Prof Anja Franken obtained her PhD in Occupational Hygiene degree from the North-West University Potchefstroom Campus in 2015. She is an Associate Professor at the School of Physiology, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences at the North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus. In this position she lectures undergraduate Occupational Hygiene modules and also provides supervision to postgraduate students. She has more than 14 years of experience in lecturing and supervision at the North-West University.

She supervises MSc and PhD students in their respective research projects and has successfully delivered 17 MSc students and one PhD student since 2008. She is one of the lecturers for the unique BHSc degree in Occupational Hygiene which is the only undergraduate degree of its kind in South Africa. She is one of the presenters of a short learning programme (Legal knowledge in Occupational Hygiene) supported by the Department of Employment and Labour.

She has published several peer-reviewed papers in both national and international journals and has presented her research at numerous national and international conferences. She has obtained research funding from national and international funding organisations. Her research investigates the permeability of metals such as platinum and rhodium through human skin, as well as the retention of these metals inside the skin. The research includes the investigation of the influence of various factors on the permeability of the metal. She was awarded SAIOH’s occupational hygiene article of the year during 2014 and 2015. Her research also includes assessing the level of skin exposure to chemical stressors in the workplace and utilises skin bio-engineering methods where properties such as skin hydration and pH levels of the skin are measured.

She is a registered Occupational Hygiene Technologist (ROHT) with the Southern African Institute for Occupational Hygiene (SAIOH).