Professor Deresh Ramjugernath has officially taken on the role of rector and vice-chancellor at Stellenbosch University (SU), aiming to elevate the institution's academic excellence and research capabilities.

Ramjugernath is the 13th rector and vice-chancellor, officially stepping into his new role on Tuesday. He took over from Professor Wim de Villiers, who completed two terms at the helm.

In a video recording, Ramjugernath, 52, who was born and raised in Durban, said he was humbled by the appointment and paid tribute to his parents, teachers, mentors and supervisors.

"I am humbled to be given this responsibility and committed to serving our institution and our people in this role. It gives me a great sense of purpose. Although this is day one in this new role, I have been part of the Stellenbosch University family for the past four years, serving as the deputy vice-chancellor for learning and teaching, and over that time, SU has truly become home...

"I was born and raised in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, by my incredible parents. My father was an educator and my mother a stay-at-home mom, with the kind of strength and wisdom that helped shape my character and moulded his morals, values, ethics and integrity.

"I was a bit of a handful in my early years, especially when it came to keeping me interested in academics. Back then, I never imagined myself as an academic. I wasn't exactly top of my class, especially in primary school.

"It was through the encouragement of teachers, mentors and later my supervisors that I discovered the transformative power of education and my passion for science and technology. That eventually led me to chemical engineering and a career and life in academia."

He said education, for him, had never been just about academic achievement. It was about creating an environment where people, especially students, could truly realise their full potential; whether it was the student who dared to dream or the staff member who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to assist in making those dreams come true.

"We are all part of this wonderful journey that shapes lives and the future."

One of the priorities that will shape SU's future, he said, was academic excellence.

"We are going to be even bolder, aiming not just to be Africa's research intensive university but also to become Africa's first Top 100 university. Consequently, academic excellence will be front and centre in all we do. To get there, we must be even bolder in research, innovation, and teaching and learning, especially academic renewal."

Before making SU his home, Ramjugernath was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Pro Vice-Chancellor: Innovation, Commercialisation and Entrepreneurship at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).

He has extensive board and governance experience having served on several company and organisation boards.

In a statement, SU said: "A pre-eminent scientist in the field of chemical engineering and specifically in chemical thermodynamics and separation technology (becoming the youngest full professor in his field in Africa at age 31), Ramjugernath served as the DST/NRF South African Research Chair (SARChI) for Fluorine Process Engineering and Separation Technology until 2018.

"He has successfully graduated over 130 Masters and PhD students and supervised over 20 postdoctoral fellows. Ramjugernath has published in excess of 350 peer-reviewed journal papers and has presented at least 300 papers at international conferences."

Ramjugernath studied at UKZN and obtained the degrees BSc Eng (chemical) in 1993, MSc Eng (chemical) that was upgraded to a PhD in 1995 and a PhD in Chemical Engineering in 2000.

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New leadership at Stellenbosch University: Professor Ramjugernath's vision for academic excellence