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BORN 7th July 1954 NATIONALITY New Zealand SA Permanent Resident; ID 5407075431181 MARITAL STATUS Married (Stephanie G Burton) Two children (Lee Sarah: b. 6.6.80 and Julia Carol: b. 9. 1.83) HOME ADDRESS 49 Anesta, Paradyskloof

Stellenbosch 7600 WORK ADDRESS Institute for Microbial Biotechnology and Metagenomics University of the Western Cape Bellville 7535 Cape Town, SA Phone (021) 959 2083 FAX (021) 959 3505 Cell: 082 8799117 E-mail: dcowan@uwc.ac.za WEB ADDRESS www.imbm.co.za TERTIARY EDUCATION BSc (1975) Double major in Chemistry and Biology (Grade A

average). University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. MSc (1977) Second Class (First Division) in Biochemistry.

University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. Thesis entitled "A study of anhydrobiotic metabolism in lichens using tritium tracer techniques".

PhD (1980) in Biochemistry. University of Waikato, Hamilton, New

Zealand. Thesis entitled "Thermostable proteases from extremely thermophilic bacteria". Supervised by Professor R.M. Daniel.

EMPLOYMENT Appointed New Blood Lecturer in Department of Biochemistry,

University College London, 1985. Promoted to Senior Lecturer, 1994 Promoted to Reader in Molecular Microbiology, 1998 Appointed Professor of Microbiology, University of the Western

Cape, 2001 Appointed Chairman of the Department of Biotechnology,

January 2002: Reappointed January 2004: Reappointed January 2006; Reappointed January 2007.

Appointed Senior Professor, January 2005

Appointed Director, Institute for Microbial Biotechnology and Metagenomics, July 2007

HONOURS Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa (FRSSAf);

November 2005

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Appointed Honorary Professor, University of Waikato, September 2006 - .

Finalist; NSTF Awards (Category B), May 2007; June 2009; NSTF Awards (Categories A,B), May 2011 Elected Member of the Academy of Sciences of South Africa,

July 2008

Vice-Rector’s Annual Award for Research Excellence: 2008 SA Society for Microbiology Silver Medal [In recognition of exceptional, meritorious and original research], September 2009

Elected Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand (FRSNZ); November 2009

Elected President, Royal Society of South Africa, March 2010 NRF RATING B2 (2002); B1 (2007) h-INDEX 25 (Scopus, excluding self-citations): Total citations; 2189 TEACHING EXPERIENCE LECTURES General Biochemistry for Nursing Students; 1982-84 Protein structure and analysis, enzyme purification and

characterisation, 1987 - 2001 Protein engineering, bioremediation; 1990 - 1997 Protein stability, biocatalysis, industrial enzymology; 1986 – Microbial diversity and applied microbiology, 2002- SUPERVISION OF FINAL YEAR/HONOURS RESEARCH PROJECTS 2-6 students per annum, 1987 - date SUPERVISION OF PhD RESEARCH PROJECTS: H. Connaris [1988-1991] Properties of archaeobacterial proteases.

(Graduated) A. Wood (1990-1994) Thermostable esterases in organic solvent

biocatalysis. (Graduated) S. Patel (1990-1995) Cloning and expression of thermostable

restriction endonucleases (Graduated). S. Ali (1991-1995) Biodegradation of toxic organic compounds in

organic solvents (Graduated). S. Egas (1991 - 1995) Characterisation of Thermus ��amylase

(co-supervised with Da Costa, University of Coimbra) (Graduated) R. Cramp (1993 - 1997) Nitrilases from thermophilic micro-

organisms. (Graduated)

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R. Pereira (1994 - 1998) Nitrilase activities in hyperthermophiles

(Graduated) Q. Almatawah (1995 - 1998) Microbial nitrilases in

biotransformations (Graduated) D. Wilkinson (1996 - 2000) Development of methods for direct

cloning of enzyme genes (Graduated) R. Cameron (1998 - 2002) Cloning and expression of thermophilic

nitrilase genes. (Graduated) S. Kirshmann (1997 – 2002) Biochemistry of hydantoinase-

producing bacteria (co-supervised with Dr S. Burton, Rhodes University, SA) (Graduated)

S. Whiting (2000 - 2004) Microbial genome diversity in Antarctic

terrestrial habitats (Graduated). T Tsekoa (2002 – 2005) Structural and functional biology of nitrile

metabolising enzymes (Graduated). Q Meyer (2002 – 2006) Enzymology and genetics of phenolic

polymer degradation (Graduated). K. Rashemuse (2003 – 2005) Enzymology of ferulic acid

modification (Graduated). J.J. Smith (2002 – 2006) Exploiting extremophile diversity

(Graduated). A. von Schalkwyk (2003 – 2005) Enzymology and genetics of

phenolic biotransformations (Graduated). D. Porter (2003 – 2006) Sulphate reduction processes in

hypersaline biotopes (with Dr Roychoudhury, Department of Geology, UCT: Graduated) M du Plessis (2005 – 2007) Metagenomic analysis of hyperthermophilic genes. (Graduated)

N. Khan (2005 – 2007) Molecular microbiology of Marion Island

habitats. (Graduated) J van Wyk (2006 – 2009) Engineering a thermostable nitrile

hydratase. (Graduated)

W Sanyika (2006 – 2008) Actinomycete diversity in Marion Island habitats (Graduated) A. Nel (2006 – 2008) Nitrile metabolising enzymes from cold-active bacteria (Graduated).

J Lako (2006 – 2008) Cloning and characterisation of thermostable pyruvate decarboxylases. [Graduated] P.T. Basvi (2003-2009) Novel extremophile genes from metagenomic libraries. [Deceased]

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K. Reynolds (2003, part time) Microbiology of AMF-fly ash

codisposal systems

N Galada (2006 – 2008) Genetics and genomics of novel nanoarchaea.

K. Lukusa (2008 – 2010) Bacteriophage diversity in cold desert environments.

C Ohlhoff (2009 - 2011) Enzymes for lignocellulosic degradation: Laccase D Anderson (2009 - 2011) Gene discovery: Genes from Antarctic desert soil metagenomes W Mavengere (2009 - 2011) Enzymes for lignocellulosic degradation: Tyrosinases N Mavengere (2009 - 2011) Novel actinomycetes from Zambian hydrothermal sources C Kouadjo (visiting PhD student, Technical University, Côte d’Ivoire) Thulani Makhalanyane (2010 – 2012) Nitrogen cycling processes in Antarctic dry valley hypolithons Stephen McKay (2010 – 2012) Enzymology of lignocellulosic digestion Ilana Ackerman (2010 – 2012) Enzymes for lignocellulosic digestion Pamela Welz (2011-2013) Microbiology of constructed wetlands. Dale Wilcox (2011 – 2013) Actinomycete diversity in fynbos habitats

SUPERVISION OF MASTERS RESEARCH PROJECTS

Kamini Moodley (2003-2004) Phylogenetic analysis of Antarctic

Dry Valley microbial distribution. [Graduated]. Joseph Lako (2004-5) Microbial diversity of Proteaceae root

systems (Graduated). Ncazibeki Galada (2004-2005) Microbiology of hydrothermal

systems (Graduated). Eloise Kuhn (2004 – 2005) Microbiology of FA-AMD remediation

systems (Graduated). Nthabiseng Mashapu (2004 - 2005) Methanogenic co-culture

development (Graduated). Eveline Kaambo (2004 - 2006) Phylogenetic analysis of microbial

communities in estuarine sediments (Graduated).

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Joanne Rapley (2004 - 2005) Microbiology of Marion Island soils (Graduated).

Marshall Keyster (2006 - 2007) Gene distribution and function in Antarctic mineral soils (Graduated).

Parik Kowlessur (2006 – 2007) Engineering homoaromatic activity into nitrile hydratase from the thermophile Bacillus RAPc8 (Graduated). Dominique Anderson (2007 – 2008) Microbiology of Antarctic desert soils (Graduated) William Mavengere (2007 – 2008) Structure/function studies of thermostable nitrile hydratase (Graduated) Natasha Mavengere (2007 – 2008) Properties and diversity of Actinobacteria from Antarctic soils (Graduated) Hanna Kwon (2008-2009) Structural analysis of cold-active nitrile hydratases. (Graduated) Thulani Makhalanyane (2008-2009) Diversity of key anabolic genes in Antarctic cyanobacterial hypolithic communities (Graduated)

Clive Mketsu (2008-2009) Engineering substrate/product tolerant Geobacillus pallidus RAPc8 nitrile hydratase (Graduated) Babele Emedi (2007 - 2008) Characterisation of Geobacillus bacteriophage.

Megan Oldale (2009-2010) Enzymes for lignocellulosic degradation: Acetyl-xylan esterase (Graduated) Lesley-Ann Matthews (2009-2010) Enzymes for lignocellulosic degradation: �-Mannosidase (Graduated) Xaio Ping Xu (2009-2010) Enzymes for lignocellulosic degradation: Endo- and exocellulase complex enzymes [graduated] Lucinda Adonis (2009-2010) Genetics of butan-diol synthesis Randall Crisp (2009-2010) Enzymes for lignocellulosic degradation: Mn-peroxidase Tshifhiwa Mamphogoro (2009-2010) Enzymes for lignocellulosic degradation: Laccase Afshin Ghaziasgar (2009-2010) Engineering thermostable nitrile hydratases. Freedom Tshabuse (2010 – 2011) Plant associated bacteria as a vehicle for crop improvement Rhulani Ngobeni (2010 – 2011) Functional characterisation of ferulic acid esterase enzymes

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Jarishma Gokul (2010 – 2011) Eukaryotic diversity of hypolithic communities in Antarctic desert soils William Bopda (2010 – 2011) Endophytes diversity Munaka Matshaya (2010 – 2011) The isolation and characterisation of a peroxidase from a thermophilic metagenomic library Rudzani Mutengwe (2010 – 2011) Isolation of xylanase and cellulase-producing thermophilic bacteria Gerda du Plessis (2010 – 2011) Halophile diversity in the Rift Valley Lakes of Ethiopia Timna January (2010 – 2011) Cloning and characterisation of a thermophilic cellulase from a metagenomic library Dean Booysen (2010 – 2011) In silico gene mining in an Antarctic metagenomic library Yu Gao (2010 – 2011) Expression, purification and characterisation of extracellular thermophilic xylanases from novel Streptomycete sp. ORS10 Tanya Nyman (2010 – 2011) Recovery of novel fluorescent and coloured proteins from a marine metatranscriptomic library Wellington Charewa (2010 – 2011) Improving ethanol tolerance in Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius 11955 Halimat Ibrahim (2010 – 2011) Functional screening of microbial communities in Lake Magadi for bioactive metabolites Walter Nevondo (2011-2011) Microbial ecology of Namibian desert habitats Melissa du Plessis (2011-2012) Enzymes for lignocellulosic digestion

UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENTAL and TEACHING ADMINISTRATION Admissions and Degree Tutor for BSc Degree in Biotechnology:

UCL, 1989 - 2001 Course Organiser for 2nd Year Protein Chemistry and

Enzymology, UCL, 1987 - 2001 Course Organiser for 2nd Year Protein, Enzymes and Microbial

Metabolism for Engineers, UCL, 1987 - 2001 Organiser of lectures and practicals for protein/enzyme section of

MSc in Applied Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, UCL, 1985 - 1994

Module Organiser for 3rd Year Environmental Microbiology and

Biotechnology, UWC, 2002-

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Module Organiser for 2nd Year Molecular and Environmental

Microbiology, UWC, 2002- Organiser of Departmental (Internal and External) Seminar

Programmes; UCL, 1989 - 1993 Participant in UCL Biochemical Engineering Interdisciplinary

Research Centre, UCL, 1991-1997 Participant in Imperial College/UCL Process Systems Engineering

I.R.C. UCL, 1992-1996 Departmental Safety Officer; UCL, 1996 - 2001 Member, Departmental Teaching Committee, UCL, 1994 - 2001 Member, Faculty Teaching Committee, UCL, 1988 – 2001 Member, Faculty Planning, Appointments and Management

committees, UWC, 2002 – Member, UWC Senate, 2002 – Senate Representative, Senate International Relations Committee;

2003 – Senate Representative, Senate Appointments Committee; 2004 – Chairman: Department of Biotechnology, UWC; 2002-2003; 2004-

2005; 2006; 2007-2008 TRAINING COURSES

Departmental Safety Officer Training Course; UCL, Feb 1998 Departmental Fire Marshall Training Course; UCL, June 2000 Personal Tutor Training course: UCL, September 2000 First Aid Certificate: UW, November 2006 UNIVERSITY RESPONSIBILITIES

Chairman, Research Policy Sub-Committee, UWC Institutional Development program, Feb – Oct 2009 Panel member, Dental Faculty APU Review Committee, September 2010 Panel member: SA Herbal Science and Medicine Institute Review Committee, November 2010 Member; UWC Research Office review committee.

PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES Consultant; London Biotechnology Ltd., 1987-1988. Consultant; Biocatalysts Ltd, 1988.

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Consultant; New England Biolabs Ltd., 1989-1991. Founder and Managing Director: Helix Biotechnology Ltd, 1990. Founder and Chairman of UK Extremophile Network, 1993 - Expert witness; Promega v. Hofmann-La Roche, 1994-1999 Adviser, DTI Biotechnology Means Business programme, 1994 -

1998 Evaluator of Scientific Proposals, EC PRAXIS XXI program for

Applied Biology Research, Portugal (1996) Field Leader; Montserrat Extremophile Expedition, March 1996 Co-founder and Chief Executive: British Biodiversity Association,

1996. Co-founder and Director, Penteos Therapeutics Ltd, 1998-2003 Field Leader; Antarctic Dry Valleys research program, January

1999, 2000, 2002, 2011 Member, BBSRC Engineering and Biological Systems Network

Group, October 1998 - 2001 Chairman, UK Astrobiology Panel, September 1998 – 2001 Consultant, Reckitt Benckiser, Hull, UK, 2001 - 2003 Co-Director, UCT-UWC Structural Biology program (supported by

$US 1M funding 2003-2005) Director, UWC Institutional Research Development Program Niche

Area program in Applied Genomics, 2002 – 2006; 2007 - 2011 Consultant, TMO Ltd (UK), 2003 – Invited member of NASA Spaceward Bound Mojave Desert Field

Expedition, March 2009 Coordinator of NASA Spaceward Bound Namib Field Expedition,

November 2009 ACADEMIC RECOGNITION Invited and Keynote Lectures Invited seminar speaker in UCL, Bristol Univ., Liverpool Univ., St

George’s Hosp., Royal Free Hosp., Glaxo, Univ. of Kent, Cambridge Univ., Heriot-Watt Univ. and Leicester Univ.

SGM Symposium, University of Warwick, May 1990. Biochem. Soc. Symposium, Edinburgh University, September

1991.

