The laboratory of Professor van Zyl is well established in the microbiology and biochemistry of plant degrading enzymes. He is a research leader in South Africa with significant international recognition in the recombinant production of these enzymes in bakers’ yeast for biofuel production from total plant biomass, and filamentous fungal (Aspergillus niger) for application in food and feed industries. Prof van Zyl has established collaboration with researchers in Europe and the United States of America, particularly in the field of biomass conversion to bioethanol, and he holds several joint international patents in these fields.
Prof van Zyl’s group generated several patents in the mid 2000’s when his research group conducting research for Mascoma Corporation in New Hampshire, United States of America towards commercializing cellulosic yeasts for bioethanol production. Mascoma Corporation has subsequently sold its yeast technology to the Canadian company Lallemand Inc.
In 2007 Prof van Zyl was awarded the prestigious Senior Chair of Energy Research (CoER) in Biofuels and other clean alternative fuels, currently funded as a Pier 1 SARChI Chair by die National Research Foundation (NRF). In this capacity he is steering a large research programme towards the development of advanced second-generation technologies for the conversion of total plant biomass to biofuels and to serve the larger bioeconomy. The Chair of Energy Research (CoER) team also focuses on human capital development with a strong scientific and engineering training and interacts with South African experts from industry and Non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
In 2014 Prof van Zyl was part of the first 30 cohort of professors at Stellenbosch University promoted ad hominem to Distinguished Professor in Microbiology.
Prof van Zy holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from Princeton University, Princeton, United States; an MSc in Microbiology, BSc Honours (cum laude) and BSc (cum laude) from University of the Orange Free State, South Africa.
