Stephanie G Burton

Professor Stephanie Burton is Professor in Biochemistry, and Professor at Future Africa, at the University of Pretoria. From 2011 to 2020, she was the Vice-Principal for Research and Postgraduate Education at the University of Pretoria. She holds an MSc in Organic Chemistry (1990) and a PhD in Biochemistry (1994) from Rhodes University. Professor Burton’s academic career started in Biochemistry and Biotechnology at Rhodes University, and then as Professor in Chemical Engineering at the University of Cape Town. She served as Director of Postgraduate Studies and Director of the Biocatalysis and Technical Biology Group at Cape Peninsula University of Technology before her current appointment. Her research interests are in applied biochemistry and biotechnology, and she has held an NRF B rating. She has published widely and supervised numerous postgraduate students. Professor Burton is recognised for her leadership in managing research strategy and performance, innovation and commercialisation activities, open science initiatives and internationalisation programmes. Professor Burton plays a key role in the University of Pretoria’s Future Africa initiative. She has a passion for developing inter-and trans-disciplinary research, especially that focussing on sustainability. She has a strong interest in research capacity development and postgraduate training, and she serves on several national bodies related to doctoral training. She is the President and a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa and a member of the Council of Academy of Science of South Africa.