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SERC Extremophile Workshops: Summer 1992 and Spring 1993 University of Naples, November 1993 Thermophiles '93, New Zealand, December 1993. SGM meeting, Dublin, January 1994 CIBA Foundation Workshop on Origins of Life, London, Spring

1994 Meeting of Comp. Soc. Biochem. Physiol., Toulon, France 1995 NERC workshop on Ancient Biomolecules, Newcastle, November

1995 CIBA Foundation Symposium 202 on Evolution of Hydrothermal

Ecosystems on Earth (and Mars), London, January 1996 IBC International Symposium on Enzyme Technology, Florida,

February 1996 Visiting Professor, University of Brasilia, Brazil, March 1996 Biochemical Society Colloquium on Microbial Lipases: September

1996 Royal Society Symposium; Searching for Life in the Solar System

and Beyond. October 1996 InBio ‘97; Industrial applications of extremophilic enzymes,

Birmingham, Feb 1997. Thermophiles 98, Jan 98, Tokyo. Industrial Short Course (Protein Purification and Scale-up),

University of Waikato, NZ, July 1998. The Royal Society UK Exobiology Workshop on Detection of Life

and Biomolecules in the Solar System, Sept. 1998. British Interplanetary Society symposium on The Search for Life

on Mars, London, Nov. 1998. Society of General Microbiology Symposium, Archaea, Edinburgh,

April 1999. Royal Interplanetary Society. Extremophilic micro-organisms and

the search for exobiology, London, May 1999. Gordon Conference, Biocatalysis, New Hampshire, USA, July

2000 British Antarctic Survey meeting on Antarctic Science in a Global

Context, October 2000, London. Joint US-SA workshop on Exploitation of Extremophiles.

Bloemfontein, December 2000

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Society of General Microbiology Symposium, Biocatalysis,

Edinburgh, March 2001. World Conference on Green Chemistry, CHEMRAWN, Boulder,

CO, USA, June 2001 Cape Biotech 2001, Commercialising Biotechnology, Cape Town,

Nov. 2001 American Microbiological Society meeting, Biodiversity,

Biocatalysis and Biotransformations. San Juan, Puerto Rico, October 2001

German VAAM Biocatalysis meeting, Berlin, October 2001 S.A. Microbiological Society meeting, The Microbiology of Antarctic

Deserts, Bloemfontein, April 2002. Biotrans ’03, Engineering of nitrile hydratases, Olomouc, Czech

Republic, July 2003 Thermophiles 2003. Metagenomics, gene discovery and the ideal

biocatalyst. Exeter, UK, September 2003. Astrobiology 2004. Extremophiles and Life on other Planets.

Milton Keynes, UK, April 2004 MISA (2nd Malaysian International Seminar on Antarctica), 2004,

Microbial molecular ecology of the Antarctic Dry Valleys. Penang, Malaysia, May 2004

Study Visit (Invited); Open University, UK. November 2004 Exo/Astrobiology 2004, Milton Keynes, UK, Extremophiles, Origins

of Live and Astrobiology, November 2004. [Opening Plenary Speaker]

Biochemical Engineering XIV: Frontiers and Advances in

Biotechnology, Biological, and Biomolecular Engineering" British Columbia, Canada, ‘Metagenomics for Biocatalyst Discovery’, July 2005 [Keynote Speaker]

Thermophiles 2005, Metagenomic gene discovery. Gold Coast,

Australia, September 2005. SASBMB Metagenomics and Gene Discovery. Pietermaritzberg,

July 2006 [Plenary Speaker]. International Symposium on Extremophiles; Extremophiles,

Nanoarchaea and Metagenomics; Beijing, August 2006. [Keynote Speaker]

NZ Microbiological Society, Metagenomics. November 2006

[Plenary Speaker].

Asia Pacific Conference on Plant Tissue Culture and Agribiotechnology. Metagenomics in Agribiotechnology. June 2007, PETC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. [Keynote Speaker]

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Cape Biotech Forum, Metagenomics and Gene Discovery, November 2008, Somerset West, SA [Keynote Speaker] Thermophiles 2009; Structure-function and engineering of thermophilic nitrile hydratases. August 2009, Beijing, CH [Keynote Speaker] SASM, Structure, function and engineering of nitrile hydratases. Durban, September 2009 [Keynote Speaker] Bio2Biz, Metagenomics and Gene Discovery: Current status and future trends. Durban, September 2009 [Keynote Speaker]

BIOTECH METU 2009: International Symposium on Biotechnology, "Metagenomics: from microbial diversity to gene discovery", September 2009, Ankara, Turkey [Keynote Speaker] SCAR OPEN SCIENCE 2010; Hypolithic communities in Antarctic Dry Valley soils. Buenos Aires, August 2010 [Invited Speaker] ISME-13: Hypolithic communities in Antarctic Dry Valley soils. Seattle, August 2010 [Invited Speaker] VAAM 2011: Metagenomics and Gene Discovery, Karlsruhr, April 2011 [Plenary] Alpine and Polar Biology: Hypolithic communities in the Antarctic Dry Valleys; Biology, and Genomics, Ljubljana, September 2011 [Keynote speaker] Thermophiles 2011, Metagenomic gene discovery: New genes from across the thermal landscape, Ljubljana Slovenia, September 2011 [Invited Speaker] University of Georgia Extremophiles Symposium, Metagenomic gene discovery: New genes from across the thermal landscape, Athens GA, September 2011 [Invited Speaker] SA Society of Virology, Extremophilic viruses, Cape Town, November 2012 [Keynote speaker]

Society Membership

The Biochemical Society (UK) The General Society for General Microbiology (UK) The International Society for Microbial Ecology The International Society for Extremophiles The Astrobiological Society (Founding Member) The South African Society for Microbiology The South African Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

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Grant Application and Manuscript Reviews Regular reviewer of grant applications for BBSRC (UK) 1989 -

2001, NERC (UK) 1994-2001, DOE (USA) 1996 - 2001, NSF (USA) 1990 – 2001, NRF (SA) 2000 - date, and IRCSET (Ireland) 2005.

Regular reviewer of manuscripts for Nature; Nature Biotechnology,

Appl. Environ. Microbiol.; ISME J., Enzyme Microb. Technol.; Biotechnol. Bioeng.; Biomolecules, Microbiology; Biochem. J.; European J. Biochem.; Biotech. Appl. Biochem.; Biochim. Biophys. Acta; Extremophiles; J. Microbiol. Methods; J. Appl. Microbiol., Lett. Appl. Microbiol. and others.

National Academic Responsibilities Member, NRF URDP Advisory Committee, University of Durban

Westville, 2001-2003 Member, WRC Steering Committee, University of Zululand, 2001-

2004 Member, CPUT Biotechnology Program Advisory Board, 2008 - Member, Cape Biotechnology Academic Forum, 2009 - Editorial Responsibilities Editorial Board: International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology [IF = 3.6]. 1995-2003. Editorial Board (advisor): The Biochemical Journal [IF = 4.1]. 1999

– 2010 Principal Editor, Microbiology domain of The Scientific World (web-

based publication) [no IF]. 2004 – 2010.

Editorial Board: Trends in Biotechnology [IF = 7.5]. 1995 - date Editorial Board: Extremophiles [IF = 2.0]. 1996 – date. Reviews Editor; 2002 – 2008. Editorial Board: Biotechnology Letters [IF = 0.8]. 1999 – date. Editorial Board: Astrobiology [IF = 2.4]. 2001 – date Editorial Board: International Journal of Astrobiology [no IF]. 2001

– 2010. Editorial Board: Journal of Applied Microbiology [IF = 1.7]/Letters

in Applied Microbiology [IF = 1.2]. 2002 - date.

Editorial Board, Biotechnology Journal [IF=2.4]. 2005 - date Editorial Board, Microbial Cell Factories (on-line journal published by BioMedCentral [IF = 3.36]. 2005 – date

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Editorial Board, The Open Microbiology Journal [no IF]. 2008 - date Editorial Board, The Open Ecology Journal [no IF]. 2008 - date Editorial Board, Cell Biochemistry and Function [IF 1.65]. 2008 - date

Conference Organisation Organiser of UKEN ‘95, Third meeting of UK Extremophile

Network, London, 1995 Co-organiser of NERC BRIDGE strategy meeting (Microbiology of

Deep Sea Hydrothermal Vents), Nottingham, 1995 Co-organiser of BNSC Future Exobiology Strategy meeting,

London, 1999 International Advisory Board, Thermophiles 2001, New Delhi,

India, November 2001 International Advisory Committee, Thermophiles ’03, Exeter, UK,

September 2003 International Advisory Committee, Int. Soc. Microb. Ecology,

Cancun, Mexico, August 2004 International Advisory Committee, Extremophiles 2004, Baltimore,

USA, September 2004. Local Organising Committee, International Biohydrometallurgy

Symposium, Cape Town, Sept. 2005 International Advisory Committee, Extremophiles 2006, Brest,

France, September 2006. Organiser, Extremophiles 2008, Cape Town, September 2008 International Advisory Committee, Extremophiles 2010, Ponta

Delgada, Azores, September 2010. International Advisory Committee, Thermophiles 2010, Montana,

USA, September 2011. Invited Session Chair, (Microbes and extreme environments); 34th

International Geological Congress, Brisbane, AU, Aug. 2012. Organiser, SASM-2011, Cape Town, Nov. 2011 PhD Examinations Examiner for PhD's from Universities of:

Auckland, NZ (1994; 2007) Bath (1998) CAMR, Porton Down (1992)

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Exeter (2001) Hong Kong (2007; 2009) Kent (1994) La Trobe, Aust. (1996) Leeds (1993, 1996) London, Imperial College (1998, 2000) London, Wye College, (2000) MacQuarie (2011) Pretoria (2005, 2006) Rhodes (2001, 2009) Royal Free Hospital (1996) Sunderland (1998) Stellenbosch (2003, 2006, 2009) UMIST (1997) UOVS (2006, 2009) Waikato, NZ (1992, 1998, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2006) Warwick (1997)

Other Examining External Examiner for Microbiology and Biotechnology BSc and

Honours degrees, University of Cape Town, 2002-2005 External Examiner for Biotechnology Honour program, Rhodes

University, 2007 - 2009 CURRENT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES Post-Doctoral Researchers (2001 - 2010)

Dr Gillian Baker PhD, Sussex 2001 - 2004

Dr Rory Cameron PhD, UCL 2002 - 2004

Dr Estela Stenico PhD, 2002 - 2004

Dr Hussnain Janjua PhD, Imperial Coll., UK 2005 - 2006

Dr William Stafford PhD, Kings Coll. 2004 - 2007

Dr Lukas Rohr PhD, ETH, SW 2005 - 2007

Dr Andrew Cook PhD, UCT, SA 2007

Dr Elton Nelson PhD, UCT, SA 2006 - 2007

Dr Donovan Porter PhD, UCT 2008

Dr Ross Wadsworth PhD, St Andrews, UK 2007 - 2008

Dr Cal Heath PhD, Bath, UK 2006 - 2008

Dr Buki Babalola PhD, Ibadan, NI 2007 - 2008

Dr Gordon Jamieson PhD, UMIST, UK 2008 - 2009

Dr Adolphe Zeze PhD, Bordeaux, FR 2008 - 2010

Dr Maria Bailen PhD, U. Autonoma, ES 2009 - 2010

Dr Laisve Lideikyte PhD, LUA, Lithuania 2009 - 2010

Dr Saliou Fall PhD, U. Lyon, FR 2009 - 2010

Dr Tracy Meiring PhD, U. Pretoria 2009 - 2010

Dr Moola Mutondo PhD, Cologne, DE 2007 - 2010

Dr Desiré Barnard PhD, SUN 2009 - 2010

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Dr Andrij Maslyanko PhD, U. Szeged, Hungary 2009 - 2011

Dr Rolene Bauer PhD, SUN 2009 - 2010

Dr Inonge Mulako PhD, UCT 2009 - 2011 Post-Doctoral Researchers (October 2011)

Dr Ana Casanueva PhD, UCT 2005 -

Dr Mark Taylor PhD, Imperial Coll., UK 2007 -

Dr Bronwyn Kirby PhD, UCT 2007 -

Dr Jean-Baptiste Ramond PhD, U. Rouen, FR 2009 -

Dr Rob Huddy PhD, UCT 2009 -

Dr Francesca Stomeo PhD, U. Sevilla, ES 2009 -

Dr Samantha Easton PhD, UCL, UK 2009 -

Dr Rainer Gross PhD, T.U Dortmund, DE 2010 -

Dr Elicia Johnson PhD, U. Newcastle, AU 2010 -

Dr James Cass PhD, U. Edinburgh, UK 2010 -

Dr Wesley Lofty-Eaton PhD, SUN 2010 -

Dr Mariette Smart PhD, SUN 2011 -

Dr Angel Valverde PhD, U. Salamanca 2011 -

Dr Omodele Ibrahim PhD, U. Fort Hare 2011 –

Dr Idan Chiyanzu PhD, UCT 2011 –

Dr Jenna Ross PhD, Edinburgh 2011 -

Senior Research Assistants

Mr Leonardo van Zyl MSc, U. Stellenbosch 2007 -

Areas of research activity

Characterisation and exploitation of microbial molecular diversity (i) Microbial biodiversity, particularly of extreme environments (hydrothermal, including deep

sea hydrothermal vents) and cold (Antarctic). Techniques include in situ ATP analysis, 16S rRNA gene phylogenetics and DGGE. These studies are used to identify the scope of unculturable microbial diversity and as a basis for analysis of physiological properties such as trophic interactions, gene transfer and molecular adaptation. The major molecular ecology program in the IMBM laboratories is a large research project in collaboration with Professor Craig Cary (U. Waikato, NZ) on the diversity, trophic structure and molecular function of microbial communities in Antarctic Dry Valley soils.

(ii) Novel enzymes for biotransformations, including hydrolyses (esterases/lipases), chiral

reductions (dehydrogenases), oxidations (peroxidases, dioxygenases) and nitrile conversions (nitrile hydratases and nitrilases). Techniques include the screening and isolation of new extremophilic enzymes, enzymic purification and characterisation, cloning and expression of the enzyme genes and biotransformation studies. An extension of this field is the investigation of the behaviour of enzymes in the immobilised state and in organic-aqueous solvent systems. We focus particularly on the nitrile-modifying enzyme group, and have an extensive collaboration with local structural biologists (M Sayed, UWC; T Sewell, UCT) and international enzymologists (MJ Danson, U. Bath; RM Daniel, U. Waikato).

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(iii) Metagenomic Gene Discovery: methods for direct exploitation of microbial genomic

diversity. Metagenomic Cloning is a means of accessing the ‘unculturable’ fraction of natural microbial populations and provides a route to the identification of new catalytic activities and bioactive peptides. This technology has very wide applicability and, in conjunction with appropriate assay methods (e.g., reporter assays, receptor binding, bioactive responses), may be adapted for the identification of novel peptide therapeutics. We have successfully used plasmid and fosmid expression libraries as a source for identifying novel enzymes.

(iv) IMBM has embarked on a major biofuels research program. In collaboration with TMO

Renewables (UK) Ltd, researchers have used gene discovery techniques to search for genes which can enhance bacterial ethanol synthesis. In parallel, the Institute has successfully raised funding from PlantBio/TIA for a 4-year research program on the development of enzymes for lignocellulosic digestion. This program, which includes research groups from the University of Stellenbosch and CSIR, Modderfontein, is coordinated by DAC.

