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Subelia Botha is a Senior Lecturer in the Electron Microscope Unit at the University of the Western Cape where she has been a faculty member since 2011. Previously she lectured for three years at undergraduate level in the Chemistry Department at the University of Cape Town. Botha completed het PhD and undergraduate studies at the University of the Western Cape. During her PhD studies, she spent nine months at the Max-Planck Institute for Coal Research in Muelheim an der Ruhr, Germany, where she received training in nanoparticle synthesis, under the supervision of Prof. H. Bönnemann. Her research interests lie in the area of nanomaterial synthesis for various applications, such as catalysis, photovoltaic and biomedical. The synthesis methods mainly used in her work is based on the polyol method. However, Botha recently moved to green synthesis methods, using plant extracts to reduce and stabilize various metal nanoparticles. Botha also manages, and therefore has immediate access to the High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope at the University of the Western Cape; one of the most important and useful characterization tools for nanomaterials. In addition, she trains post-graduate students to work independently on the High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope and host workshops in electron microscopy to Chemistry Honours students at the University of the Western Cape. |