Dr Gift Mehlana Graduated with a PhD (Chemistry) from the University of Cape Town in 2014 under the supervision of Professor Susan Bourne and Dr Gaelle Ramon. His PhD thesis focused on Synthesis and Applications of metal-organic frameworks in sensing of small molecules. Dr Mehlana is the Chairperson of the Department of Chemical Technology at Midlands State University, Zimbabwe. To date, he has published 17 articles in peer reviewed journals. Dr Mehlana has Won several international prestigious scholarships and grants such as the Ludo Frevel Crystallography Scholarship (2012 and 2014) and the African German Network of Excellence in Science (2015). Dr Mehlana is also a recipient of the PhosAgro/IUPAC/UNESCO research grant (2018) which allows him to carry out research that addresses some of the principles of green chemistry. Currently he is a supervisor to two PhD students whose research is focused on carbon dioxide utilization. Dr Mehlana’s research focus is centered on developing new materials that can be used for catalysis, sensing and in drug delivery.
Dr Mehlana is an executive committee member of the Zimbabwe Chemical Society. The society aims to promote the advancement of chemicals sciences in Zimbabwe and beyond. Furthermore, Mehlana is also a member of the Executive Committee of the African Crystallographic Association Steering Committee which aims to advance crystallographic oriented research in Africa.