18

RESEARCH GRANTS Project Title Supervisors Source Amount Duration Status

1 DNA-protein interactions

in thermophilic bacteria

DAC S.G.M. £6,500 2 years 1985-1987

2 Stability and activity of thermophilic enzymes in organic solvents

DAC S.E.R.C Biotechnol. Directorate

£42,000 2 years 1987-1989

3 Thermophilic enzymes in clinical analyses

DAC London Biotech. Ltd

£23,000 1 year 1987-1988

4 Archaebacterial proteases DAC & Dr R Sharp

S.E.R.C. Case Award

3 years 1988-1992

5 Novel enzymes from thermophilic and meso- philic bacteria

DAC & Dr J.M.Ward

New England Biolabs Ltd

£64000 2 years 1989-1991

6 Thermostable enzymes DAC Biocatalysts Ltd

£4000 2 1988

7 The control of cryo- protectant biosynthesis in Antarctic flora

DAC N.E.R.C. £49,000 3 years 1990

8 Stability of whole cells in organic solvents

DAC S.E.R.C. Biotech Dir

£82,000 31/2 yrs 1990-1993

9 Thermophilic enzymes in organic solvent biocatalysis

DAC & Dr A Macrae

S.E.R.C. Case Award

3 years 1990-1994

10 Cloning and expression of thermostable restriction endonucleases.

DAC & Dr J.M. Ward

S.E.R.C Quota Award

3 years 1990-1995

11 Thermophilic enzymes in organic solvent biocatalysis

DAC & Dr H. Busta-

mante

S.E.R.C. Case Award

3 years 1991-1995

12 Cloning a thermostable archaeobacterial esterase

DAC & Prof. M. Rossi

E.E.C. £40,000 1.5 years 1991-1992

13 Molecular characterisation of Archaeal enzymes

P.Piper, J. Littlechild

& DAC

S.E.R.C. Biotech. Dir.

£94,500 3 years 1992-1995

14 Molecular and genetic characterisation of thermo-stable alcohol dehydrogenases

DAC & J.M. Ward

Biochemical Engineering

IRC

- 4 years 1991-1995

15 Refolding of immobilised thermophilic enzymes

DAC & R. Fernandez

Spanish Govt. £40,000 2 years 1992-1994

16 Control of cyclodextrin synthesis

DAC and D. Bogle EPSRC £23,400 3 yrs 1992-1995

17 Immobilised thermophilic enzymes in organic solvents

DAC & R. Fernandez

E.C. (TMR) £73,000 2 years 1994-1996

18 Nitrilases from thermophilic micro-organisms

DAC S.E.R.C. 3 years 1993-1997

19 Microbiology of hydrothermal vent ecosystems

DAC NERC (BRIDGE)

£270,000 3 years Pilot study (£75,000) approved

20 Control of stereoselectivity in organic solvent biocatalysis

DAC and S.Roberts (Exeter)

B.B.S.R.C. £190,000 3 years 1995-1997

21 Stability and activity of enzymes in organic solvent systems

Prof. M. Rossi (Naples) and

others

EU (Framework IV) £99,000 2.5 years 1997-1999

22 Multiplex Cloning DAC BBSRC £169,000 3 years 1997-2000

23 Molecular analysis of Antarctic microbial diversity

Prof. A Green, WARP

Antarctica NZ £65,000 4-years 1998-2002

19

24 Development of thermophilic nitrilases for biotransform- ations

- BBSRC Studentshp 3-years 1998-2001

25 Use of multiplex cloning technology for identification of novel gene products

Wellcome Foundation

Summer Studentshp

2 mths 1998

26 Direct cloning of novel enzyme genes from marine environments

S. Sjoling Swedish Govt. £125k 2-year 1999-2001

27 Antarctic biotopes - BBSRC ISIS £1,400 Travel

1999/00

28 Antarctic terrestrial microbial genomes

S. Whiting BBSRC Studentshp 3-years 2000-2004

29 Isolation and engineering of biotransformation enzymes from unique haloalkaliphilic bacteria and archaea

Prof. W. Grant (Leicester) and other partners

EU Framework V

R720k 3-years 2003-2006

31 Exploiting unique microbial genomic diversity

Dr SG Burton Rhodes University

NRF R120k 1-year 2001

32 Extremophile biodiversity

- NRF (IRDP) R150k 1-year 2001

33 Thermophilic genes - Claude Leon Harris Foundation

R130k 2-year 2002-2003

34 Extremophile genomes

HBU Niche R676k 2-year 2002/3

35 Infrastructure

UWC R95k - 2001

36 Coal solubilisation technology

Prof SG Burton, Prof STL

Harrison, UCT; M Soloman, CapeTech

NRF Focus R1.2M 5-year 2002-7

37 Structure of thermophilic Enzymes

Prof DJG Rees Royal Society/NRF R82k 1-year 2002/3

38 Products from archaeal biomass

Prof SG Burton UCT

BHP Billiton R1.2M 2-years 2002-2004

39 Bioconversions of ferulic acid

Dr R Mitra, CSIR and others

DACST LEAD program

R600 3-years 2002-2005

40 Microbial diversity of esturine sediments

Dr S Sjoling, Sodertorns

Hogskola, SW

SIDA/NRF program R35k 1-year 2002

41 Products from archaeal biomass

Prof SG Burton UCT

THRIP R780k 1-year 2002/3

42 Microbiology of Marion Is.

- SANAP R95k 1-year 2004

43 Exploiting extremophiles - NRF HBU RDP R438k 1-year 2004

44 Endemic microbial diversity

- NRF Focus R100k 1-year 2004

45 Products from archaeal biomass

Prof SG Burton UCT

THRIP R1.2M 2-year 2003/4

46 Thermostable enzymes

- TMO R1.4M 3-yr 2004/6

47 Microbial diversity of esturine sediments

Dr S Sjoling, Sodertorns

Hogskola, SW

SIDA/NRF program R450k 3-year 2004/6

48 49 Microbiology of Marion Is.

- NRF-SNA R600k 3-year 2005/7

50 Endemic microbial diversity

- NRF R220k 2-year 2005/6

51 Exploiting extremophile diversity

- NRF-IRDP R1.8M 3-year 2004/6

52 Exploiting extremophile diversity

- UWC R420k 2-year 2004/5

53 Microbiology of co-disposal processes

L Petrik, Chemistry, UWC

WRC R320k 2-year 2004-2006

54 Engineering and evolution of Extremophilic enzymes

Prof M Danson U. Bath, UK

NRF-Royal Society R160k 3-year 2005-2007

20

55 Microbiology of ash disposal systems

K Reynolds, Eskom; L Petrik, Chemistry, UWC

ESKOM R360k 2-year 2007-2008

56 Extremophile genomics

- NRF IRDP R2.2M 5-year 2007-2011

57 Antarctic microbial ecology C Cary, U. Waikato, NZ

NRF SANAP R1.8M 5-year 2007-2011

58 Thermostable enzymes

- TMO R7.1M 5-year 2007-2011

59 Biofuels technology - NRF Focus R0.7M 5-year 2007-2011 60 Enzymes for lignocellulosic

digestion With H Volschenk

(SUN) and D Brady (CSIR)

PlantBio R8.4M 4-years 2009 -2012

61 Cloning magnetosome islands - A new route to designer

nanoparticles

With S Staniland, U. Leeds, UK

NRF R1.1M 3-years 2010-2013

62 Culturing the uncultured

NRF Clue Skies R750,000 3-years 2011-2014

Research Grant Summary: Full operational income figures for the IMBM laboratory are as follows:

2002, R1.8M

2003, R2.2M

2004, R2.4M

2005, R3.5M

2006, R4.0M

2007, R5.2M

2008, R5.6M

2009, R7.6M

2010, R8.3M

2011, R8.5M (est)

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS

Collaborators

Project

Status

Professor

W Grant, University of Leicester, UK, Professor Ma Yanhe, Chinese Academy of

Science

Genomics of extreme biotopes

EU Framework V program;

Funding 2003-2006

Professor C Cary, School of Science, University of

Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

Evaluation of microbial diversity in Antarctic biotopes

In operation, Antarctica NZ funding for

1999/2002/2004/2005/2006/2007/

2008 field studies.

Professor Stephanie Burton, Department of Chemical

Engineering, University of

Biochemistry and biotransformations of

thermostable peroxidases

In operation; NRF and other research grants; joint

supervision of PhD student

21

Cape Town

Professor Stephanie Burton, Professor ST Harrison,

Department of Chemical Engineering, University of

Cape Town

Advanced Research Centre for Applied Microbiology;

biological technology for recovery of high value products from phenolic

polymers

Funded by NRF Focus program

Professor Roy Daniel, Department of Biological Sciences, University of

Waikato

Mechanisms of stabilisation in hyperthermophilic proteins

Joint publications

Dr S. Sjoling, Sodertorns Hogskola, Sweden

Microbial diversity of estuarine sediments

Funding from NRF/SIDA program

Prof T. Atkinson, TMO Ltd, UK

Applications of thermophiles and their enzymes

Funded

Dr A Roychoudhury, Dept of Geology, UCT

Microbial diversity in hypersaline biotopes

Funded by NRF Focus program

Dr J Blamey, Biociencia, Santiago

Gene mining in Chilean extreme Biotopes

Self-funded

Professor A Bull, University of

Kent, UK

Streptomycete diversity in fynbos soils

NRF Focus area grant

Professor MJ Danson, University of Bath, UK

Protein engineering and evolution

NRF/Royal Society

Dr Amare Gessesse U. Addis Ababa

Extremophiles in haloalkaline systems

NUFU project grant

Dr Odile Brunile, University of Marseilles; Ms Leslie Petrik, Dept. Chemistry,

UWC

Biology of AMD systems and microbial resistance to toxic

metalloids

Funded from WRC, ESKOM and NRF Protea programs

Professor Steven Pointing, University of Hong Kong

Diversity and properties of cyanobacteria

Funded by the NRF-China bilateral program

Professor Hamadi Boga, JKUAT, KE

Microbial diversity of haloalkaline L. Magadi

NRF-Kenya bilateral program

Dr Chris McKay, NASA Ames, La Jolla, CA, USA

Water bioavailability in hot and cold deserts

Grant proposal in preparation

Professor Christoph Syldakt Karlsruhe Institute of

Technology, DE

Gene discovery and biocatalysis

NRF-Germany bilateral program

22

OUTREACH Member and founding member of Cape Biotechnology Initiative Chairman of Biotechnology Regional Innovation Centre

submission committee; 2001-2002 Member of Scientific Advisory Board, Cape Biotech Ltd; 2003 -

2006. MEDIA-RELATED ACTIVITIES [UK] BBC Radio 4 interview, ‘Science Now’, June 1994 BBC Radio 4 interview, Science Now’, January 1996 Radio Scotland interview, January 1996 BBC Overseas broadcast interview, March 1996 TV Channel 4 ‘Equinox’ series, June 1997 and October 1998 TV Channel 3 ‘Open University’ live broadcast, July 1997 BBC Radio 4 ‘Astrobiology’ series, November 1998 CNN report on Royal Interplanetary Society meeting Extremophilic

micro-organisms and the search for exobiology, May 1999 FOX News interview, May 1999 BBC TV, ITV, Sky News, Radio V, Radio IV Today Programme,

Radio Scotland, Guardian, Financial Times, Reuters; Launch of UK Astrobiology Community, December 1999

[SA]

Various radio and print media reports, 2009 - 2011 PERSONAL INTERESTS Oenology and viticulture Outdoor sports Ornithology Cuisine Travel COMMERCIAL EXPERIENCE Co-founder (1990) and Managing Director (1990 - 2001) of HELIX BIOTECHNOLOGY LTD. Helix Biotechnology, a contract

R&D company, operated from within the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at University College London. Until the acquisition of the Business Manager in 1994, DAC managed all aspects of company operations. Helix successfully carried out research contracts for many UK pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Co-founder and CEO (1998-2001) of PENTEOS THERAPEUTICS

LTD. Penteos Therapeutics was incorporated in April 1998 as a collaborative vehicle to commercialise research from the authors laboratory and the laboratories of Professor Mike Wilson and Brian Henderson of the Eastman Dental Institute. The company successfully raised £2.5M of Venture Capital investment funding from the Bloomsbury Fund.

23

PUBLICATIONS PATENTS Cowan, D.A., Daniel. R.M., Hickey, C.W. and Morgan, H.W. (1981) Thermostable micro-organism and proteolytic enzyme prepared therefrom. European Patent application 80302743,2; Publ.0 024 182. Cowan, D.A., Grimble, G. and Andersen, J.A. (1996) Novel proteolytic enzyme. PTC 96/03192, WO 97/23605 Cowan, D.A., Anderson, J.A., Grimble, G. and Jaenicke, T.A. (1997) Use of thermitase at specific pH and temperature. UK Patent appl. 97/13139.5 BOOK CHAPTERS 1. Cowan, D. A. Industrial Enzymology, Ch 18 in Biotechnology; the Science and the

Business (Moses, V. & Capes, R. E. eds.) Harwood Academic Publ., London, 1991, pp 311-340.

2. Cowan, D.A. (1992) Thermophilic Archaebacteria. Ch. 1 in Molecular Biology and

Biotechnology of Extremophiles. (Herbert, R.A. and Sharp, R.J., eds.) Blackie Publ., New York, pp 1-43.

3. Cowan, D.A. and Plant, A. (1991) Biocatalysis in Organic Phase Systems. Ch. in

Biocatalysis at Extreme Temperatures. (Kelly, R.W.W. and Adams, M., eds.) Amer. Chem. Soc. Press. pp 86-107.

4. Cowan, D.A. and Ramana, V.K. (1992) Functional stability of esterases in two-liquid

phase solvent systems. Ch. in Biocatalysis in Non-Conventional Media (H. Tramper & M. Lilly, eds.) Elsevier Press, pp. 623-628.

5. Cowan, D.A. (1995) Hyperthermophilic enzymes: biochemistry and biotechnology. In

Hydrothermal Vents and Processes, Geological Society Publication no. 87, Geol. Soc. Publ. House, London, pp. 351-364.

6. Cowan, D.A. and Littlechild, J.A. (1996) High Temperature Enzymes; Sources of

information for engineering protein stability. Ch. 1.11 in Enzyme Technology for Industrial Applications, (Savage, L.M., ed.) IBC Biomedical Library Series, pp. 197-237.

7. Raven, N., Cowan, D. Danson, M., Hough, D., Norris, P., Johnson, B., Cairns, S., Sharp,

R. and Atkinson, A. (1997) Measuring ATP in a volcano. in A practical guide to the industrial uses of ATP-luminescence in rapid microbiology. (P.E., Stanley, R. Smither & W.J. Simpson, eds.) Cora Technology publ.

8. Thompson, D., Fernandez-Lafuente, R., Matao, S., Cowan, D.A., Guisan, J. and Daniel,

R.M. (1998) Degradation and denaturation of stable enzymes. in Stability and Stabilisation of Biocatalysts (A. Ballesteros, F.J. Plou, J.L. Iborra and P. Halling, eds.), Progress in Biotechnology Series, Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 349-352.

9. Cowan, D.A. (1999) Life in Extreme Thermal Environments: Implications for exobiology.

Ch 6 in Life on Mars. British Interplanet. Soc Special Publ. pp. 37-48. 10. Cowan, DA, Burton, SB (2002) Archaea in Biotechnology. Encyclopaedia of

Environmental Microbiology. Wiley, Publ. pp. 259-276 11. Daniel, RM, J.F. Holden, R. van Eckert, J. Truter and D.A. Cowan (2004) The stability of

biomolecules and the implications for life at high temperatures. In Subsurface Biosphere

24

at Mid-Ocean Ridges (W.S.D. Wilcock, C. Cary, E. DeLong, D.S. Kelley, and J.A. Baross, Eds. American Geophysical Union Monograph, Washington, D.C., pp. 264-289.

