Rate My Professor Sakkie Pretorius

Professor Sakkie Pretorius is internationally recognised as a pioneer in molecular microbiology, biotechnology, and translating research outcomes into innovative industry applications. He earned his PhD from the University of the Free State in 1986 for his work on the physical, genetic, and biochemical characteristics of yeast, following a B.Sc. Agric. in 1980, B.Sc. Agric. (Hons.) in 1981, and M.Sc. Agric. in 1983 from the same institution. His career began in South Africa, where he progressed from lecturer to senior lecturer at the University of the Free State, then to senior lecturer, associate professor, and professor in the Department of Microbiology at Stellenbosch University by 1993. There, he served as Head of Department, founding Director of the Institute for Wine Biotechnology, and contributed significantly to advancing South African wine production technology, enhancing its global market presence. Pretorius held visiting and part-time professorships at prestigious institutions, including the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry as an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow in 1993, and Catholic University of Leuven. He later became Managing Director and CEO of the Australian Wine Research Institute (2004–2011), Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President for Research and Innovation at the University of South Australia (2011–2013), and since 2013, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Macquarie University in the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

At Macquarie, Pretorius developed the strategic research framework 'World-leading research; World-changing impact' and leads the Australian node of the international Synthetic Yeast Genome (Yeast 2.0) project, advancing synthetic biology for applications like eco-friendly biofuels and targeted medications. He has authored over 260 peer-reviewed papers, holds an h-index of 67 (Scopus) and 88 (Google Scholar), ranks in the top 1% globally for Agricultural Sciences and Plant & Animal Science, and has secured more than $130 million in research funding and six patents. Notable publications include 'Fermenting ideas at the interface of wine yeast biotechnology and synthetic genomics' (2026), 'Building synthetic chromosomes one yeast at a time: insights from Sc2.0' (2025), and 'The three waters of yeast biology: education, research and impact' (2026). He serves on editorial boards for Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology and Yeast, and received the NRF 'A' rating (2002) and BP Scholarship in Agriculture (1993).