberculosis. Furthermore, we have recently concentrated on the synthesis and structural elucidation of analogues that mimic the biological activity of plant metabolites with important pharmacological properties. Prof Mohanlall’s group is currently conducting research on the synthesis and structural analysis of novel synthetic coumarin scaffolds in order to determine their potential pharmacological properties as well as the nutritional composition, phytochemical profile, and anti-diabetic properties of Momordica balsamina. The group has also completed several other studies involving B.Tech, BAppSc (Hons.), M.AppSc., PhD., and Postdoctoral students, including the structural elucidation of novel secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, cyanogenic glycosides, glycosylates, terpenoids, flavonoids, and anthraquinones. Academic Interests: Biochemistry and Food Chemistry, Curriculum design and development, Blended Teaching and Assessment Strategies and Technologies. |
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Associate Professor: Prof Santhosh Kuttan Pillai Tel: 031 373 5329 Email: santhoshk@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Campus ORCID ID: 0000-0003-3474-1555 SCOPUS ID: 57194010507 Qualification & Institution: DTech: Biotechnology (DUT) Area of Expertise: Microbial Biotechnology, Enzymology, Plant Pathology . Short Bio: Prof Santhosh K Pillai is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science. His passion lies in teaching and training undergraduate students in Fermentation Science, Mycology and Bacteriology. Prof Pillai is actively involved in research, and his current research area encompasses bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass to bioenergy and other value-added products (biohydrogen,… Readmore |
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Senior Lecturer: Dr Charlene Pillay Tel: 031 373 5324 Email: charlenep@dut.ac.za Location: B Block, 1st Floor Campus: Steve Biko Campus Qualification & Institution: PhD: Microbiology (UKZN) ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6129-1364 SCOPUS ID: 57212553406 Area of Expertise: Microbial Biotechnology . Short Bio: Dr Pillay have graduated with a PhD in 2013 from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Since 2015, she has been employed at the Durban University of Technology as a lecturer and Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Coordinator. She is part of a research group that focuses on therapeutic mechanisms of secondary metabolites in degenerative and microbial diseases. She is involved in many studies on drug discovery and development using computational bioinformatic software and associated in vitro studies. Dr Pillay has taught numerous modules at the undergraduate level with supervision of four BTech, 2 Honours and co-supervision of one Master student. She is currently the WIL Coordinator and academic mentor for both the Biotechnology and Food Technology Diploma programmes. Dr Pillay also serves as the SETA and Industry liaison. She is responsible for securing internships for the Bachelor of Applied Science graduates in both Biotechnology and Food Science. She has secured and upholds the strong relationship between the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, and the industry. Academic Interests: Drug discovery and development, Biocorrosion, Bioremediation. |
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Senior Lecturer: Dr Sarla Naicker Tel: 031 373 5642 Email:sarlaj@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Qualification & Institution: PhD Biotechnology; Durban University of Technology Area of Expertise: Microbiology: Food Microbiology and Medical Mycology . Short Bio: Teaching subjects: Food Microbiology, Food Biotechnology and Bacteriology. Area of PhD research: Respiratory fungal infections. Research area: Food Microbiology/Safety and Mycology. Academic Interests: Alumni engagement to impact student development; Student mentoring; Industry liaison. |
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Lecturer: Ms. Zikhona Truth Nyawose Tel: 031 373 5332 Email: ZikhonaN@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Qualification & Institution: MAppSc: Food Science and Technology (DUT) Research Links: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6741-4476 Area of Expertise: Research, Plant Polysaccharides Short Bio: Ms Nyawose joined DUT as an undergraduate student in 2011. She completed her Masters in 2019 and currently pursuing her PhD in Food Science and Technology. Currently, her research focuses on the anticancer potential of plant peptides. . Academic Interests: Research, Food Chemistry, Food Science and Technology. |
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Lecturer: Dr Sharlynn Beekrum Tel: 031 373 5326 Email: sharlynn@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Qualification & Institution: Doctor of Food Science and Technology Area of Expertise: Food product development, food processing and preservation, food quality assurance and control . Short Bio: Dr Beekrum is a graduate from DUT (MTech: Food Technology). Her teaching responsibilities include Food Quality Management, Food Product Development, Food Legislation and Advances in Food Science. In addition, she is the staff student liaison for the Food Science students. She is also involved in facilitating short courses for the food industry. Her current research area focuses on the valorization of agricultural waste into value added food products. |