12. Cowan, DA, Ah Tow, L, Smith, JJ, Cary, C, Moodley, K. (2005) Microbial molecular

ecology of Antarctic mineral soil biotopes. In Antarctica; Global Laboratory for Scientific and International Collaboration, A. Tan, Z Yasin, M Mansor, eds., Academy of Sciences Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, pp. 113-118.

13. Sjöling, S. Stafford, W, Cowan, DA (2006) Soil metagenomics: Exploring and exploiting

the soil microbial gene pool. Ch. 16 in Modern Soil Microbiology, 2nd Edn. van Elsas, JD, Jansson, J, Trevors, JT, Eds., CRC Press, Taylor & Francis, pp. 241 – 266.

14. Russell, NR and Cowan, DA. (2006) Methods for the handling of psychrophiles

microorganisms. Ch. in Methods in Microbiology. Vol. 35, Oren, A, & Rainey, F, eds., Elsevier Publ., pp371-393 [ISBN 978-0-12-521537-4].

15. Cowan, DA, Casanueva, A, Stafford, W. (2007) Ecology and biodiversity of cold-adapted

organisms. Ch. 9 in Physiology and Biochemistry of Extremophiles. Gerday, C., Glansdorff, N., eds. ASM Press, Washington DC, pp. 119-133.

16. Cowan, DA and Stafford, W. (2007) Metagenomic methods for determining active

microorganisms and genes in bioremediation and biotransformation processes. Ch. 58 in ASM Manual of Environmental Microbiology, 3rd Edition. Editors: CJ Hurst, RL. Crawford, JL. Garland, DA Lipson, AL Mills, LD Stetzenbach., ASM Press, New York. 1310 pp. ISBN: 978-1-55581-379-6

17. Daniel, R.M., Danson, M.J., Hough, D.W., Lee, C.K., Peterson, M.E. and Cowan, D.A.

(2008) Enzyme stability and activity at high temperatures. Ch. 17 in Anatomy & Physiology of Extremophilic Proteins, Nova Science, Eds. Thomas, T, Sidiqui, S. pp. 1-34. ISBN 978-1-60456-019-0

18. Cowan, DA, Sjoling, S, Stafford, WHL, Rohr, LM, Heath, C. (2008) Metagenomics in

Agribiotechnology. In Proceedings of the Asia Pacific Conference on Plant Tissue Culture and Agrobiotechnology (APaCPA 2007). Aimst University, Bedong, Malaysia.

19. Sjoling, S, Cowan, DA. (2008) Metagenomics – microbial community genomes revealed.

Ch. 20 in Psychrophiles: from Biodiversity to Biotechnology. Margesin, R.; Schinner, F.; Marx, J.-C.; Gerday, C. (Eds.) 462 pp. ISBN: 978-3-540-74334-7

20. Berjak, P, Cowan, DA, Cowling, R, Pammenter N, Scholes, R. (2009) Biological

Sciences. Ch. 5 in The State of Science in South Africa. Diab, R, Gevers, W., Eds, ASSAf Publ., pp. 133-163.

21. Kirby, BM, Vengadajellum, CJ, Burton, SG, Cowan, DA. (2010) Anthropogenically-

created habitats - coal, coal mines and spoil heaps. In: Handbook of Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology, Timmis, Kenneth N. (Ed.), Springer Heidelberg, Vol 3, pp. 2277-2292.

22. Cowan, DA, Tuffin, IM, Robb, F. (2010) ‘‘Sequence First, Ask Questions Later’’: The

Impact of Next Generation Omics on the Discovery of Novel Microbial and Lipid Hydrocarbon Metabolism. In: Handbook of Hydrocarbon and Lipid Microbiology, Timmis, Kenneth N. (Ed.), Springer Heidelberg, Vol 4, pp. 3367-3374.

23. Cowan, DA, Khan, N, Heath, C, Mutondo, M. (2010) Microbiology of Antarctic terrestrial

soils and rocks. Ch. 1 in Polar Microbiology: The Ecology, Biodiversity and Bioremediation Potential of Microorganisms in Extremely Cold Environments. Atlas, R, Aislabie, J, Bej, A, Eds. CRC Press, pp. 1-30

25

24. Cowan, DA, Kirby, BM, Meiring, TL, Ferrer, M, Guazzaroni, M-E, Golyshina,, OV, Golyshin, PN (2010) Enzymes from Extreme Environments Ch. 4. In Manual of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology, 3rd Edition, Baltz, RH, Davies, JE, Demain, AL, Eds. ASM Press, ISBN: 978-1-55581-512-7

25. Meiring, T.L, Mulako, I, Tuffin, M, Meyer, Q, Cowan, DA. (2010) Retrieval of full length

functional genes using subtractive hybridization magnetic bead capture. Ch. 20 in: Metagenomics: Methods and Protocols, Vol. 668 of Methods in Molecular Biology, WR. Streit and R. Daniel (Eds.): Humana Press Inc., Totowa NJ, USA. Pp 287-298. ISBN: 978-1-60761-822-5

26. Meiring, TL, Bauer, R, Scheepers, I, Ohloff, C, Tuffin, IM, Cowan, DA. (2011)

Metagenomics and beyond: current approaches and integration with complementary technologies. Ch. 1 in Metagenomics: Current Innovations and Future Trends. Marco, D., Ed., Horizon Press, Publ. pp. 1 – 19.

27. Bauer, R, Mutondo, M, Huddy, RJ, Tuffin, IM, Cowan, DA. (2011) Metagenomic gene

discovery. Ch. 15 in Metagenomics and its Applications in Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environmental Studies. RW Li, Ed. Nova Science Publ. pp. 287-320.

28. Grant, WD, Pagaling, E, Marquez, C, Gutierrez, C, Cowan, DA, Ma, Y, Jones, BE,

Ventosa, A, Heaphy, S. (2011) The Hypersaline Lakes of Inner Mongolia. Ch. 4 in Halophiles and Hypersaline Environments, A. Ventosa et al. (eds.), Springer-Verlag Berlin, pp. 65-107.

29. Taylor, MP, Van Zyl, L, Tuffin, M, Cowan, DA. (2011) Extremophiles and biotechnology:

How far have we come? Ch. 1. In Extremophiles: Microbiology and Biotechnology. Anitori, RP, ed. Caister Academic Press, Norwich, pp. 1-23

30. Kirby, BM, Le Roes-Hill, M, Cary, SC, Burton, SG, Tuffin, IM, Cowan, DA. (2011)

Actinobacterial diversity associated with Antarctic Dry Valley mineral soils. Ch. 13 in Handbook of Molecular Microbial Ecology II: Metagenomics in Different Habitats, Frans J. de Bruijn, Ed., John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey. ISBN 978-0-470-64719-6

31. Taylor, MT, Ramond, J-B, Tuffin, IM, Burton, SG, Eley, K, Cowan, DA. (2011)

Mechanisms and Applications of Microbial Solvent Tolerance. Ch. 6 in Microbial stress tolerance for biofuels: systems biology. L. Liu, Ed., Springer, London. pp. 177-208

32. Kirby, BM, Easton, S, Tuffin, IM, Cowan, DA. (2011) Bacterial Diversity in Polar Habitats.

Ch. in Polar Microbiology: Life in a deep freeze. Miller, RV, Whyte, LG., Eds. ASM Press. In Press.

33. Kirby, BM, Barnard, D, Tuffin, IM, Cowan, DA. Ecological distribution of microorganisms

in terrestrial, psychrophilic habitats. In: Extremophiles Handbook. K. Horikoshi, Ed., pp. 839-859.

34. Cowan, D., Tuffin, M., Mulako, I., Cass, J. Life in Terrestrial Hydrothermal Environments.

Ch. in Life in Extremes, Bell, E., Ed., CABI Press. In Press PAPERS [Values in brackets: IF/#Citations*] * Excluding self-citations 35. Cowan, D. A., Green, T.G.A. and Wilson, A.T. (1979) Lichen Metabolism 1. The use of

tritium- labelled water in studies of anhydrobiotic metabolism in Ramalina celastri and Peltigera polydactyla, New Phytol, 82 489-503.

36. Cowan, D. A., Green, T.G.A. and Wilson, A.T. (1979) Lichen Metabolism 2. Aspects of

light and dark physiology. New Phytol 83, 761-769.

26

37. Daniel, R.M., Cowan, D.A. and Morgan, H.W. (1981) The industrial potential of enzymes

from extremely thermophilic bacteria. Chem. New Zealand 45, 94-97. 38. Cowan, D.A. and Daniel, R.M. (1982) A modification for increasing the sensitivity of the

casein-agar plate assay; a simple semi-quantitative assay for thermophilic and mesophilic proteases. J. Biochem. Biophys. Meth. 6,31-37.

39. Cowan, D.A. and Daniel, R.M. (1982) Purification and some properties of an extracellular

protease (Caldolysin) from an extreme thermophile. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 705, 293-305.

40. Cowan, D.A. and Daniel, R.M. (1982) Immobilisation of Caldolysin, the extracellular

protease from Thermus T351. Biotechnol Bioeng. 24, 2053-2059. 41. Cowan, D.A., Daniel, R.M. and Morgan, H.W. (1982) Caldolysin, the highly thermostable

protease from the extreme thermophile Thermus aquaticus strain T351. Chem. New Zealand. 46, 122-125.

42. Daniel, R.M., Cowan, D.A., Curran, M. and Morgan, H.W. (1982) A correlation between

protein thermostability and susceptibility to proteolysis. Biochem. J. 207, 641-644. 43. Khoo, T.C., Cowan, D.A., Daniel, R.M. and Morgan, H.W. (1984) Interactions of calcium

and other metal ions with Caldolysin, the thermostable proteinase from Thermus aquaticus strain T351. Biochem. J. 221, 407-413.

44. Cowan, D.A., Daniel, R.M., Martin, A.M. and Morgan, H.W. (1984) Some properties of a

�-galactosidase from an extremely thermophilic bacterium. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 26, 1141-1145.

45. Cowan, D.A., Daniel, R.M. and Morgan, H.W. (1985) Thermophilic proteases: Properties

and potential applications. Trends Biotechnol. 3, 68-72. 46. Cowan, D.A., Daniel, R.M. and Morgan, H.W. (1987) Some observations on the inhibition

and activation of a thermophilic protease. Int. J. Biochem. 19, 483-486. 47. Cowan, D.A., Smolenski, K.A., Daniel, R.M. and Morgan, H.W. (1987) An extremely

thermostable extracellular protease from a strain of the archaebacterium Desulfurococcus growing at 88oC. Biochem. J. 247, 121-133.

48. Cowan, D.A., Daniel, R.M. and Morgan, H.W. (1987) The specific activities of mesophilic

and thermophilic proteases. Int. J. Biochem. 19, 741-743. 49. Cowan, D.A., Smolenski, K.A., Daniel, R.M. and Morgan, H.W. (1987) Properties of a

thermostable protease from a thermoacidophilic archaebacterium. Biochem. Soc. Trans. 15, 641-642.

50. Cowan, D.A. (1987) DNA-binding proteins from four thermoacidophilic Archaebacteria.

Biochem. Soc. Trans. 15, 640-641. 51. Cowan, D.A., Daniel, R.M. and Morgan, H.W. (1987) A comparison of extracellular

proteases from four strains of the genus Thermus. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 43, 155-159. 52. Lambert, E.L., Cowan, D.A. and Piper, P.W. (1988) Heat shock protein genes identified in

thermoacidophilic Archaebacteria. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 56, 157-160. 53. Coolbear, T., Daniel, R.M., Cowan, D.A. and Morgan, H.W. (1988) Proteases from

extreme thermophiles. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 542, 279-281.

27

54. Lind, D., Cowan, D.A., Daniel, R.M. and Morgan, H.W. (1989) A �-galactosidase from a

strain of the anaerobic thermophile Thermoanaerobacter. Enzyme Microb. Technol. 11, 180-185.

55. Owusu, R.K. and Cowan, D.A. (1989) Microbial protein stability in aqueous:organic two-

phase solvent systems. Biochem. Soc. Trans. 17, 581-582. 56. Owusu, R.K. and Cowan, D.A. (1989) A correlation between microbial protein

thermostability and resistance to denaturation in aqueous-organic solvent two-phase systems. Enzyme Microb. Technol. 11, 568-574.

57. Saravani, A., Daniel, R.M., Cowan, D.A. and Morgan, H.W. (1989) Caldolase, a chelator-

insensitive extracellular protease from a Thermus species. Biochem. J. 262, 409-416. 58. Takasawa, Y., Cowan, D.A., Bonnerjea, J. and Hoare, M. (1990) Heat-induced

precipitation of cell homogenates: An investigation of thermostable proteins expressed in mesophilic hosts. Enzyme Microb. Technol. 12, 184-190.

59. Owusu, R.K. and Cowan, D.A. (1990) Biocatalysis in organic solvent systems using

thermostable enzymes: Esterase catalysed transesterification of Z-L-tyrosine p-nitrophenyl ester. Enzyme Microb. Technol. 12, 374-377.

60. Owusu, R.K. and Cowan, D.A. (1991) Isolation and partial characterisation of a novel

thermostable carboxylesterase from a thermophilic Bacillus. Enzyme Microb. Technol. 13, 158-163.

61. Connaris, H., Cowan, D.A. and Sharp, R. (1991) Heterogeneity of proteases produced by

Pyrococcus furiosus, a thermoacidophilic archaebacterium growing at 98oC. J. Gen. Microbiol. 137, 1193-1199.

62. Connaris, H., Cowan, D.A., Ruffett, M. and Sharp, R. (1991) Preservation of the

hyperthermophile Pyrococcus furiosus. Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 13, 25-27. 63. Ward, J.M., Wallace, L.J., Cowan, D.A. and Shadbolt, P (1991) Phosphocellulose as a

tool for rapid purification of DNA-modifying enzymes. Anal. Chim. Acta 249, 195-200. 64. Plant, A.L. and Cowan, D.A. (1991) Application of thermophilic alcohol dehydrogenase in

a substrate coupled production of chiral alcohols. Abstr. Amer. Chem. Soc. meeting, Atlanta 1991, 201, 99.

65. Cowan, D.A. (1992) Enzymes from thermophilic Archaebacteria: Current and future

applications in biotechnology. Biochem. Soc. Symposium, 58, 149-169. 66. Simpson, H.D. and Cowan, D.A. (1992) Secondary alcohol dehydrogenases from

extremely thermophilic bacteria. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 672, 145-152. 67. Cowan, D.A. (1992) Biotechnology of the Archaea. Trends Biotechnol. 10, 315-323. 68. Montiel, P. and Cowan, D.A. (1993) The possible role of soluble carbohydrates and

polyols as cryoprotectants in Antarctic plants. Antarctic Science 119-126

69. Elderfield, H., Shultz, A., James, R., Dickson, P., Greaves, M., Mills, R., Cowan, D.A. and Nesbitt, B. (1995) Brent Spar or Broken Spur? Nature 376, 208

70. Wood, A.N.P., Fernandez-Lafuente, R. and Cowan, D.A. (1995) Purification and partial

characterisation of a novel thermophilic carboxylesterase with high mesophilic specific activity. Enzyme Microb. Technol. 17, 826-835. [x/25]

28

71. Simpson, H. and Cowan, D.A. (1995) The purification and characterisation of a novel

sec-alcohol dehydrogenase from a Thermoanaerobacterium species. Peptide Protein Lett. 1, 207-214.

