Rhodes University unveils interdisciplinary science research hub, a decade in the making

By Lance Myburgh

 

When the newly-refurbished Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences building at Rhodes University officially launched this week, it was about much more than upgraded lecture halls, laboratories, and offices. It marked the completion of a vision that places Rhodes University at the forefront of interdisciplinary research designed not just to teach, but to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

The multimillion-rand project, described as “a down payment on the future” during the opening ceremony, now stands as the final piece in a broader research precinct. This precinct links the Pharmacy Faculty and Chemistry Department with the Tebello Nyokong Institute for Nanotech Innovation and the Biosciences building, which houses cutting-edge work in Biochemistry, Microbiology, Bioinformatics, and Biotechnology. At the heart of the precinct is a new central quad, envisioned as a vibrant gathering space where disciplines converge, conversations spark, and collaborations flourish.

It is no accident that the three buildings around this square host a cross-disciplinary collaborative network in Medicinal Chemistry incorporating drug discovery and diagnostic activities in cancer, malaria, tuberculosis (TB), and other diseases. The Departments of Chemistry, Physics and Geology have also reached across Artillery Road to build collaborations in energy research and complementary use of instrumentation.

Professor Joanna Dames, Dean of Science, highlighted the broader impact of the building, noting that “it is a milestone in bringing several disciplines together, it provides opportunities to do interdisciplinary research, and a meeting place for many researchers and students who will exchange ideas and find new solutions that will solve local, regional, and global problems.”

A long road, a bold vision

The refurbishment has been a decade in the making, with staff and students enduring noise, dust, and temporary relocations. What was once, in the words of project leader Dr Iain L'Ange, a “ramshackle hodgepodge” of outdated systems, has been transformed into a space equipped to inspire curiosity and collaboration for the upcoming years of new students.

Rhodes University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sizwe Mabizela praised the resilience of the Rhodes University community and underscored what makes this development so significant: “We are deeply grateful to all of those who have played an important role in ensuring that this building, which has for decades been an important place of learning, having been renovated and refurbished, will continue to inspire young, current and future generations of students and academics who do research and create new knowledge.”

For Rhodes University, research is not about knowledge for its own sake. As the Vice-Chancellor noted, it is about “locally-responsible and globally-engaged knowledge that seeks to create a just and sustainable society”.

A hub for innovation and impact

The building’s new floors were designed to break down academic silos. Instead of housing researchers in isolation, it was built with shared laboratories and collaborative and open spaces where “serendipitous conversations” can turn into world-changing projects.

The promise of this building lies not only in advanced equipment, but in what it makes possible: tackling water scarcity, developing sustainable materials, driving medical innovations, and training the next generation of scientists to lead with purpose.

Dr L’Ange emphasised that the new facility was built with students at its core. He explained that “this building, with its advanced instrumentation, its collaborative nooks, its sophisticated laboratories, its bright, welcoming spaces, is for you. It is designed to empower and encourage you to learn, to challenge, to experiment, and to become the scientists, the doctors, the innovators, and the leaders that this world and this country so desperately need at the moment”.

As Rhodes University celebrates this milestone, the Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences building stands as more than infrastructure. It is a platform where disciplines intersect, ideas spark, and future leaders are shaped.

Rhodes University is laying the foundation for ideas that may change the way we live, heal, and care for our planet. For funders, partners, and supporters who share this vision, the message is clear: here is a place where your investment will ripple outward, shaping a better world.