Fortunate Phenyo Sejie is an early-career researcher at the University of Botswana and has recently begun her role as a lecturer in inorganic chemistry after completing her PhD in October 2023. Fortunate's research experience includes significant roles as a visiting researcher at renowned institutions such as the University of Cape Town, Cardiff University, and the University of Johannesburg. Her current research interests are centered on materials science, particularly in energy applications, as well as green and sustainable chemistry.
Nora H. de Leeuw is a Professor of Computational Chemistry, whose research is focused on the atomic-level understanding of composite materials for biomedical applications and materials for sustainable energy applications, including novel catalysts for CO2 conversion to synthetic fuels, nuclear energy, fuel cells, and battery materials. She has held research and academic positions at the Universities of Bath and Reading, Birkbeck College London, University College London, Cardiff University, and the University of Leeds, and she also holds a chair position at Utrecht University in the Netherlands and has held a visiting professorship at the University of Paris-Est, France. She has obtained research funding and doctoral training center grants from the UK research councils (EPSRC, NERC, MRC, BBSRC, and ESRC), as well as the Royal Society, Leverhulme and Wellcome Trusts, EU, NASA, NRF South Africa, FOM and NWO in the Netherlands, and industry. She has been awarded an EPSRC Advanced Research Fellowship (2002), Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award (2009), Royal Society Industry Fellowship (2012) AWE, William Penney Fellowship (2014), Eminent Visitor Award from the Catalysis Society of South Africa (2023), and the Interdisciplinary Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry (2023). Nora is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, elected Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales, and elected Member of Academia Europaea.