72. Wood, A.N.P., Fernandez-Lafuente, R. and Cowan, D.A. (1995) Characterisation of a

novel thermostable esterase as an industrial catalyst. Biotech. Appl. Biochem. 21, 313-322.

73. Fernandez-Lafuente, R., Wood, A.N.P and Cowan, D.A (1995) Hyperstabilisation of a

thermophilic esterase by multi-point covalent attachment. Enzyme Microb. Technol. 17, 366-372.

74. Fernandez-Lafuente, R., Wood, A.N.P. and Cowan, D.A. (1995) Reducing enzyme

conformational flexibility by multi-point covalent immobilisation. Biotechnol. Tech. 9, 1-6. 75. Cowan, D.A. (1995) Protein stability at high temperatures. Essays in Biochem. 29, 193-

207. [x/21] 76. Jones, C.E., Fleming, T.M., Piper, P.W., Littlechild, J.A. and Cowan, D.A. (1995) Cloning

and sequencing of a gene from the Archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus with high homology to a gene encoding phosphoenolpyruvate synthetase from E coli. Gene, 160, 101-103.

77. Jones, C.E., Fleming, T.M., Cowan, D.A., Littlechild, J.A. and Piper, P.W. (1995) The

phosphoglycerate kinase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase genes from the thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus overlap by 8 codons: Isolation, sequencing of the genes and expression in E. coli. Eur. J. Biochem. 233, 800 - 808. [x/21]

78. Kirk, N. and Cowan, D.A. (1995) Optimising the recovery of thermostable enzymes

cloned and expressed in mesophilic hosts. J. Biotechnol. 42, 177-184. 79. Cowan, D.A. and Daniel, R.M. (1996) Rapid purification of two thermophilic proteases

using dye-ligand chromatography. J. Biochem. Biophys. Meth. 31, 31-37. 80. Piper, P. W., Emson, C., Jones, C. E., Cowan, D. A., Fleming, T. M. & Littlechild, J. A.

(1996). Complementation of a PGK deletion mutation In Saccharomyces cerevisiae with expression of the phosphoglycerate kinase gene from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus. Current Genetics 29, 594-596. [x/3]

81. Fleming, T., Jones, C., Piper, P.W., Cowan, D.A., Adams, M.W.W. and Littlechild, J.A.

(1996) The purification and characterisation of phosphoglycerate kinase from the hyperthermophilic Bacterium Thermotoga maritima. Peptide Prot. Lett. 3, 213-218.

82. Graham, D., Simpson, H.D. and Cowan, D.A. (1996) Effect of cosolvent and temperature

on the enantioselectivity of aliphatic ketone reductions catalysed by thermostable secondary alcohol dehydrogenases. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 799, 244-250.

83. Koulis, A., Cowan, D.A., Pearl, L. and Savva, R. (1996) Uracil DNA glycosylase activities

in hyperthermophilic Archaea and Bacteria. FEMS Micro. Lett. 143. 267-271. [x/23] 84. Simpson, H. and Cowan, D.A. (1997) Control of sec-alcohol dehydrogenase

stereoselectivity using hydrophilic organic solvents. Peptide Prot. Lett. 4, 25-32. [x/11] 85. Cramp, R., Gilmour, M. and Cowan, D.A. (1997) Novel thermophilic bacteria producing

nitrile-degrading enzymes. Microbiology 143, 2313-2320. [x/35] 86. Cowan, D.A. (1997) Relationships between enzyme stability, activity and conformational

mobility in organic solvents. Comp. Physiol. Biochem. [A] 118, 429-438. [x/53]

29

87. Cowan, D.A. (1997) The Marine Biosphere: A global resource for biotechnology. Trends

Biotechnol. 15, 129-131. 88. Fleming, T., Jones, C., Piper, P.W., Cowan, D.A., Isupov, M. and Littlechild, J.A. (1998)

Characterisation and crystallisation of glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase from the hyperthermophilic Archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus. Acta Cryst. D54, 671-674. [x/10]

89. Egas, M.C. V., da Costa, M.S., Cowan, D.A. and Vieira Pires, E.M. (1998) Purification

and characterisation of an extracellular �-amylase from Thermus filiformis OrkA2. Extremophiles 2, 23-32. [x/31]

90. Pereira, R., Graham, D. & Cowan, D.A. (1998) A novel thermostable nitrile hydratase.

Extremophiles 2, 347-358. [x/38] 91. Cowan, D.A., Cramp, R.A., Pereira, R.A. and Almatawah, Q. (1998) Biochemistry and

biotechnology of nitrile-metabolising enzymes. Extremophiles 2, 207-216. 92. Ali, S., Fernandez-Lafuente, R. and Cowan, D.A. (1998) Meta-pathway degradation of

phenolics by thermophilic Bacilli. Enzyme Microb. Technol. 23, 462-468. [x/24] 93. Cramp, R.A& Cowan, D.A. (1999) Molecular characterisation of a novel thermophilic

nitrile hydratase. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1431, 249-260. [2.5/28] 94. Huneke, F-U. and Cowan, D.A. (1999) Effect of water-miscible organic solvents on the

kinetics of a thermostable �-glucosidase. Biocatal. Biotrans., 17, 251-267 [x/5] 95. Almatawah, Q., Cramp, R.A. and Cowan, D.A. (1999) Characterisation of an inducible

nitrilase from a thermophilic bacillus. Extremophiles 3, 283-291 [x/40] 96. Almatawah, Q. and Cowan, D.A. (1999) Thermostable nitrilase catalysed production of

nicotinic acid from 3-cyanopyridine. Enzyme Microb. Technol. 25, 718-724 [2.3/17] 97. Fernandez-Lafuente, R, Guisan, JM, Ali, S, Cowan, DA (2000) Immobilization of

functionally unstable catechol-2,3-dioxygenase greatly improves operational stability. Enzyme Microb. Technol. 26:268-573. [2.3/10]

98. Cowan, DA (2000) Microbial genomes-the untapped resource. Trends Biotechnol.

18:14-16. [9.6/35] 99. Graham, D, Barfield, D, Pereira, RA, Cowan, DA (2000) Nitrile transformation studies

using free and immobilised cells of a thermophilic Bacillus sp. Enzyme Microb. Technol. 26:368-373. [2.3/36]

100. Daniel, RM, Cowan, DA (2000) Biomolecular stability and life at high temperatures.

Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 57:250-64 [7.0/59] 101. Huneke, F-U, Bailey, D, Nucci, R, Cowan, DA (2000) Sulfolobus solfataricus �-

glucosidase catalysed synthesis of alkyl glycosides in organic solvents. Biocatal. Biotrans. 18:291-299. [6]

102. Sjoling, S, Cowan, DA (2000) Presence of human-specific enteric micro-organisms in

current and historic field camp sites. Polar Biol. 23:644-650. [4] 103. Cowan, DA (2000) Using your neighbours genome! Nature 407:466-467.

30

104. Atkinson, T, Cairns, S, Cowan, DA, Danson, MJ, Hough, DW, Johnson, DB, Norris, P, Raven, N, Robson, R, Robinson, C, Sharp, RJ (2000) A microbiological survey of Montserrat Island hydrothermal biotopes, Extremophiles 4:305-314. [2.2/28]

105. Baker, GC, Gaffar, S, Cowan, DA Suharto, AR (2001) Microbial community analysis

of Indonesian hot-springs. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 200:103-109 [2.0/13] 106. Burton, S, Cowan, DA, Woodley, JM (2002) The search for the ideal biocatalyst.

Nature Biotechnol. 30:35-46 [31.1/115]

107. Burton, SG & Cowan, DA (2002) Development of biotechnology in South Africa. Electron. J. Biotechnol. 5 :33-36. [0.9/2]

108. Bustard, MT, Whiting, S., Cowan, DA, Wright, PC (2002) Biodegradation of high

concentration solvents by a solvent tolerant thermophile, Bacillus pallidus. Extremophiles 6:319-323. [2.2/21]

109. Wilkinson, D, Jaenicke, T, Cowan, DA (2002) Efficient cloning of DNA from

environmental sources. Biotechnol. Lett. 24:155-161. [1.8/7] 110. Cowan, D.A., Mamais, A. Sheppard, D, Russell, N (2002) Antarctic Dry Valley mineral

soils contain unexpectedly high levels of microbial biomass. Extremophiles 6:431-436. [2.2/36]

111. Cowan, DA, Cameron, R, Tsekoa, T (2003) Comparative biology of thermophilic and

mesophilic nitrile hydratases, Adv. Appl. Microbiol. 52:123-158. [3.9/15] 112. Baker, G, Ah Tow, L, Cowan, DA (2003) PCR-based detection of non-indigenous

micro-organisms in ‘pristine’ environments. J. Microbiol. Methods 53:157-164. [2.0/8] 113. Sjoling, S, Cowan, DA (2003) High 16S rDNA bacterial diversity in glacial meltwater

lake sediment, Bratina Island, Antarctica, Extremophiles 7:275-282. [2.2/31] 114. Ah Tow, L, Cowan, DA (2003) Non-specificity of Staphylococcus generic primers.

Microbiology 149:1605-1607. [3.0/1] 115. Baker, G, Smith, JJ, Cowan DA (2003) Review and re-analysis of Domain-specific

16S primers, J. Microbiol. Methods 55:451-455. [2.0/265] 116. Cowan DA, Arslanoglu, A., Burton, SG, Baker, GC, Cameron, RA, Smith, JJ, Meyer,

Q (2004) Metagenomics, gene discovery and the ideal biocatalyst. Biochem. Soc. Trans. 32:298–302. [3.4/8]

117. Baker, GC, Cowan, DA (2004) 16S rDNA primers and the unbiased assessment of

thermophile diversity. Biochem. Soc. Trans. 32:218-221. [3.4/17] 118. Cowan, DA (2004) The upper limit of life - how far can we go? Trends Microbiol.

12:58-60. [7.5/11] 119. Cowan, DA, Ah Tow, L (2004) Endangered Antarctic microbial communities. Ann.

Rev. Microbiol. 58, 649-690. [12.4/42] 120. Tsekoa, T, Sayed, M, Sewell, T, Cowan DA. (2004) Preliminary structural analysis of

a thermostable nitrile hydratase. S.A. J. Sci. 100, 488-490. [0.5/1] 121. Cameron, RA, Sayed, M, Cowan, DA (2005) Molecular analysis of the nitrile

catabolism operon of the thermophile Bacillus pallidus RAPc8. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1725, 35-46. [2.5/14]

31

122. Cowan, DA, Meyer, Q, Stafford, W., Muyanga, S., Cameron, RA, Wittwer P. (2005)

Metagenomic gene discovery: past, present and future. Trends Biotechnol. 23:321-329. [9.6/76]

123. Ah Tow, L, Cowan, DA. (2005) Dissemination and survival of non-indigenous

bacterial genomes in pristine Antarctic environments. Extremophiles 9:385-389. [2.3/5] 124. Xue, Y, Fan, H, Ventosa, A, Grant, WD, Jones, B, Cowan, DA, Ma, Y. (2005)

Haloalkalicoccus tibetense gen. nov., sp. nov. a novel genus of haloalkaliphilic archaeon. Int. J. System. Evol. Microbiol. 55:2501-2505. [2.1/15]

125. Stafford, WHL, Baker, GC, Brown, SA, Burton SG, Cowan DA. (2005) Bacterial

diversity in the rhizosphere of Proteaceae species. Environ. Microbiol. 7:1755-1768. [5.5/11]

126. Grant, S, Grant, W, Cowan, DA, Jones, B, Ma, Y, Ventosa, A, Heaphy, S. (2006)

Identification of eukaryotic open reading frames in metagenomic cDNA libraries made from environmental samples. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72:135-43. [3.8/21]

127. Carrasco, IJ, Marquez, MC, Yanfen, X, Ma, Y, Cowan, DA, Jones, BE, Grant WD,

Ventosa, A. (2006) Gracilibacillus orientalis sp. nov., a novel moderately halophilic bacterium isolated from a salt lake in Inner Mongolia, China. Int. J. System. Evol. Microbiol. 56:599-604 [1.9/16]

128. Castillo AM, Gutierrez MC, Kamekura M, Ma Y, Cowan DA, Jones BE, Grant WD,

Ventosa, A. (2006) Halovivax asiaticus gen. nov. sp. nov., a novel extremely halophilic archaeon isolated from Inner Mongolia, China. Int. J. System. Evol. Microbiol. 56:765-770. [1.9/17]

129. Smith, JJ, Ah Tow, L, Stafford, W, Cary, C, Cowan, DA (2006) Bacterial diversity in

three different Antarctic cold desert mineral soils, Microb. Ecol. 51:413-421. [2.9/38] 130. Xue Y, Zhang X, Zhou C, Zhao Y, Cowan DA, Heaphy S, Grant WD, Jones BE,

Ventosa, A, Ma Y. (2006) Caldalkalibacillus thermarum gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel alkalithermophilic bacterium from a hot spring in China. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 56:1217-1221. [1.9/2]

131. Castillo AM, Gutierrez MC, Kamekura M, Xue Y, Ma Y, Cowan DA, Jones BE, Grant

WD, Ventosa A. (2006) Halostagnicola larsenii gen. nov., sp. nov., an extremely halophilic archaeon from a saline lake in Inner Mongolia, China. Int. J. System. Evol. Microbiol. 56:1519-1524. [2.1/11]

132. Dürr, R, Vielhauer, O, Burton, SG, Cowan, DA, Puñal, A, Brandão, PFB, Bull AT,

Syldatk, C. (2006) Distribution of hydantoinase activity in bacterial isolates from geographically distinct environmental sources. J. Mol. Cataly. B. Enzymic. 39:160-165. [2.3/3]

133. Castillo AM, Gutierrez MC, Kamekura M, Xue Y, Ma Y, Cowan DA, Jones BE, Grant

WD, Ventosa, A. (2006) Halorubrum orientale sp. nov., a novel halophilic archaeon isolated from Lake Ejinor, Inner Mongolia, China. Int. J. System. Evol. Microbiol. 56:2559-63. [1.9/8]

134. Castillo AM, Gutierrez MC, Kamekura M, Xue Y, Ma Y, Cowan DA, Jones BE, Grant

WD, Ventosa, A. (2006) Natrinema ejinorense sp. nov., isolated from a saline lake in Inner Mongolia, China. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 56:2683-2687. [1.9/3]

32

135. Agakar, VB, Kimini, SH, Cowan, DA, Sayed, MSF-R, Sewell, TB. (2006) The quaternary structure of the amidase from Geobacillus pallidus RAPc8 is revealed by its crystal packing. Acta Cryst. F. 62:1174-1178. [0.5/6]

136. Meyer, QC, Burton, SB, Cowan, DA (2007) Subtractive hybridization magnetic bead

capture: A new technique for the recovery of full length ORFs from the metagenome. Biotechnol. J. 2:36-40 [(2.1)/11]

137. Makhongela, HS, Glowacka, A, Agarkar, VB, Sewell, BT, Weber, B, Cameron, RA,

Cowan, DA and Burton, SG. (2007) A novel thermostable nitrilase superfamily amidase from Geobacillus pallidus showing acyl transfer activity. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 75:801-811. [3.3/11]

