Professor Bert Klumperman is an internationally recognised polymer chemist and an NRF A-rated scientist based at Stellenbosch University. His research focuses on synthetic polymers for biomedical applications, with amphiphilic copolymers for the isolation of membrane proteins and on-demand reversible hydrogels based on poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) being central to his research. Throughout his distinguished career, Professor Klumperman has published over 220 peer-reviewed journal articles, filed 17 patent applications, and has an H-index of 54. He has made a significant contribution to human capacity development in polymer science by supervising more than 110 postgraduate students and over 10 postdoctoral fellows. Prof Klumperman is a recipient of the National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) Lifetime Award, the John F.W. Herschel Medal of the Royal Society of South Africa, the South African Chemical Institute’s Gold Medal, and the Sasol Chemistry Innovator of the Year Award. His academic research forms the foundation for Nanosene (Pty) Ltd, a spin-out company originating from Stellenbosch University.