Professor Susan Harrison

Professor Sue Harrison is an active researcher in bioprocess engineering and its application to the circular economy, green technologies for the resource sectors and improved health care and well-being. Her research integrates fundamentals of process engineering and molecular & microbiology across applications and has a strong focus on bioreactor and bioprocess design. Using IDTD research, she seeks sustainable approaches to mineral & water-sensitive systems, as well as minimising environmental burden and, where necessary, rehabilitating sites post extraction.

Since 1991, she has built a strong track record in research and academic management and leadership. She has supervised 151 postgraduate research students to completion, including 36 PhDs and 115 Master’s. She established the Centre for Bioprocess Engineering Research (CeBER) in 2001 and co-established interdisciplinary research platforms, Future Water and Minerals to Metals. She held the SARChI Chair in Bioprocess Engineering and served at the University of Cape Town as Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation. She played a key role in SA’s Biotechnology Regional Innovation Centres and the bioeconomy.

Since 2024, she has continued active research at UCT as Emeritus Professor while taking on international roles, initially as the University of Queensland’s Executive Dean of Engineering, Architecture, and Information Technology (EAIT) and now as Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation.