C. Oliver KappeProfessor and Scientific Director, Center for Continuous Flow Synthesis and Processing, University of Graz C. Oliver Kappe is Professor of Chemistry at the University of Graz (Austria) and Scientific Director of the Center for Continuous Flow Synthesis and Processing (CC FLOW) at the Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering GmbH (RCPE). He received his diploma (1989) and his doctoral (1992) degrees in organic chemistry from the University of Graz where he worked with Gert Kollenz on cycloaddition and rearrangement reactions of acylketenes. After periods of postdoctoral research work on reactive intermediates and matrix isolation spectroscopy with Curt Wentrup at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia (1993-1994) and on synthetic methodology/alkaloid synthesis with Albert Padwa at Emory University in Atlanta, USA (1994-1996), he moved back to the University of Graz in 1996 to start his independent academic career. He obtained his „Habilitation“ in 1998 in organic chemistry and was appointed Associate Professor in 2000. Since 2011 he is Professor for „Technology of Organic Synthesis“ (Organische Synthesetechnologie) at the Institute of Chemistry at the University of Graz. He has spent time as visiting scientist/professor at e.g. the Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, USA, K. Barry Sharpless, 2003), the Toyko Institute of Technology (Toyko, Japan, T. Takahashi, 2008), the Sanford-Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Orlando, USA, 2010) and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2013-2015). |
Paul WattsDistinguished Professor and Research Chair, Nelson Mandela University Prof Paul Watts started his career as a lecturer at the University of Hull in 2002, being promoted to full professor in 2011. At the University of Hull he led the micro reactor and flow technology group. In February 2013, he moved to Nelson Mandela University to hold the Distinguished Professorship and Research Chair in Microfluidic Bio/Chemical Processing. He has published of over 120 highly cited papers. He strongly believes that scientists should conduct research that impacts society; the biggest project underway involves the local production of key drugs as the morbidity and mortality from major diseases are much more devastating in Africa than in other regions of the world. The vision is that new technology will be used within South Africa to manufacture generic drugs; this could create jobs and a new manufacturing industry within the country. |