138. Márquez, C, Carrasco, IJ, Xue, Y, Ma, Y, Cowan, DA, Jones, BE, Grant WD,

Ventosa, A. (2007) Aquisalimonas asiatica gen. nov., sp. nov., a moderately halophilic bacterium isolated from an alkaline, saline lake in Inner Mongolia, China. Int. J. System. Evol. Microbiol. 57:1137-1142. [1.9/3]

139. Castillo, AM, Gutierrez, MC, Kamekura, K, Ma, Y, Cowan, DA, Jones, BE, Grant WD,

Ventosa, A. (2007) Halovivax ruber sp. nov., a novel extremely halophilic archaeon isolated from Inner Mongolia, China. Int. J. System. Evol. Microbiol. 57:1024-1027. [1.9/3]

140. Olaniran, AO, Stafford, WHL, Cowan, DA, Pillay, D, Pillay, B. (2007) Microbial

community profiling in cis- and trans-dichloroethene enrichment systems using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 17:560-570. [1.2/4]

141. Rashamuse, KJ, Burton, SG, Stafford, W, Cowan, DA. (2007) Molecular

characterization of a novel family VIII esterase from Burkholdaria multivorans UWC10. J. Mol. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 13:181-188 [2.6/2]

142. Gutiérrez, MC, Castillo, AM, Kamekura, M, Xue, Y, Ma, Y, Cowan, DA, Jones, BE,

Grant, WD, Ventosa, A. (2007) Halopiger xanaduensis gen. nov., sp. nov., an extremely halophilic archaeon isolated from a saline lake in Inner Mongolia, China. Int. J. System. Evol. Microbiol. 57:1402-1407. [1.9/9]

143. Silva-Stenico, E, Vengadajellum, CJ, Janjua, HJ, Harrison, STL, Burton, SG, Cowan,

DA. (2007) Degradation of low rank coal by Trichoderma atroviride ES11. J. Indust. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 34:625-631. [1.8/3]

144. Pagaling, E., Haigh, R., Grant, WD, Cowan, DA, Jones, B., Ma, Y., Ventosa A.,

Shaun Heaphy. (2007) Sequence analysis of an archaeal virus isolated from a hypersaline lake in Inner Mongolia, China. BMC Genomics, 8:410-416 [4.2/16]

145. Carrasco, IJ, Márquez, MC, Xue, Y, Ma, Y, Cowan, DA, Jones, BE, Grant, WD,

Ventosa, A. (2007) Bacillus chagannorensis sp. nov., a moderate halophile from a soda lake in Inner Mongolia, China. Int. J. System. Evol. Microbiol. 57:2084-2088. [2.1/8]

146. Carrasco, IJ, Márquez, MC, Xue, Y, Ma, Y, Cowan, DA, Jones, BE, Grant, WD,

Ventosa, A. (2007) Salsuginibacillus kocurii gen. nov., sp. nov., a moderately halophilic bacterium from soda lake sediment. Int. J. System. Evol. Microbiol. 57: 2381-2386. [2.1/7]

147. Rashamuse, KJ, Burton, SG, Cowan, DA. (2007) A novel recombinant ethyl ferulate

esterase from Burkholdaria multivorans. J Appl. Microbiol. 103:1610-1620. [2.4/6]

33

148. Carrasco, IJ, Márquez, MC, Xue, Y, Ma, Y, Cowan, DA, Jones, BE, Grant, WD, Ventosa, A. (2007) Halorubrum ejinorense sp. nov., isolated from Lake Ejinor, Inner Mongolia, China. Int. J. System. Evol. Microbiol. 57:2538-2542. [2.1/6]

149. Kimani, SW, Agarkar, VB, Cowan, DA, Sayed, MF-R, Sewell, BT. (2007) The crystal

structure of an aliphatic amidase from Geobacillus pallidus RAPc8: evidence for a fourth nitrilase catalytic residue. Acta Cryst. D. 63:1048-1058. [6.3/12]

150. Cowan, DA, Casanueva, A. (2007) Stability of ATP in Antarctic desert soils. Polar

Biology, 30:1599-1603. [1.4/5] 151. Porter, D., Roychoudhury, AN, Cowan, DA. (2007) Dissimilatory sulphate reduction in

hypersaline coastal pans: Part 1. Activity across a salinity gradient. Geochim Cosmochim. Acta. 71:5102-5116 [4.1/11]

152. Wood SA, Rueckert A, Cowan DA, Cary SC. (2008) Aquatic cyanobacteria, important

contributors to edaphic cyanobacterial diversity in the Dry Valleys of Eastern Antarctica? ISME J. 2:308-320 [6.2/20]

153. Oboirien, BO, Burton, SG, Cowan, DA, Harrison, STL. (2008) The effect of the

particulate phase on coal biosolubilisation mediated by Trichoderma atroviride in a slurry bioreactor. Fuel Processing Technol. 89:123-130. [2.8/4]

154. Casanueva, AI, Galada, N, Baker, GC, Grant, WD, Heaphy, S, Jones, BW, Ma Y,

Ventosa, A, Blamey A, Cowan, DA. (2008) Nanoarchaeal 16S rRNA gene sequences are widely dispersed in hyperthermophilic and mesophilic halophilic environments. Extremophiles. 12:651-656. [2.2/5]

155. Gutiérrez, MC, Castillo, AM, Pagaling, E, Heaphy, S, Kamekura, M, Xue, Y, Ma, Y,

Cowan, DA, Jones, BE, Grant, WD, Ventosa, A. (2008) Halorubrum kocurii sp. nov., an archaeon isolated from a saline lake. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 58:2031-2035. [2.1/0]

156. Carrasco, IJ, M. C. Márquez, Y. Xue, Y. Ma, D. A. Cowan, B. E. Jones, W. D. Grant

and A. Ventosa. (2008) Sediminibacillus halophilus gen. nov., sp. nov., a moderately halophilic Gram-positive bacterium from a hypersaline lake. Int. J. System. Evol. Microbiol. 58:1961-1967. [2.1/3]

157. Márquez, C, Carrasco, IJ, Xue, Y, Ma, Y, Cowan, DA, Jones, BE, Grant, WD and

Ventosa, A. (2008) Aquisalibacillus elongatus gen. nov., sp. nov., a moderately halophilic bacterium of the family Bacillaceae isolated from a saline lake. Int. J. System. Evol. Microbiol. 58:1922-1926. [2.1/4]

158. Dürr, R., Neumann, A., Vielhauer, O., Altenbuchner, J., Burton, S.G., Cowan, D.A.,

Syldatk, C. (2008) Genes responsible for hydantoin degradation of a halophilic Ochrobactrum sp. G21 and Delftia sp. I24 - New insight into relation of d-hydantoinases and dihydropyrimidinases. J. Molec. Cataly. B: Enzymatic 52-53, pp. 2. [2.3/2]

159. Hu, L, Pan, H, Xue, Y, Ventosa, A, Cowan, DA, Jones, BE, Grant, WD, Ma, Y. (2008)

Halorubrum luteum sp. nov., isolated from Lake Chagannur, Inner Mongolia, China. Int. J. System. Evol. Microbiol. 58:1705-1708. [2.1/4]

160. Taylor, M, Tuffin, M, Burton, SG, Eley, K, Cowan, DA. (2008) Microbial responses to

solvent and alcohol stress. Biotechnol. J. 3:1388-1397 [(2.1)/5] 161. Cowan, DA. (2008) Biotechnology in South Africa. Biotechnol. J. 3:1322-1323

[(2.1)/0]

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162. Babalola, OO, Kirby, BM, Le Roes-Hill, M, Cook, AE, Cary, SC, Burton, SG, Cowan, DA. (2009) Phylogenetic analysis of actinobacterial populations associated with Antarctic Dry Valley mineral soils. Envir. Microbiol. 11:566-576 [5.5/10]

163. le Roes-Hill, M, Rohland, J, Meyers, PR, Cowan, DA, Burton, SG. (2009)

Streptomyces hypolithicus sp. nov., a novel streptomycete isolated from a hypolith community, Antarctica. Int. J. System. Evol. Microbiol. 59:2033-2036 [1.9/0]

164. Taylor, M, Eley, K, Martin, S, Tuffin, IM, Burton, SG, Cowan DA (2009) Thermophilic

ethanologenesis. Future prospects for second generation ethanol production. Trends Biotechnol. 27:398-405 [9.6/12]

165. Ruiz Sebastián, C, Sink, KJ, McClanahan, TR, Cowan, DA (2009) Bleaching

response of corals and their Symbiodinium communities in southern Africa. Marine Biology 156:2049-2062 [2.0/3]

166. Heath, C, Hu, XP, Cary, SC, Cowan, DA. (2009) Isolation and characterisation of a

novel, low-temperature-active alkaliphilic esterase from an Antarctic desert soil metagenome. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75:4657-4659 [3.8/9]

167. Pagaling, E, Wang, H, Venables, M, Wallace, A, Grant, WD, Cowan, DA, Jones, BE,

Ma, Y, Ventosa, A, Heaphy, S. (2009) Microbial biogeography of six salt lakes in Inner Mongolia and one salt lake in Argentina. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75:5750-5760 [3.8/5]

168. Tuffin, IM, Anderson, D, Heath, C, Cowan, DA (2009) Metagenomic gene discovery:

How far have we moved in sequence space? Biotechnol. J. 4:1671-1683. [(2.1)/7] 169. Cowan, DA (2009) Cryptic microbial communities in Antarctic deserts. Proc. Natl.

Acad. Sci, USA. 106:19749-19750 [9.8/1] 170. Cowan, DA, Tuffin, IM (2009) Capturing global metabolism. Nature Biotechnol.

27:1132-1133 [31.1/0] 171. Wong FK, Lau MC, Lacap DC, Aitchison JC, Cowan DA, Pointing SB (2010)

Endolithic Microbial Colonization of Limestone in a High-altitude Arid Environment. Microb. Ecol. 59:689-699 [2.9/2]

172. Cary, SC, McDonald, I, Barrett, JE and Cowan, DA. (2010) On the rocks: Microbial

ecology of Antarctic cold desert soils. Nature Rev. Microbiol. 8:129-138. [20.7/18] 173. Wong, FKY, Lacap, DC, Lau, MCY, Aitchison, JC, Cowan, DA, Pointing, SB. (2010)

Hypolithic microbial community of quartz pavement in the high-altitude tundra of central Tibet. Microb. Ecol. 60:730-739 [2.9/6]

174. Musingarimi, W., Tuffin, M., Cowan, D. (2010) Characterisation of the Arsenic

Resistance Genes in Bacillus sp. UWC Isolated from Maturing Fly Ash-Acid Mine Drainage Neutralized Solids. S.A. J. Sci. 106:59-63. [0.6/0]

175. Staniland, S., Coppock, M., Tuffin, M., van Zyl, L., Roychoudhury, A. N., Cowan, D.

(2010) Cobalt uptake and resistance to trace metals in Comamonas testosteroni isolated from a heavy-metal contaminated site in the Zambian Copperbelt. Geomicrobiol. J. 27:656-662 [1.7/x]

176. Bauer, R, Cowan, DA, Crouch, A. (2010) Acrolein in wine: Importance of 3-

hydroxypropionaldehyde and derivatives in production and detection. J. Agric. Food Chem. 58:3243-3250. [2.8/0]

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177. Barnard, D, Casanueva, A, Tuffin, IM, Cowan DA. (2010) Extremophiles in biofuels production. Environ. Technol. 31:871-888. [1.0/3]

178. Cowan, DA, Khan, N, Pointing, S, Cary, SC. (2010) Diverse hypolithic refuge

communities in Antarctic Dry Valleys, Antarct. Sci. 22:714-720 [1.3/5]

179. Casanueva, A., Tuffin, IM, Cary, SC and Cowan, DA. (2010) Molecular adaptations to psychrophily: The impact of 'omic' technologies. Trends Microbiol. 18:374-381. [7.5/4]

180. Williamson, DS, Dent, KC, Weber, BW, Varsani, A, Frederick, J, Thuku, RN,

Cameron, RA, van Heerden, JH, Cowan, DA, Sewell, BT. (2010) Structural and biochemical characterization of a nitrilase from the thermophilic bacterium, Geobacillus pallidus RAPc8. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 88:143-153. [3.6/0]

181. Velankar H, Clarke KG, du Preez R, Cowan DA, Burton SG. (2010) Developments in

nitrile and amide biotransformation processes. Trends Biotechnol. 28:561-569 [9.6/1]

182. Meiring, T, Mulako, I, Tuffin, MI, Meyer, Q, Cowan, DA. (2010) Retrieval of full-length functional genes using subtractive hybridization magnetic bead capture. Methods Mol. Biol. 668:287-297. [13.9/0]

183. Olaofe, OA, Burton, SG, Cowan, DA, Harrison, STL (2010) Improving the production

of a thermostable amidase through optimising IPTG induction in a highly dense culture of recombinant Escherichia coli. Biochem. Engineer. J. 52:19-24 [2.7/1]

184. Chiyanzu, I, Cowan, DA, Burton, SG (2010) Immobilization of a nitrile hydratase

(NHase) from Geobacillus pallidus RAPc8 overcomes substrate inhibition and enhances stability. J. Mol. Catal. B, Enzymatic. 63:109-115. [2.3/3]

185. Cowan DA, Pointing SB, Stevens MI, Cary SC, Stomeo F, Tuffin IM. (2011)

Distribution and abiotic influences on hypolithic microbial communities in an Antarctic Dry Valley. Polar Biol. 34:307–311. [1.4/4]

186. Taylor, MP, van Zyl, L, Tuffin, IM, Leak, DJ, Cowan, DA. (2011) Genetic tool

development underpins recent advances in thermophilic whole-cell biocatalysts. Microb. Biotechnol. 4:438-448. [(2.1)/1]

187. Welz, PJ, Ramond, J-B, Cowan, DA, Prins, A, Burton SG. (2011) Ethanol degradation

and the benefits of incremental priming in pilot-scale constructed wetlands. Ecol. Engineer. 37:1453-1459. [2.2/0]

188. Nel, AJM, Tuffin, IM, Sewell, BT, Cowan, DA. (2011) A unique aliphatic amidase from a psychrotrophic and haloalkaliphilic Nesterenkonia isolate. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 77:3696-3702. [3.8/1]

189. Rohr, LM, Mashaphu, N, Sheridan, C, Burton, SG, and Cowan, DA. (2011) Seasonal

shifts of the microbial community structure in a winery waste-impacted wetland soil. Trans. Roy. Soc. S.A. 66:41-53.

