Thanks to a much needed year’s sabbatical leave, a lecturer in the Department of Food Science and Technology has joined the growing ranks of CPUT staff members who hold PhD’s.
Dr Cindy Hunlun recently graduated from Stellenbosch University with a PhD in Food Science and is grateful to the Research Directorate for securing her the much-needed sabbatical leave.
“Those twelve months fast tracked the completion of my research,” she says.
Hunlun’s research on citrus fruit was the first of its kind in South Africa. She investigated the effect of processing South African orange juice. Her innovative study is part of a research niche area in her department in the field of phytonutrients content of agricultural products.
“My research constitutes the first step towards delving deeper into the topic and possibly paves the way for further ground-breaking research on the topic.”
She is planning to publish two papers in a peer- reviewed journal in the course of this year.
Hunlun says even though her tudy was done to contribute to the body of knowledge, the general public can also benefit from the application of her findings.
She says her doctorate will greatly enhance my capability as a post-graduate supervisor.
She adds that she was motivated by the call from Vice-chancellor, Dr Prins Nevhutalu, for more staff members to obtain post-graduate qualifications and improve the number of academics with doctoral degrees.
“I’m honoured to bring a PhD to our faculty.”