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Lecturer: Ms Mellisa Nokulunga Jula Tel: 031 373 5310 Email: mellisaj@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Qualification & Institution: MAppSc: Food Science and Technology (DUT) Area of Expertise: Food Microbiology and Food Safety Management Systems . Short Bio: Ms Mellisa Jula is a Lecturer in Food Science and Biotechnology with over a decade of industry. She holds a Master of Applied Science. Ms. Jula has a proven track record in the private sector, having successfully launched retail products and implemented Quality and Food Safety Management systems. She’s dedicated to fostering academic growth through innovative research, student supervision, and curriculum development, she is focused on bridging the gap between industry practice and higher education. Academic Interests: Food fermentation, Product Development and Entrepreneurship |
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Senior Laboratory Technician: Research: Dr Adarsh Kumar Puri Tel: 031 373 2349/ 062 702 3091 Email: adarshp@dut.ac.za Location: S9 Level1 Campus: Steve Biko Campus ORCID ID: 0000-0002-2261-413X Qualification & Institution: Ph.D. (Microbiology) – University of Delhi, India Area of Expertise: Environmental Biotechnology, Enzyme Technology, Microbiology . Short Bio: Dr Puri joined the Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology as a postdoctoral fellow in the Enzyme Technology Research group during April 2013. His area of expertise include Enzyme Technology, Environmental Biotechnology, Fermentation and Microbiology. Readmore |
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Senior Research Technician: Mr Melvin Makolomakwa Tel: 031 373 5108 Email: gaositwem@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Campus Qualification & Institution: MAppSci – DUT Area of Expertise: Enzyme technology . Short Bio: Mr Melvin’s academic background is on production, purification, characterization and application of enzymes. Currently, he is managing the research laboratories and actively involved in the day-to-day running of the labs. He assists research students with their experiments and operating laboratory equipment. . Academic Interests: Bioentrepreneurship |
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Senior Technician: Biotechnology: Ms Rena Brijlall Tel: 031 373 2061 Email: renab@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Campus Qualification & Institution BTech: Bachelor of Technology: Biotechnology (DUT) Area of Expertise: Microbiology . Short Bio: Ms R Brijlal is the senior technician in the undergraduate laboratory in the Biotechnology sector of the department. Prior to joining the department, Ms Brijlal worked as a Medical Technologist, specializing in Microbiology. In the department, Ms Brijlal assists in the teaching of the practical component in the following subjects, Bacteriology, Mycology, Virology and Immunology and Industrial Biotechnology. . Academic Interests: Microbiology, Bacteriology, Mycology |
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Senior Technician: Food Science: Ms Samantha Govender Tel: 031 373 2738 Email: govends@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Campus Qualification & Institution: MTech: Food Technology (DUT) Area of Expertise: Food processing, Food chemistry |
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Technician: Food Science: Mrs Ravika L Mohanlall Tel: 031 373 5746 Email: ravikam@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Campus Qualification & Institution: BTech: Food Technology (DUT) Area of Expertise: Food science & technology . Short Bio: Mrs Mohanlall joined the department in 2012 in the Food Technology department as a food technology laboratory technician. Her area of expertise is food science and technology, food product development, quality assurance in the food industry and food safety and legislation. Readmore |
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Laboratory Technician: Biotechnology: Ms Sharon Govender Tel: 031 373 6305 Email: sharong@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Campus Qualification & Institution: MTech: Biotechnology (DUT) Area of Expertise: Biotechnology . Short Bio: Ms Govender obtained her M.Tech in Biotechnology from the Durban University of Technology in 2011. She joined Department of Biotechnology and Food Science in 2003.She is currently a technician in the microbiology laboratory. Her area of expertise is Microbiology. Ms Govender is involved in consultancy, comprising testing of water, food and environmental samples. . Academic Interests: Bacteriology, Bioprocessing, Medical Microbiology and Biology. |
