Location: Department of Chemical Engineering, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch

Degree level: Full-time research-based Masters or PhD degree in Chemical Engineering

An opportunity is available for postgraduate research at Masters or PhD level focused on the assessment and optimization of bioprocesses for the production of valuable chemicals, materials and innovative food products from sugarcane. A number of postgrad positions are available, covering key technical areas such as microbial utilisation of sugar mixtures for conversion to chemicals and proteins, production and alternative sweetners and neutraceuticals, and the simulation of alternative process/product options to identify sustainable investment opportunities.

The global sugarcane industry is under substantial pressure to diversify its product range from the conventional sugar, ethanol and electricity regime, to include a broader range of green chemicals, biomaterials and innovative food components. Such a diversification strategy holds potential for new revenue streams that will create a sustainable future for this socially-important agroprocessing industry. Sugarcane will in the future be considered as more of an industrial crop rather than just a source of sugar, with multiproduct facilities, referred as “biorefineries,” considered as a model for such expansion of the commercial footprint of the industry. 

These aforementioned postgraduate projects fall within the Research Chair in Sugarcane Biorefineries at the Department of Chemical Engineering, Stellenbosch University. The research chair has broad and in-depth collaborations within the local sugarcane industry, to ensure that the research approaches and outputs remain relevant to industrial practice. Both the development of new bioprocessing methods as well as the assessment of available processes for implementation as sustainable biorefinery investment, will be covered in these postgraduate research projects.

Successful postgraduate candidates will be exposed to a network of industry participants, which hold the promise of future career development. Successful candidates will be offered a minimum bursary of ZAR160 000 per year of study, and can start postgraduate studies between January and July 2025.