The Department of Microbiology at Stellenbosch, one of the oldest in South Africa , has a proud history of almost 60 years!
The Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology was established in 1950 in the Faculty of Agriculture. In 1961 the Department of Microbiology split from the Department of Plant Pathology and in 1997 the department moved to the Faculty of Natural Sciences. In 2000 the Department of Microbiology, together with the Departments of Biochemistry and Genetics, occupied the newly erected JC Smuts research building with spacious well-equipped laboratories and facilities. The Department has seven to eight academic staff members, each of whom has a research laboratory to carry out a wide variety of molecular and general microbiology projects. The research interests of each researcher are described elsewhere on this web site.
There are several indicators that reflect the strong research focus of staff and students of the Department. At a given time, approximately 10-12 BSc Honours, 30-35 MSc and 10-15 PhD students are registered in the Department. In addition, there are approximately 10 post-doctoral and other researchers, making a total complement of 60-70 researchers. While Stellenbosch University provides an excellent infrastructure, staff members of the Department receive good financial support from statutory bodies such as the National Research Foundation (NRF), Innovation Fund, THRIP, South Africa's National Energy Research Institute (SANERI), PlanBio Trust, Medical Research Council and the Water Research Commission. Our research is further supported by way of contracts and sponsorships from industry and foreign funding sources.
Staff and students produce approximately 25-35 refereed research publications per year in quality international journals. The consistent output of papers and research students is recognized in the high average level of researcher evaluations by the NRF. Currently six of the seven staff members have research ratings (one A, three B, one C and two Y), while the remaining staff members are young academic appointees at the start of what promises to be very productive careers.
Staff of the Department are active in a large number of national and international activities. These include duties as editor and membership of editorial boards of journals such as Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Bio-deterioration & Biodegradation, International Journal of Food Microbiology and Microbial Ecology, and FEMS Microbiology Letters. Staff members serve on the Councils of the South African Society for Microbiology, the Royal Society of South Africa as well as committees of the International Union of Microbiology Societies (IUMS) and several other international scientific committees. Top of page
What is Microbiology?
Microbiology is the study of microscopically small, living organisms, such as fungi, algae, protozoa, bacteria and viruses. Some require a light microscope for observation, yet constitute more or less 60% of all life on earth while viruses are visible only under an electron microscope at 20 000x magnification and affect all life forms on earth. The study of Microbiology is aimed at increasing our scientific knowledge of these microorganisms and helps with the development of medical, veterinary, industrial, environmental and other practical applications of this knowledge to the advantage of mankind. Basic characteristics of the microorganisms, including their form, structure, physiology, growth, reproduction and genetics are studied in courses on mycology, enzymology, bacteriology and the molecular biology of bacteria, viruses and yeasts. Others deal with the composition, activities, ecology, practical importance and control of microbial populations of soil, water, food, plants, human and animal bodies, including disease-producing organisms, as well as industrial microbial fermentations.
Specialist’s directions in the Department of Microbiology are soil and water microbiology, food microbiology, including microorganism of alcoholic beverages, and the molecular biology of yeasts and fungi. Research is centred on important industrial organisms, such as wine and brewers yeasts, lactic acid bacteria, which are of great significance for the wine and dairy industries, and fungi of importance to the food, animal feed and paper industries; microorganisms of fynbos soils and their activities; bacteria involved in pollution of water resources, including those which release metals and sulphuric acid from minerals; and the genetic manipulation of bacteria and yeasts.
What is a microbiologist?
A microbiologist is a scientist who studies living microorganisms and infectious agents. Every day, microbiologists around the world explore, investigate and discover how these organisms, called microbes, exist and affect our lives. Microbiologist’s findings are critical to research and application in health, industrial, agricultural and environmental sciences. They contribute significantly to the quality of life. To conduct their studies, microbiologists combine the techniques of genetics, chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, physics, ecology and pathology. The many accomplishments of microbiologists have significantly affected our lives.
Acknowledgement to: “Microbiology as a career”, published by the SA Society for Microbiology.