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Technician: Biotechnology: Ms Predeshini Naicker Tel: 031 373 5311 Email: naickerp@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Campus Qualification & Institution: BTech: Biotechnology (DUT) Area of Expertise: Biotechnology . Short Bio: Ms Naicker joined the Department in 1996 as a Biotechnology laboratory technician and currently holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Biotechnology. Her areas of expertise include Food Microbiology, Mycology and Bacteriology. She is the co-ordinator of the tutorship programme that recruits post graduate students to assist with ‘at risk’ students in specific modules of the Biotechnology and Food Science programmes. She is also part of the team that conducts the short course Good Microbiological Laboratory Practice for the department. |
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Laboratory Technician: Biotechnology: Mrs Siphiwengesihle Mbamali Tel: 031 373 5325 Email: siphiwengesihled@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Qualification & Institution: MAppSc: Biotechnology ORCID: 0009-0000-3579-4558 Area of Expertise: Molecular Biology, Recombinant DNA Technology . Short Bio: Mrs Mbamali joined the department as a Technician in 2010. She was previously employed as a Biology (DNA) Forensic Analyst. She obtained her MAppSc: Biotechnology (cum laude) in 2021 specialising in Molecular Biology. She is a current PhD Biotechnology candidate, with a specific focus on Genomics and Bioinformatics. Mrs Mbamali is passionate in helping students grasp practical knowledge in the area of Molecular Biology and Recombinant DNA Technology. . Academic Interests: Genetics, Genomics and Bioinformatics. |
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Technician: Biotechnology: Mr Tshimangadzo Ndiitwani Tel: 031 373 2475 Email: tshimangadzon@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Qualification & Institution: MSc Biochemistry (University of Johannesburg) Area of Expertise: Biotechnology . Short Bio: Mr Tshimangadzo Ndiitwani is a laboratory technician in the department of Biotechnology and Food science. He obtained his BSc in Biochemistry and Microbiology and BSc Honours in Biochemistry from the University of Limpopo, followed by a Master of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Johannesburg. Currently a PhD candidate at North-West University. His research and teaching career is supported by publications in peer-reviewed journals and awards such as the Most Meritorious Project at the University of Johannesburg. Beyond academia, he is passionate about mentoring students, advancing biochemistry education, and contributing to scientific discovery in molecular biology and applied biochemistry. Academic interests : Protein engineering, Enzymology, Molecular biology and Bioinformatics |
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Laboratory Assistant: Mr. Blessing Fundile Nkosi Tel: 031 373 5283 Email: blessingn1@dut.ac.za Campus: Steve Biko Qualification & Institution: BAppSc (Hons) Biotechnology (Durban University of Technology) Area of Expertise: Lab Assistant in Biotech and Food Science – Biotechnology Short Bio: Blessing Fundile Nkosi is a dedicated research and development biotechnologist currently serving as a Laboratory Assistant at Durban University of Technology. With a strong background in biotechnology, he has significantly improved laboratory efficiency by implementing a laboratory information management system and standardizing maintenance protocols. Previously at Kerry Ingredients SA, he worked on low-sodium food formulations and led production trials, aligning product development with regulatory standards. He has also achieved measurable gains in his academic projects, including increased biohydrogen yields and better laboratory data management. He holds a Diploma, an advanced Diploma, and a BAppSc (Hons) in Biotechnology from DUT. He is pursuing his master’s in biotechnology, making him a reliable, detail-oriented collaborator for progressive biotech initiatives. Academic Interests: Microbial Biotechnology, Biohydrogen, Biomethane, and Bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass. |
Post Doctoral Fellows
| Programme | Name and Surname | Supervisor | Email Address |
| Dr Neeraj Singh | Prof Santhosh Pillai | neerajs@dut.ac.za; | |
| Dr Christiana E Aruwa | Prof Saheed Sabiu | christianaa@dut.ac.za; | |
| Dr Babalola Yusuf | Prof Saheed Sabiu | babalolay@dut.ac.za; | |
| Dr Gideon Gyebi | Prof Saheed Sabiu | gideong@dut.ac.za; | |
| Dr Adedirin Oluwaseye | Prof Saheed Sabiu | oluwaseyea@dut.ac.za; | |
| Dr Jibrin Mohammed | Prof Feroz Swalaha | jibrinm@dut.ac.za; | |
| Dr Kabange Kasumbwe | Prof Viresh Mohanlall | kabangek@dut.ac.za; | |
| Dr Johnson Zininga | Prof Kugen Permaul | johnsonz@dut.ac.za; | |
| Dr Mapule Razwinani | Dr Adarsh Puri | mapuler@dut.ac.za; | |
| Dr Parikshana Mathur | Prof Santhosh Pillai | parikshanam@dut.ac.za; | |
| Dr Gaurav Kant | Prof Tukayi Kudanga | gauravk@dut.ac.za; | |
| Food Science | |||
| Dr Toluwase Adeseye Dada | Prof Eric Amonsou | toluwased@dut.ac.za; | |
| Opeyemia Alabi | Prof Eric Amonsou | opeyemia@dut.ac.za; |
BIOTECHNOLOGY & FOOD TECHNOLOGY – STAFF PROFILES
2024 Top Achievers