190. Cowan, DA, Sohm, JA, Makhalanyane, T, Capone, DG, Green, TGA and Cary, SC.

(2011) Hypolithic communities: important nitrogen sources in Antarctic desert soils, Envir Microbiol. Rep. 3: 581-586 [3.1/0]

191. Khan, N, Tuffin, IM, Stafford, W, Cary, SC, Lacap, DC, Pointing, SB, Cowan, DA

(2011) Hypolithic microbial community colonization of quartz rocks from Miers Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Polar Biol. 34, 1657-1668 [1.4/1]

36

192. Cowan, DA, Fernendez-Lafuente, R (2011) Enhancement of thermophilic enzymes by chemical modification and immobilization. A review. Enz. Microb. Technol. 49: 326-346 [2.3/0]

193. Cowan, DA, Chown, SL, Convey, P, Tuffin, IM, Hughes, K, Pointing, SB, Vincent, WF. (2011) Non-indigenous microorganisms in the Antarctic – assessing the risks. Trends Microbiol. 19:540-548 [7.5/0]

194. Ramond J-B, Welz P.J., Cowan D.A., Burton S.G. (2011) Microbial community

structure stability, a key parameter in monitoring the development of constructed wetland mesocosms during start-up. Res. Microbiol. Oct. 13. E-pub ahead of print. [2.4/0]

195. Hu, XP, Heath, C, Taylor, MP, Tuffin, IM, Cowan, DA (2011). A novel, extremely

alkaliphilic and cold active esterase from Antarctic desert soil. Extremophiles. In Press [2.2/0]

196. Taylor, MP, Mulako, I, Tuffin, IM, Cowan, DA (2011).Understanding physiological

responses to pre-treatment inhibitors in ethanologenic fermentations. Biotechnol. J. Accepted for publication [(2.1)]

197. Sanyika, WT, Stafford, W, Tuffin, IM, Cowan, DA. (2012) Phylogenetic analysis of

actinobacterial diversity associated with three Marion Island terrestrial habitats (Sub-Antarctica) and the culturability of actinomycetes from eleven habitats: a comparative study. Polar Biol. Accepted for publication.[1.4]

198. Tiao, G, Lee, CK, McDonald, IR, Cowan, DA, Cary, SC. (2012) Rapid microbial

response to removal of the presence of an ancient relic in the Antarctic Dry Valleys. Nature Comm. Accepted for publication

PAPERS SUBMITTED AND IN PREPARATION 199. Lacap, DC, Chan, Y, Lau, MCY, Warren-Rhodes, KA, Cockell, CC, Cowan, DA,

McKay, CP, Pointing, SB. Hypolithic microbial communities: Between a rock and a hard place. ISME J., Submitted

200. Meiring, T, Tuffin, IM, Cowan, DA. Genomics of an Antarctic bacteriophage. Virology. Submitted.

201. Van Zyl, L et al. Cloning, expression and structure-function analysis of Gluconobacter

pyruvate decarboxylases. In preparation

202. Van Zyl, L et al. Optimising expression of Gluconobacter pyruvate decarboxylases in thermophile Geobacillus by codon harmonisation. In preparation

203. Maslyanko, A et al. Cellular responses to inhibitors in Geobacillus fermentation using

proteomics analysis. In preparation.

204. Stomeo, F et al. Abiotic factors drive microbial diversity in permanently cold soil horizons of a maritime-associated Antarctic Dry Valley. In preparation

205. Makhalanyane, T et al. Phylogenetic diversity of autotrophic bacteria in Antarctic

desert soil systems. In preparation

206. Makhalanyane, T. Substrate niche differentiation determines community composition in arid desert systems. In preparation

37

207. van Wyk, J, Danson, MJ, Sayed, M-Y, Cowan, DA. Enhancing the thermostability of Geobacillus pallidus nitrile hydratase by random mutagenesis. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. In preparation

208. van Wyk, JC, Sewell, ST, Sayed, MF, Danson, MJ, Cowan, DA. The relationship

between structure and thermostability of a nitrile hydratase from Geobacillus pallidus RAPc8 In preparation

209. Khan, N, Cowan, DA. Microenvironmental parameters of Antarctic hypolithic

communities. Polar Biol. In preparation. 210. Tiao, G., Lee, C. K., McDonald, I. R., Cowan, D. A., and Cary, S. C. 2010 The

enigmatic mummified seals of the McMurdo Dry Valleys: biological consequences with implications to climate change predictions (tentative title). In preparation.

211. Lako, J, Tuffin, M, Cowan, DA. Characterisation of the yDAP gene from B.

licheniformis. In preparation

212. Kowlessur, P, Kwofie*, S, Danson, MJ, Sayed, M-Y, Cowan, DA. Engineering aromatic specificity in a thermostable nitrile hydratase. In preparation.

213. Pagaling, E, Grant, WD, Cowan, DA, Jones, B, Ma, Y. Archaeal Diversity in Two Hot

Spring Microbial Mats from the Geothermal Region of Tengchong, China. In preparation

OTHER SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS 214. Cowan, D.A. Parkes, J., Cann, J., Walker, C., Gardner, S and Bateson, K. (1995)

Microbiology of Deep Sea Hydrothermal Vents. NERC BRIDGE Report, vol. 6. 47pp. 215. Russell, M.J., Cowan, D., Stetter, K.O., Cady, S.L., Nisbet, E.G., Giggenbach, W.F.,

Sakai, H., DesMarais, D.J., Jakosky, B.M., Henley, R.W., Parkes, R.J., Shock, E.L., Knoll, A.H. and Barns, S.M. (1996) 'Beehive' diffusers. CIBA Foundation Symposia, 202, 19-23.

216. Cowan, D.A. (1996) Industrial Enzyme Technology. Trends Biotechnol. 14, 177-178. 217. Wilkinson, D., Jaenicke, T. and Cowan, D.A. (1998) Efficient extraction of total DNA

from recalcitrant environmental samples. Abstr. Extemophiles 98, Yokohama, Japan 218. Wilkinson, D., Jaenicke, T. and Cowan, D.A. (1998) Direct cloning and molecular

analysis of DNA from soil and geothermal sediment. Abstr. Thermophiles 98, Brest, France

219. Cowan, D.A. (1999) Life at the Edge. Review of Microbial Life in Extreme

Environments, K. Horikoshi & W.D. Grant, eds., Wiley-Liss, 311 pp. BioEssays 24, 362. 220. Cowan, D.A., Wynn-Williams, D., Grady, M., Penny, A. and Wolstencroft, R. (1999)

Exobiology in the UK. Community Report to BNSC, 95 pp. 221. Cowan, DA and Grady, M. (2001) In search of a second evolutionary experiment.

Microbiol. Today, May, 14-16. 222. Cowan, DA and Burton, SG (2000) Microbial Biodiversity: Exploration, conservation

and exploitation. Forum Microbiol. (published) 223. Cowan DA (2005) Review of Microbial Processes and Products, JL Barredo, Ed.

Microbiology Today, x:xxx.

38

224. Cowan DA and Burton SG (2005) Biocatalysts and Enzyme Technology, Bucholz et

al., eds. Book Review. Xxxxxx. 225. Cowan, DA, Shitandi, A, van IjPeren, C, Kuhn, E, Musingarimi, W, Petrik, L. (2007)

The microbiology of fly ash – acid mine drainage neutralisation systems. WRC Report # 1549/1/07. 60 pp. ISBN 978-1-77005-610-7

226. Cowan, DA, Musingarimi W, Tuffin, IM. (2008) Identification of Arsenic Resistance

Genes in Microorganisms from maturing Fly Ash-Acid Mine Drainage Neutralized Solids. WRC Report. # 1655/1/083, 78pp. ISBN.

227. Cowan, DA (2009) Life in Space: Astrobiology for Everyone. Book Review, Soc. Gen.

Microbiol.

228. Bruneel O., Casiot C., Personné J-C. Volant A., Vadapalli V.R.K. Petrik L., Cowan, DA., Morin G., Duran R., and Elbaz-Poulichet F. (2010). Impact des microorganismes sur les transformations des métaux et métalloïdes dans des drainages miniers d’Afrique du Sud. Proceeding, réunion de restitution du programme Ec2co. Toulouse, France 22-26 November 2010, 10 pp.

229. Cowan, DA, Khan, N, Makhalanyane, TP, Valverde, A (2011) Antarctic hypolithic

communities – model systems for a cryptic astrobiological lifestyle. Proc. Int. Astronom. Congress. Cape Town, October 2011. 4pp.

Conference Oral/Poster Presentations

[2000] Sjöling, S. and Cowan, D. A. “Microbial diversity and novel enzyme genes from Antarctic

aquatic environment”, EU-workshop on Microbial Diversity in Aquatic Systems, 25-27th June, 2000, Roscoff, France. [Oral presentation]

Sjöling, S. and Cowan, D. A. “Diversity of prokaryotes and direct cloning of novel enzyme

genes from Antarctic marine environment", 3rd-7th Sept, 2000, Hamburg, Germany. [Poster].

Sjöling, S. and Cowan, D. A. “Diversity of bacteria and archaea, and direct cloning of novel enzyme genes from Antarctic saline pool sediment. International Marine Biotechnology Conference, 29th Sept-4th Oct, 2000, Townsville, Australia. [Oral presentation].

[2001] Brown, S., Burton, SG and Cowan, DA. A molecular phylogenetic analysis of microbial diversity associated with proteoid root systems. British Ecol. Soc. London, UK, September 2001. [Poster] Cowan, DA and Burton, SG. The Advanced Research Centre for Applied Microbiology;

opportunities for exploring and exploiting microbial diversity. Amer. Soc. Microbiol., Biodiversity, Biocatalysis and Biotransformations. San Juan, Puerto Rico, October 2001 [Poster]

Cowan, DA. Thermostable nitrile hydratases – structure and function. Amer. Soc. Microbiol.,

Biodiversity, Biocatalysis and Biotransformations. San Juan, Puerto Rico, October 2001 [Invited speaker]

39

Cowan, DA and Burton, SG. The Advanced Research Centre for Applied Microbiology; opportunities for exploring and exploiting microbial diversity. Enzyme Engineering XVI. Potsdam, Germany, October 2001. [Poster]

Cowan, DA. Thermostable nitrile hydratases, biochemistry and biotechnology. 6th workshop

of VAAM, Berlin, October 2001 [Invited speaker]. Cowan, DA. Applied microbiology at the University of the Western Cape. Cape Biotech

2001, Kirstenbosch, November 2001. [Oral] Cowan, DA. Commercialising biotechnology – a personal view. Cape Biotech 2001,

Kirstenbosch, November 2001. [Keynote speaker] Sjöling, S. and Cowan, D. A. “The diversity of bacteria and direct cloning of novel enzyme

genes from Antarctic environment”, Novum Symposium, Huddinge 4th May 2001. [Oral presentation].

Sjöling, S. and Cowan, D. A. " Exploring and exploiting psychrophiles and alkliphiles",

Meeting organized by Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia, CSIC in San Sebastian, Spain, Sept 2001. [Oral presentation].

Sjöling, S. and Cowan, D. A. "Exploring and exploiting environmental bacteria", Faculty of

Science seminar, Univ. College Sodertorn, Sweden, 11th Nov, 2001. [Oral presentation]. [2002] Whiting, S., Ward, JM and Cowan, DA. Bageco-7; Symposium on Bacterial Genetics and

Ecology, Norway, June 2002 [Poster] Cowan, DA. The Microbiology of Antarctic Deserts. SA Microbiological Society meeting,

Bloemfontein, April 2002. [Keynote speaker] Brown, S., Burton, SG and Cowan, DA. A molecular phylogenetic analysis of microbial

diversity associated with proteoid root systems. SA Microbiological Society meeting, Bloemfontein, April 2002 [Poster]

Cowan, D. A. Studies on microbial diversity and distribution in the Antarctic Dry Valleys,

Sodertorn Hogskola, Sweden, 2nd July 2002. [Oral presentation]. Cowan, DA, Burton, SG, Sjoling, S., Cary, C., Whiting, S. and Russell, NR. The Microbiology

of Antarctic Deserts, Extremophiles 2002, 22-26 September 2002, Naples, Italy [Oral presentation].

Cowan, DA, Sjoling, S., Cary, C., and Whiting, S. Microbial diversity in Antarctic Deserts,

CNR, Milano, 28th September 2002, Milan, Italy [Oral presentation]. Cowan, DA, and Meyer, Q. Gene discovery, Cape Biotechnology 2002, Cape Town,

November 2002 [Oral presentation]. [2003] Cowan, DA “Metagenomics, Gene Discovery and the Ideal Biocatalyst”. Biotrans-’03, Olomouc, Czechoslovak Republic, July 2003, [Invited Keynote speaker] Burton, SG, Cowan, DA, Woodley, JM and Dorrington, R. The ideal biocatalyst: A new approach and its application in biocatalyst process development. SASBMB 2003, Pretoria [Oral Presentation]

40

Vengadagellum CJ, Harrison, STL, Cowan, DA and Burton, SG. Biosolubilisation of low rank coal. A novel route to value added compounds. SASBMB 2003, Pretoria [Oral Presentation] F. Hårdeman, D.A. Cowan and S. Sjoling.. “Diversity and multigenomic cloning of prokaryotes in the Baltic Sea sediment and Antarctic Dry Valley soil”. Metagenomics 03. Darmstadt, Germany, June 2003. [Poster] Tsekoa, T, Cameron, R & Cowan, DA. Purification strategies for recombinant nitrile hydratase. SASBMB meeting, July 2003, Pretoria. [Poster] Meyer, Q, Smith, JJ, Harrison, STL, Burton, SG, Soloman, M and Cowan DA. Recovering novel genes from environmental DNA samples via a gene-specific PCR method. SASBMB 2003, Pretoria. [Poster] Smith, JJ, Ah Tow, L, Weitnauer, M, Baker, GC and Cowan, DA. Phylogenetic analysis of multigenomic Antarctic samples. SASBMB 2003, Pretoria. [Poster] Wittwer, P and Cowan, DA. Construction and screening of a metagenomic library for ferulic acid modifying enzymes. SASBMB 2003, Pretoria. [Poster] Van Schalkwyk, A, Garcin, C, Burton, SG and Cowan, DA. UV-mutagenesis as a means of improving the transformation potential of bacteria isolated from olive oil wastewater. SASBMB 2003, Pretoria. [Poster] Silva-Stenico, ME, Vengadagellum, CJ, Burton, SG, Soloman, M and Cowan, DA. Microbial conversion of low rank coal to high value organic products. SASBMB 2003, Pretoria. [Poster] Garcin, CJ, Burton, SG and Cowan, DA. Composition, properties and biological activity of olive fermentation brines. SASBMB 2003, Pretoria [Poster] Stafford, WHL, Brown, SA, Burton, SG and Cowan, DA. Patterns of biodiversity in the Cape Floral Region. Microbial diversity associated with the Proteaceae plant family. SASBMB 2003, Pretoria [Poster] Duerr, R, Burton, SG, Cowan, DA and Syldatk, C. Biodiversity of hydantoin cleaving enzymes. SASBMB 2003, Pretoria [Poster] Cowan DA. Metagenomics, gene discovery and the ideal biocatalyst. Thermophiles 2003, September 2003, Exeter, UK. [Invited speaker] Baker, GC and Cowan, DA. Redesign of Domain-specific primers. Thermophiles 2003, September 2003, Exeter, UK. [Invited speaker] Whiting SJ, Ward JM, Bruce KD, Cowan, DA. Isolation of integrons from Antarctic soils. FEMS Congress of European Microbiology, July 2003, Slovenia. [Poster] Whiting SJ, Ward JM, Bruce KD, Cowan, DA. Isolation of integrons from Antarctic soils. SGM Congress, August 2003, Manchester, UK. [Poster] P.E. Wittwer, S.G. Burton, K.J. Rashamuse, D.A. Cowan. Enzymology of Ferulic Recovery Acid. Cape Biotech 2003, Nov 03, Cape Town. [Poster]

