Prof Ashmore Mawire holds a PhD in Applied Physics from the North-West University in South Africa which he obtained in 2010. He is a Professor in the Department of Physics and Electronics at the North-West University. He is the Director, and the principal researcher in the solar thermal group under the Physics subgroup of the Material Science, Innovation and Modelling (MaSIM) research focus area. His research interests include electronic instrumentation, renewable energy systems, heat transfer, solar food processing and solar thermal energy storage technology.

I joined the prestigious Centre (of Excellence) for Space Research (CSR), North-West University (NWU) in 2002 as a graduate student. The Gamma-ray group represents the main South African contribution to the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) Collaboration and is also involved in the next-generation Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). I am currently a B2-rated scientist with considerable international recognition and potentially a world leader in pulsar modelling.

Henk Bouwman professor in Zoology focusing on ecotoxicology applied to various biological systems: mainly earthworms, fish, humans, birds and recently crocodiles, and also works in bird ecology. He has been closely involved in the negotiations regarding the Stockholm Convention and the POPs Review Committee (POPRC). After his five-year stint on the POPRC, he was appointed for four years as the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel member of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for chemicals and ozone depleting substances by both GEF and UNEP CEOs.

Mark is a professor in Zoology at the NWU and studied at Stellenbosch University (1992–2000) completing his PhD degree in 2000. His research focus is earthworm ecotoxicology (organismal and cellular effects) and the broader field of soil ecotoxicology (agricultural and mining areas). This research is done in order to determine soil pollution with the aim of making recommendation on how to address and manage these effects. In addition to this he also does research on organic waste management utilizing earthworms.

After starting my research career in 1993 on the enzymology of inherited metabolic diseases, my focus narrowed after completion of a PhD to mitochondrial disease. After completed a postdoctoral fellowship in 2001 at the Nijmegen Centre for Mitochondrial Disorders in The Netherlands, I established - along with Prof Roan Louw - the Mitochondria Research Laboratory in 2002. The laboratory has developed into a recognized research and diagnostic facility to study mitochondrial function and disease.

Dr Sanet Janse van Vuuren is a senior lecturer at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University since 1995 where she does research on freshwater algae.  The availability of fresh water is regarded as the most limiting factor in the future of South Africa.  Rivers are intensively exploited and water demands in the catchment areas are drastically increasing.  The need for clean water in South Africa makes research on this topic not only important and sought after, but vital.  The presence of high algal concentrations causes concern, especially if they result in a v

Prof. Sanne ter Horst is a professor in Mathematics who works on metric constrained interpolation and extrapolation problems. These kinds of problems originate in complex analysis, where they have been studied since the early 20th century, but are currently viewed more as part of functional analysis and operator theory.

Professional teaching and research experience Skills in scientific writing, editing, and consulting. Proficient in the use of many computer softwares and internet; development of project proposals; facilitation of workshop and conference, leadership in team and collaborative work; supervision of postgraduate research and publishing scientific articles; lecturing and curriculum development.

I have produced more than 150 original papers and conference articles during the period 1975--2014. During this period I also supervised various honours projects and produced 23 post graduate students (6 PGDiploma, 9 MSc and 8 PhD). Currently I am supervising 3 PhD, and 2 post-doctoral students.

Prof Klaus Kellner was born on 27 April 1957 in Okahandja, Namibia. He is a re-elected C2 NRF rated scientists till 2016. His expertises lie in vegetation dynamics with the emphasis on SLM technologies, impacts on desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD) and the restoration of degraded rangelands, mostly in arid- and semi-arid systems, as well as industrial damaged sites.