Short Bio

Mrs Naomi Harrisankar de Oliveira joined the Department of Chemical Engineering at Stellenbosch University as a part-time junior lecturer in February 2024. She is responsible for lecturing the first-year course in Engineering Chemistry, EC 123. Naomi completed her BSc Eng (Chemical Engineering) in 2017 and her MSc Eng (Chemical Engineering) in 2020, both from the University of Cape Town (UCT). She was appointed as lecturer in 2026 at SU while completing her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at UCT, specialising in the field of photocatalysis. Her research focuses on photocatalytic green hydrogen production, photocatalytic wastewater treatment and photocatalytic air purification. She is experienced in the design of various photo-catalysts and the design and construction of novel photo-reactor systems. 

Research Interests

• Fundamentals of photocatalysis and catalysis
• Green hydrogen production from sustainable fuel sources (water, seawater, and biofuels)
• Photocatalyst material design
• Photoreactor design, optimisation, and fundamentals

Selected Publications

Visit her Google Scholar Profile for a complete list of her publications.

Teaching

• Engineering chemistry EC 123