Alumni

Only students who received UJ degrees (from 2015) are included in the list.

MSc students

Dorcas Lekganyane (Cum Laude) (2019). “Muthi” from the wild: a survey of bulbous and perennial herbs traded at the Faraday traditional medicinal market in Johannesburg, South Africa using DNA barcoding as an identification tool.
Supervisor: Michelle van der Bank

Rattray Ryan (Cum Laude) (2019). QC of herbal medicine – DNA barcoding coupled with chemometric modeling.
Supervisor: Michelle van der Bank, Co-Supervisor: Alvaro Viljoen (TUT)

Khanyisile Shabangu (2019). Molecular phylogeny of the southern African endemic genus Sisyranthus (Apocynaceae).
Supervisor: Michelle van der Bank, Co-Supervisor: Pieter Bester (SANBI Pretoria)
Currently a PhD candidate

Hendrik Niemann (Cum Laude) (2019). A DNA barcoding approach to assess the risk posed by the aquarium trade in the spread of invasive aquatic plants in South Africa.
Supervisor: Michelle van der Bank, Co-Supervisor: Bezeng Simeon Bezeng

Zinhle Manda (2020). The use of DNA barcoding to identify unknown bark species illegally traded at the Faraday Muthi Market in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Supervisor: Michelle van der Bank

Future Machate (2021). DNA barcoding of native and non-native succulent plants in the horticultural trade industry in South Africa.
Supervisor: Michelle van der Bank

Letlhogonolo Sello (Cum Laude) (2021). Cracking down on counterfeits: Creating a DNA barcode reference library of commercial herbal products traded in South Africa.
Supervisor: Michelle van der Bank
Currently a PhD candidate

Ross Stewart (Cum Laude) (2021). Phylogeny of the southern African genus Gasteria Duval (Asphodeloideae) based on Sanger and Next Generation Sequencing data.
Supervisor: Michelle van der Bank
Currently a PhD candidate

Nthabeleng Nhlengethwa (Cum Laude) (2024). An eDNA survey of plant biodiversity in an urban dam in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Supervisor: Michelle van der Bank, Co-Supervisor: Arsalan Emani Khoyi
Currently a PhD candidate 

PhD students

Barnabas Haruna Daru (2015). An evaluation of the phylogenetic diversity of trees of southern Africa.
Supervisor: Michelle van der Bank, Co-Supervisor: Jonathan Davies (UBC, Canada)

Bezeng Simeon Bezeng (2015). Predicting species invasion: global change and the non-native trees of southern Africa.
Supervisor: Michelle van der Bank, Co-Supervisor: Jonathan Davies (UBC, Canada)

Anifat Bello (2017). A systematic study of Pteronia (Asteraceae).
Supervisor: Michelle van der Bank, Co-Supervisors: Stephen Boatwright (UWC), John Manning (SANBI), Anthony Magee (SANBI)

Lerato Hoveka (2020). Delimiting priority areas for the conservation of endemic and threatened plant species in South Africa using niche-based and climate integrated gap analyses.
Supervisor: Michelle van der Bank, Co-Supervisor: Jonathan Davies (UBC, Canada)

Janice Williamson (2021). Molecular phylogeny and DNA barcoding of the African endemic cycad genus Encephalartos Lehm.
Supervisor: Michelle van der Bank

Estherna Pretorius (2021). Authentication of selected herbal medicines using DNA barcoding and chemical profiling.
Supervisor: Michelle van der Bank, Co-Supervisor: Alvaro Viljoen (TUT)

Dorcas Oluwayemisi Olaniyan (2022). Systematics of the subfamily Thymelaeoideae (Thymelaeaceae) in southern Africa.
Supervisor: Michelle van der Bank, Co-Supervisors: Stephen Boatwright (UWC), John Manning (SANBI), Anthony Magee (SANBI)

Dr. Rene Clarisse Tong (2021). A comparison of the yield and postharvest quality of sweet peppers grown with bokashi compost and conventional hydroponics
Supervisor. Prof. CS Whitehead
Co-supervisor: Prof. OA Fawole

Dr. Pesanai Zanamwe (2021). Use of ethylene as an alternative gibberellic acid in barley malting.
Supervisor. Prof. CS Whitehead
Co-supervisor: Prof E. Venter