Tiaan is currently the BPharm programme leader for undergraduate pharmacy students at he School of Pharmacy of the North-West University.

His research explores on neurobehavioural pharmacology, with specific application to the investigation of novel pharmacological targets for antidepressants. The majority of his research projects are performed in appropriate translational animal models of human psychiatric disease. He has also published in the field of animal research ethics and pharmacology education.

Petra Bester has extensive work experience in the public and private health sectors of South Africa, including managed healthcare from both the hospital and administrator’s perspective. After a clinical masters’ degree in Community Psychiatric Nursing and a PhD in Nursing, Petra Bester returned to the higher education context since 2010. Although a dedicated researcher and lecturer, Petra occupied managerial positions since 2013.

Richard K. Haynes B.Sc. Hons (1^st Class); PhD (organic chemistry) received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Western Australia, and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, and then at Imperial College, London. After academic appointments in the Chemistry Department at Monash University, Melbourne, and in the Department of Organic Chemistry at the  University of Sydney, Prof. Haynes moved to the Chemistry Department at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in 1993.

Jeanetta du Plessis, BPharm, MSc (Pharmaceutics), PhD, DTO (PU for CHE) is the director of the Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences and professor of Pharmaceutics at the NWU.  She is a pharmacist who is specialising in drug delivery, whilst her research focuses on topical and transdermal drug delivery.  She has supervised numerous post-graduate students.  She is the author/co-author of several patents, well over 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals and quite a few book chapters.  She serves on the scientific editorial boards of numerous scientific journ

Lanthé Kruger obtained her B.Sc. degree in September 2003 at the former Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (PU for CHE), where after she started with her post-graduate studies with special focus on cardiovascular physiology. During this time, Lanthé was also appointed as a temporary lecturer (2006-2008) as well as research assistant (2005-2008) within the Cardiovascular Physiology research group. During this time, she gained insight and experience into both worlds of academia as well as research.

Dr Wilson specializes in positive psychology research and is currently interested in understanding the effect of positive interventions in high-risk communities in South Africa.

She is also part of the positive psychology team working with the African Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research

As a second generation social gerontologist in the African context, my research focuses on older individuals and their relationships with people and space (place).

Minrie Greeff is Head of the Ethics Office of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the NWU since 2015 managing both human and animal research. She is Professor in research in the Africa Unit for Trans-disciplinary Health Research in the same Faculty. She has specialised in Psychiatric Nursing. Her focus has since shifted to transdisciplinary health research and health research ethics. She qualified as a research ethicist in 2014 and was appointed in 2017 as member of the National Health Research Ethics Council.

Carina Mels is full-time Research Professor and Director of the Hypertension in Africa Research Team (HART) at the North-West University (NWU), South Africa. Carina has published more than 80 peer-reviewed papers and acted as post-graduate study supervisor to more than 20 Masters and Ph.D students. On two occasions her students received the Vice-Chancellor’s medal for most outstanding master’s degree student in the Faculty of Health Sciences. As of 2022 she holds a C2-rating from the National Research Foundation, indicating that she is an established researcher.

My interests are in behavioural neuroscience and neuro- and psychopharmacology, with a special interest in anxiety and stress related disorders, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and schizophrenia. My research focuses on mechanisms of synaptic and cellular signalling, and especially their relevance in the pathology and pharmacology of stress-related disorders.