Abstract

My journey began at the University of Cape Town (UCT), nestled on the slopes of Table Mountain. From those humble beginnings, I would eventually return full circle, but not before following a memorable path at the interface between academia and industry. At UCT, I completed both undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Organic Chemistry, focusing on steroid synthesis, before pursuing postdoctoral research at UCT Medical School as part of a GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) tuberculosis research program. I applied my expertise in natural product synthesis to the study of key Mycobacterium tuberculosis antioxidant metabolites, including mycothiol and ergothioneine. This work led to a secondment at GSK’s R&D centre in Stevenage, UK, where I spent a year as a postdoctoral scientist within a multidisciplinary drug discovery team—a valuable experience at the forefront of pharmaceutical innovation.

Following this, I joined Harvard Medical School as a postdoctoral fellow, conducting research into nucleotide-based anticancer drugs. After several postdoctoral positions, I transitioned from academia to industry, accepting a role as Senior Scientist at Johnson Matthey’s Pharma Outsourcing Division (MA, USA). In this capacity, I worked on drug development and the custom manufacturing of experimental medicines under cGMP conditions. A few years later, I moved to the Gillette Advanced Technology Centre (MA, USA), joining the Hair Biology and Dermatologics research group. At Gillette I contributed to the development of a hair growth inhibitor, eflornithine while participating in personal care product innovation within a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) environment.

Ultimately, I returned to Cape Town to pursue an academic career, first at Stellenbosch University and later back at UCT—where my journey had begun. My research centred on understanding the role of low molecular mass antioxidants in health and disease. The disruption of cellular redox homeostasis in disease states inspired the synthesis of D-thioluciferin, a thiol analogue of D-luciferin used in firefly luciferase–mediated bioluminescence. In parallel, I developed an efficient synthesis of D-aminoluciferin, a commercially important bioluminescence imaging (BLI) agent. Building on this foundation, I established a green and sustainable chemistry program focused on the valorisation of locally sourced biomass waste, leading to the successful development of chitin derived aminochitosan, a promising biostimulant with significant agricultural potential.

Biography

I completed my PhD in Organic Chemistry at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 1995, followed by postdoctoral research in the fields of Drug Discovery and Medicinal Chemistry.  My journey started out at UCT Medical School, followed by GlaxoSmithkline R&D in Stevenage (UK) and later at Harvard Medical School (MA, USA). 

I left academia and joined Johnson Matthey Pharma Outsourcing Division (MA, USA) and later Gillette Advanced Technology Centre (MA, US). Being part of a FMCG company, my research was focused on personal care product innovation. The latter interest is continuing in the form of consulting for Unilever SA. 

I returned to South Africa in 2004 to start a career in academia, first at the University of Stellenbosch and then later at the University of Cape Town where I’m currently an Associate Professor in Organic Chemistry.  My research interests are broad, ranging from natural product synthesis to drug discovery. I am passionate about the valorisation of biomass in the context of the biorefinery. Green and sustainable chemistry now overarches my entire approach to synthesis using biomass waste as a resource.