Intellex Acquires Expert by Big Village

We're thrilled to announce that Intellex has acquired Expert by Big Village, effective March 22, 2024. This strategic move enhances our capabilities and strengthens our commitment to delivering exceptional solutions to our customers.

Stay tuned for more updates on how this acquisition will benefit our clients and experts.

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Expert Details

Polymer Science

ID: 727776 South Africa

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Expert has worked in the coatings industry for 3 years prior to working at a large petrochemical company for 6 years. After that he spent another year and 3 months working for a large polyolefin company in Austria. During this time the expert has published significantly on areas that involved controlled free radical polymerization as well as novel polyolefin synthesis, notably LLDPE. He has applied controlled free radical polymerization successfully in all three companies. The author has extensive knowledge on polyolefin characterization (PP and PE) as well as ways to process these materials. In the coatings industry the author has extensive knowledge in the area of decorative paints. The author has a lot of experience in experimental design and optimization, statistical data analysis and mathematical modelling of polymerization kinetics. In addition to commercial polymers such as PP and PE the author is well acqainted with the application of controlled free radical polymerization in pharmaceutical and medical fields such as drug delivery and the author has modelled the physics of slow release polymer systems with great success. With regard to polymer characterization the expert has hands-on experience with tensile testing, impact testing, GC and HPLC, DSC, TGA, DMA NMR and FTIR in both polymer characterization as well as general chemistry. With regard to general chemistry he is expert in organic, physical, inorganic and analytical chemistry. In terms of CO2 chemistry he is well aware of all the major chemistries including solvent selection and the type of bases required. He has has also ventured into the use of nano technology for the development of early detection of pathogens and new catalyst development especially in the area of Fischer-Tropsch catalysis.

Education

Year Degree Subject Institution
Year: 1999 Degree: PhD Subject: Polymer Science Institution: University of Stellenbosch
Year: 1994 Degree: MSc Subject: Polymer Science Institution: University of Stellenbosch
Year: 1992 Degree: BSc Honours Subject: Chemistry Institution: Potchefstroom University
Year: 1990 Degree: BSc Subject: Chemistry and Computer Science Institution: Potchefstroom University

Work History

Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2009 to Present Employer: Undisclosed Title: Senior Researcher Department: Process Engineering
Responsibilities:
• Assist with postgraduate research.
Writing of articles based on previous MSc and PhD work.
Assist with establishing knowledge regarding CO2 sequestration and in particular with regard to separation processes and chemistry.
Research pertaining to environmentally friendly polymers.
Contract research and consulting to industry.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2008 to 2009 Employer: (Undisclosed) Title: Research Engineer Department: Research Division
Responsibilities:
High level research into the design of novel polymer architectures that allow access to new market opportunities for polyolefins.
The development of high throughput experimental techniques for fast polymer and catalyst design using QSAR.
Educating scentists in the use of statisticaly designed experimental techniques and mathematical modeling of polymerization reactions.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 2001 to 2008 Employer: (Undisclosed) Title: Chief Scientist Department: R&D
Responsibilities:
Explore the use of controlled/"living" radical polymerization within the petrochemical industry such as in fuel additives.
Design and synthesis of improved catalysts to commercialize controlled radical polymerization.
Chemical and mechanical characterization of polymers including polyolefins and polyacrylics
Leading and managing projects stemming from research into the application of controlled radical polymerization and networking with business units within the company and outside to establish joint cooperation on the development of new products.
Homogeneous catalyst development with special emphasis on tandem oligomerization/copolymerization catalysis.
Development of PE waxes using novel catalyst system.
Investigate the use of nanotechnology for the development of new Fischer-Tropsch catalysts and supports
Developing new technology based on raw materials produced by the company such as Superabsorbent polymers from Acrylic Acid.
Interact with Institutions/Universities to do fundamental research.
Lead, manage and coordinate projects and act as mentor for junior scientist.
Line manager for 5 staff members.
Years Employer Title Department
Years: 1998 to 2001 Employer: (Undisclosed) Title: Research Manager Department: Research Centre
Responsibilities:
Undertake and oversee fundamental research in the area of polymer science with emphasis on free radical polymerization.
Liaise with and co-ordinate interaction between academic institutions and the Plascon Research Centre (PRC).
Responsible for the training of new staff and to organize training schedules throughout the company.
Co-ordinate and partake in projects with international companies in the NOVA club and other companies such as BASF and Rohm and Haas.
Develop new technology for the paint industry by evaluating existing technology from suppliers and using technology created at the PRC through academic and industrial interaction.
Optimize and improve existing processes in the company.
Manage and direct students doing MSc level research on sponsorships from Plascon

International Experience

Years Country / Region Summary
Years: 2008 to 2009 Country / Region: Austria Summary: •High level research into the design of novel polymer architectures that allow access to new market opportunities for polyolefins.
•The development of high throughput experimental techniques for fast polymer and catalyst design using QSAR.
•Educating scientists in the use of statistically designed experimental techniques and mathematical modeling of polymerization reactions.

Career Accomplishments

Professional Appointments
Promoted to Chief Scientist (level 4b) in SASOL Technology in 2007.
Awards / Recognition
2007: Obtained an award from INNOCENTIVE.com for a computerized model of polymer diffusion.

2009: INNOCENTIVE.com award for New Methods to Detect Pathogens.
Medical / Professional
CONTINUED EDUCATION
2002: Attended a course on Millenium software for GPCV at WATERS Corp. at Milford USA - received certificate
2003: Attended basic chemical engineering course - received certificate
2005: Project coordination certificate – SASOL.
2006: Hazard Identification and Operations course.
2007: Petrochemical Markets and Economics – The Impact of Feedstocks and Costs on Competitiveness and Business Strategy.
2008: Advanced Catalysis for Polypropylene and Polyethylene.
2008: Advanced Polymer Characterization.
2008: Advanced Design of Experiments and Optimization using gradient technique.
2017: Professional Certificate in Chemical Engineering and Plant Design.
Publications and Patents Summary
Currently he has co-authored 12 international publications and 3 international patents.

Language Skills

Language Proficiency
German

Fields of Expertise

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