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the institutional goals. Over the years, she has established research collaborations with national and international academic institutions, municipalities, industries and water boards and fostered knowledge exchange and cooperation among various stakeholders. Her research contributions were recognised by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa with a C3 rating in 2015 and a C2 rating in 2022,” shared Professor Bux.
He further revealed that the award-winning Professor Kumari Pillai has published over 100 research articles in DHET-approved high-impact factor journals (Google H-Index 33; 5000 citations), co-authored 10 book chapters, and presented at numerous national and international conferences. She has guided 15 PhD and 16 Master’s graduates from various faculties at DUT. Professor Bux expressed his gratitude to Professor Kumari Pillai for her diligence and hard work over the years. He remarked that her track record clearly demonstrates that as a scientist it is not just about publishing papers in academic journals but conducting research that can make a difference to society.
Professor Kumari Pillai delivered the much anticipated Inaugural Lecture where she highlighted that wastewater treatment has emerged as an essential component of environmental sustainability.
its impact is far-reaching, contributing directly to the United Nations’ SDGs such as clean water and sanitation, climate action, life below water, good health and overall well-being, responsible consumption and production, and land conservation etc. One of the key aspects of wastewater treatment is understanding the ‘DNA’ or unique characteristics and compositions of wastewater which is essential for the development of sustainable treatment technologies,” explained Professor Kumari Pillai.
She further pointed out that wastewater contains pathogens and other contaminants that can pose significant risks to the environment and human health, if not properly managed during the treatment process. She explained that in wastewater treatment plants, these microbes can thrive, multiply and acquire resistance to pollutants through horizontal gene transfer.
Professor Kumari also raised a concern about microplastics in wastewater and surface water, which have emerged as contaminants of significant concern in recent years. She reiterated that their abundance in wastewater
and the inability of wastewater treatment plants to eliminate them were of grave concern.
At the end of her lecture, Professor Kumari Pillai expressed her heartfelt appreciation to the DUT management, her colleagues at IWWT, her collaborators, students, friends and her family for their support and encouragement throughout her academic journey.She extended her special thanks to her husband, Professor Santhosh Pillai, from the Biotechnology and Food Science Department at DUT and her twin daughters, for always pushing her to strive for excellence.
In closing, the Executive Dean: Faculty of Applied Sciences at DUT, Professor Suren Singh, thanked all parties involved in making Professor Kumari Pillai’s Professorial Inaugural Lecture a huge success. He extended his congratulations to her on her inauguration as a Full Professor.
“The profound contributions you have made in water and wastewater technology have been outstanding, leaving a strong footprint at both national and international levels, as well as within the industry.Your arrival from India as a young female researcher has already made an indelible impact on our research landscape, and I am confident that your invaluable contributions will continue to leave an impactful mark in your research discipline. We are honoured to have you in the faculty, and we look forward to celebrating many more milestones and achievements with you in the future,” concluded Professor Singh.
Photographer: Khulasande Tshayile.
Simangele Zuma
As the principal researcher on numerous institutional and external projects, Professor Kumari Pillai has played a critical role in advancing the institutional goals.
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