HELTASA warmly invites you to the next live webinar by the Professionalisation of Undergraduate Academic Teaching (PUAT) project. UKZN is actively participating with all four colleges: Humanities, Agriculture, Engineering & Science, Health Sciences, and Law and Management Studies, as a partner of the project in Multiple Disciplines to Address SDGs.

Presenting are Prof Naven Chetty, Dean of Teaching and Learning in the College of Agriculture, Engineering, and Science, and Dr Boby Varghese, Head of the Centre for Academic Success in Science and Engineering at UKZN. We encourage all academic, professional and technical staff working in student success to attend the webinar as we discuss how academic institutions can be a driving force for sustainable development in line with the UN SDGs 2030 agenda.

Speaker biographies:

Prof Naven Chetty holds a Ph.D. in experimental and computational molecular optics (2009) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). Prof Chetty’s research interest lies in optics, specifically biomedical and atmospheric optics. He is currently leading a Project to Establish a Working Baseline Data on “Monitoring Environmental Contamination by Natural radiation and the Risks to Humans” using transdisciplinary techniques to improve livelihoods and protect the environment.

Dr Boby Varghese‘s area of research includes the conservation of orthodox and recalcitrant plant germplasm. His research looks at mechanisms in desiccation sensitivity/tolerance in plant tissues. He is involved in various academic development initiatives, including the PUAT project on the infusion of SDGs in undergraduate curriculum.