Ashwell Ndhlala

Professor Ashwell R. Ndhlala received his BSc Honours degree in Biochemistry from the University of Zimbabwe, Harare in Zimbabwe, first doctorate (DPhil in Biochemistry) from the same institute and second doctorate (PhD in Ethnopharmacology) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. He currently serves as an Associate Professor in Bioeconomy Development at the University of Limpopo’s Green Biotechnologies Research Centre. He is leading projects in agro-processing of medicinal plants/herbal and food/feed crops as well as functional foods such as Moringa (whole value chain). His research interests are mainly focused on the standardisation, bioactivity, efficacy and safety medicinal plants/herbal and food/feed crops. Ashwell is currently involved in a number of research projects aimed at standardisation of natural products. He is South African Representative to the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) Technical Committee (TC 82) on standardising African Traditional Medicine (ATM). He is also a South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) Committee member to the SABS/TC 040 on Standardisation of essential oils, SABS/TC 2110/SC01 on Organic agriculture production and processing - Medicinal plants and indigenous vegetables and SABS/TC 1097 on general African Traditional Medicine (ATM). Apart from this, he is a member of the Natural Ingredients Exporters Development Committee lead by the South African Department of Trade and Industry (the dtic) and United Nations Development Organisation (UNIDO). He was part of the group that successfully authored the Moringa Standard (SANS1683:2015). Apart from authoring standards, He also serves as an Associate Editor for the South African Journal of Botany, Frontiers in Pharmacology and as a Topic Editor for Plants amongst others and performs peer reviews for a number of rated journals.