41

A van Schalkwyk, N. Galada, C. Garcin, S.G. Burton, D.A. Cowan. Improving the biotransformation potential of bacteria isolated from olive wastewater. Cape Biotech 2003, Nov 03, Cape Town. [Poster] M. Estela Silva-Stenico; Caryn J. Vengadajellum; Stephanie G. Burton; Sue T. L. Harrison; Marshall Solomon; Donald A. Cowan. Microbial conversion of low rank coal to high-value organic products. Cape Biotech 2003, Nov 03, Cape Town. [Poster] J.J. Smith, L. Ah Tow and D.A. Cowan. Phylogenetic analysis of multigenomic Antarctic samples. Cape Biotech 2003, Nov 03, Cape Town. [Poster] Rashamuse K.J, Wittwer P., and Cowan, D.A. Application of ferulic acid esterases for the recovery of high value compounds from soluble ferulated oligosacchaarides. Cape Biotech 2003, Nov 03, Cape Town. [Poster] Meyer, Q., Smith, J.J., Harrison, S.T.L., Burton, S.G., Soloman, M. and Cowan, D.A. Recovering novel genes from environmental DNA samples via a gene specific PCR method. Cape Biotech 2003, Nov 03, Cape Town. [Poster] W.H.L. Stafford, S.A. Brown, S.G. Burton, D.A. Cowan. Patterns of biodiversity in the Cape Floral Region: microbial diversity associated with the Proteaceae plant family. Cape Biotech 2003, Nov 03, Cape Town. [Poster] S. Muyanga, A. Arslanoglu, P.T. Basvi, D.A. Cowan.. Construction of metagenomic DNA libraries from Chinese geothermal samples and screening for unique enzymes of industrial value. Cape Biotech 2003, Nov 03, Cape Town. [Poster] [2004] JJ Smith; L Ah Tow; DA Cowan. Phylogenetic analysis of multigenomic samples. MISA-04, Penang, Malaysia, May 2004. [Poster] L Ah Tow; G Baker; DA Cowan. Detection of non-indigenous microorganisms in Antarctic Dry Valleys. MISA-04, Penang, Malaysia, May 2004. [Poster] S Whiting; JM Ward, KD Bruce; DA Cowan. Diversity of life in Dry Valleys of Antarctica. MISA-04, Penang, Malaysia, May 2004. [Poster] Dürr, R, Cowan, DA, Burton, SG and Syldakt, C. Identification of novel bacterial hydantoinases. ‘Bioconversion and Organic Synthesis’, Obernai, France, 24-26th May 2004. Stafford, W, Burton SG and Cowan, DA. Microbial and gene diversity in soils associated with Western Cape Proteaceae. ISME-10, Cancun, Mexico. August 2004. Ah Tow L and Cowan DA. Evidence for dissemination of non-indigenous microorganisms in pristine Antarctic habitats. Extremophiles 2004. Baltimore, USA, September 2004. [Poster] Smith JJ, Cary C and Cowan DA. Microbiology of Antarctic desert soils. Extremophiles 2004. Baltimore, USA, September 2004. [Poster] Galade N, Baker GC, Grant WG, Jones B, Heaphy S, Ventosa A, Ma Y, Xue Y-F and Cowan DA. Chinese hydrothermal sites dominated by novel nanoarchaeal species. Extremophiles 2004. Baltimore, USA, September 2004. [Poster] M. Estela Stenico; CJ. Vengadajellum; SG. Burton; STL. Harrison; M Solomon; DA. Cowan. Microbial conversions of low rank coal to high-value organic products. Internatl. Biotechnol. Symp., Oct 04, Santiago, Chile. [Poster]

42

R. Cameron, M. Sayed, M. Odaka, D. Cowan and M. Yohda. Structural and Functional Analysis of the Activator Protein of Co-type Nitrile Hydratase. 77th annual meeting of Japanese Biochemical Society, October 12-16, 2004, Yokohama, Japan [2005] Coyne, K.J., Wait, B., Hawes, I., Cowan, D.A., Cary, S.C. Diversity and expression of superoxide dismutase (MsSOD) by bacterial communities in meltwater ponds of the McMurdo ice shelf, Antarctica. American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, 2005 Aquatic Sciences Meeting, February 2005, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA [Poster] Smith, JJ, Ah Tow, L., Cary, C., Russell N.J. and Cowan, D.A. Phylogenetic analysis of microbial diversity in Antarctic cold-desert biotopes. Synthesis of Soil Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning in Victoria Land, Antarctica: An NSF Sponsored Workshop. April 2005 : Jekyll Island, GA, USA. [Poster] Whiting, SJ, Ward, JM, Bruce, KD and Cowan, DA. Diversity of Life in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. SGM meeting, June 2005, Keele, UK, [Poster] Smith, JJ, Moodley, K and Cowan, DA. Microbiology of Antarctic Dry Valley mineral soils. SCAR 2005, Curitiba, Br. July 2005. [Oral] Cowan, DA. Metagenomic gene discovery: Current and future prospects. Thermophiles 2005. Brisbane, Aus. September 2005. [Oral] Galada, N, Casanueva, A, Baker, G, Grant, WB, Jones, B, Yanhe, M, Ventosa, A, Blamey J & Cowan DA. Identification of Novel Nanoarchaeal Species and Their Potential Hosts in Hydrothermal Sediments. Thermophiles 2005. Brisbane, Aus. September 2005. [Poster] Muyanga, S, and Cowan, DA. Phylogenetic analysis of a novel hypersaline environment. International Symposium on Extremophiles and their Applications. Tokyo, Nov/Dec 2005. [Poster] [2006] Musaringimi, W and Cowan, DA. Isolation and characterisation of novel arsenic resistant microorganisms with arsenate resistance system (ars) from matured acid mine drainage and fly-ash solid phase. SASM, Pretoria, S.A., April 2006. [Oral] WT Sanyika, W Stafford and DA Cowan. Comparison of actinomycete diversity on Marion Island terrestrial habitats. 14th Biennial Congress of the South African Society for Microbiology 9-12 April 2006 [Oral] AI Casanueva, N Galada, G Baker, J Blamey and DA Cowan. Identification of novel Nanoarchaeal species and their potential hosts in hydrothermal sediments. 14th Biennial Congress of the South African Society for Microbiology 9-12 April 2006 [Oral] W Musingarimi, S Muyanga and DA Cowan. Isolation and characterisation of novel arsenic resistant microorganisms with arsenate resistance system (ars) from matured acid mine drainage and fly-ash solid phase. 14th Biennial Congress of the South African Society for Microbiology 9-12 April 2006 [Oral] J Lako, W Stafford and DA Cowan. Analysis of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria associated with the roots of Proteaceae plant species in soils of Fynbos ecosystems. 14th Biennial Congress of the South African Society for Microbiology 9-12 April 2006 [Poster]

43

MG Du Plessis, S Muyanga, Z Arieff and DA Cowan. Metagenome sequencing and analysis of a Chinese geothermal library- A pilot study. 14th Biennial Congress of the South African Society for Microbiology 9-12 April 2006 [Poster] LM Rohr, N Mashapu, SG Burton and DA Cowan Comparative phylogenetics of the microbial population in a winery waste-impacted wetland. 14th Biennial Congress of the South African Society for Microbiology 9-12 April 2006 [Poster] N Galada, AI Casanueva, G Baker, J Blamey and DA Cowan. Phylogenetic analysis of Nanoarchaeal diversity in Chinese and New Zealand hydrothermal sediments. 14th Biennial Congress of the South African Society for Microbiology 9-12 April 2006 [Poster] Lisa M Robson, Roberta L. Farrell, Don Cowan, Joe Grzymski, S. Craig Cary. Bacterial diversity in mineral soils associated with mummified seals in the Miers Valley, Eastern Antarctica. SCAR 2006, Hobart, Aus. 9-12 July 2006. [Oral] Don Cowan, Nuraan Khan, Tom Niederberger, Jo Grzymsky and Craig Cary. Microbial molecular ecology of Antarctic hypoliths. SCAR 2006, Hobart, Aus. 9-12 July 2006. [Oral] Antonio Ventosa, Immaculada Carrasco, Anna Castillo, Carmen Marquez, Maria Gutierrez, Yanfen Xue, Ma Yanhe, Don Cowan, Brian Jones, Bill Grant. Microbial diversity of saline lakes in Inner Mongolia (China). Extremophiles 2006. Brest, FR, September 2006. Agarkar V, Kimani S, Cowan D, Sewell T and Sayed M. Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of novel Bacillus sp. RAPc8 amidase. 20th Annual Symposium of the Protein Society, 4 - 9 August 2006, San Diego – USA [Oral] Van Wyk JC, Cowan D and Sayed M. Using directed evolution strategies to elucidate the relationship between thermostability and structure of a nitrile hydratase isolated from Bacillis sp. Rapc8. FASB 2006, Wilderness, South Africa [Oral] Agarkar V, Kimani S, Sayed M, Cowan D and Sewell T. The quaternary structure of the amidase from Geobacillus pallidus RAPc8 is revealed by its crystal packing. FASB 2006, Wilderness, South Africa [Oral] [2007] Cowan, DA. Metagenomics in Agribiotechnology. Asia Pacific Conference on Plant Tissue Culture and Agribio-technology. June 2007, PETC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia [Keynote Speaker] Wadsworth, R, Atkinson, A. and Cowan, DA. Thermophilic ethanologenesis. Thermophiles 2007, Bergen, NO, Sept 22-25. [Oral] P Kowlessur, Sayed, M and Cowan, DA. Structure and function of thermostable nitrile hydratases. Thermophiles 2007, Bergen, NO, Sept 22-25. [Oral] Ventosa, A, Castillo, AM, Carasco, IJ, Gutierrez, MC, Marquez, MC, Kamekura, M, Cowan, DA, Jones, BE, Grant, WD. Microbial diversity in saline lakes from Inner Mongolia, China. Halophiles 2007, Colchester, September 2007 [Oral]. [2008] IMBM Staff Member or Associate

Conference Attended Activity Title

A Nel Bio-08 (20-26 January 2008), Rhodes University, Grahamstown

Poster Isolation of cold-adapted nitrile hydrolysing microorganisms from

44

Antarctica.A Casanueva Bio-08 (20-26 January 2008),

Rhodes University, Grahamstown

Poster Identification of novel nanoarchaeal species in hypersaline environments.

J Lako Bio-08 (20-26 January 2008), Rhodes University, Grahamstown

Poster Cloning, expression and characterization, of thermostable YdaP Bacillus licheniformis.

C Heath Bio-08 (20-26 January 2008), Rhodes University, Grahamstown

Poster Searching for cold-active industrial enzymes in Antarctic soil, using a metagenomic approach.

W Sanyika Bio-08 (20-26 January 2008), Rhodes University, Grahamstown

Oral Comparison of actinomycete diversity in Marion Island terrestrial habitats.

M Mutondo Bio-08 (20-26 January 2008), Rhodes University, Grahamstown

Oral The microbiology on fly ash-acid mine drainage neutralization systems.

S Staniland Bio-08 (20-26 January 2008), Rhodes University, Grahamstown

Oral Cobalt resistance, uptake and possible recycling in Comamonas testosteroni, isolated from heavy-metal contaminated sites in the Zambian copper belt.

BT Sewell Biophysical Society 53rd Annual Meeting. Boston, Massachusetts, February 28 - March 4, 2008

Poster Insights into the mechanism of the cobalt containing nitrile hydratase from Geobacillus pallidus.

DA Cowan, M Taylor

1st African Congress on Biotechnology, Nairobi, Kenya, July 2008

Poster Proteomics analysis of ethanologenic thermophile under oxic and anoxic conditions

M Mutondo ISME-08, Cairns, AU, August 2008

Poster The microbiology of Fly Ash - Acid Mine Drainage neutralisation systems

N Khan ISME-08, Cairns, AU, August 2008

Oral Diversity of hypolithic communities in the Dry Valley soils of Eastern Antarctica.

A Casanueva Extremophiles-08, Somerset West, September 2008

Oral Nanoarchaeal 16S rRNA gene sequences are widely dispersed in hyperthermo-philic and mesophilic halophilic environments.

N Khan Extremophiles-08, Somerset West, September 2008

Oral Diversity of hypolithic communities in the Dry Valley soils of Eastern Antarctica.

S Burton Extremophiles-08, Somerset West, September 2008

Oral Applications of a thermostable nitrilase superfamily amidase with unusual substrate selectivity

M Le Roes-Hill Extremophiles-08, Somerset West, September 2008

Oral Exploiting extreme environments in search for novel actinomycetes and their oxidative enzymes

O Babalola Extremophiles-08, Somerset West, September 2008

Poster Phylogenetic and culture-dependent diversity of

45

Actinobacteria in dry valley mineral soils

K Lekang Extremophiles-08, Somerset West, September 2008

Poster Characterization of haloalkaliphiles from Lake Chitu and Shalla of the Ethiopian Rift valley

M Mutondo Extremophiles-08, Somerset West, September 2008

Poster The microbiology of Fly Ash - Acid Mine Drainage neutralisation systems

IM Tuffin Extremophiles-08, SomersetWest, September 2008

Poster Bacteriophage diversity of Antarctic Dry Valley soils

C Heath Extremophiles-08, Somerset West, September 2008

Poster Bio-mining the Antarctic soil metagenome: isolation of a novel lipase from a fosmid DNA library

C Heath Extremophiles-08, Somerset West, September 2008

Poster Discovery of a novel esterase from the Antarctic soil metagenome, through screening of a fosmid DNA library

DE Anderson Extremophiles-08, Somerset West, September 2008

Poster A novel cold-active lipase/esterase from an Antarctic metagenome

AO Gabathuse

Extremophiles-08, Somerset West, September 2008

Poster Synthesis of enantiopure amides by reversal of thermostable Geobacillus pallidus RAPc8 amidase catalysed reaction in organic solvents

JDW Lako Extremophiles-08, Somerset West, September 2008

Poster Cloning, expression and characterization of thermostable YdaP from Bacillus licheniformis

AJM Nel Extremophiles-08, Somerset West, September 2008

Poster Isolation of novel cold adapted nitrile hydrolysing micro-organisms

J van Wyk Extremophiles-08, Somerset West, September 2008

Poster Using random mutagenesis to investigate the relationship between structure and thermostability of a nitrile hydratase isolated from Geobacillus pallidus

K Horne Extremophiles-08, Somerset West, September 2008

Poster Fermentation of lignocellulosic waste by a novel Bacillus licheniformis isolate

M Taylor Extremophiles-08, Somerset West, September 2008

Poster Understanding physiological states of ethanologenic microbial thermophiles using a proteomic and transcriptomic approach

O Babalola SCAR 2008, Banff, CA, August 2008

Poster A survey of actinomycete diversity in Antarctic Dry Valley soils

C Heath SCAR 2008, Banff, CA, August 2008

Poster Bio-mining the Antarctic soil metagenome: isolation of a novel lipase from a fosmid DNA library

46

DA Cowan Cape Biotech Forum, Somerset West, December 2008

Keynote Metagenomics, High Throughput Sequencing and Gene Discovery

IM Tuffin Cape Biotech Forum, Somerset West, December 2008

Oral Novel lipases as potential biodiesel catalysts

[2009] N Galada Gordon Research

Conference on Archaea: Ecology, Metabolism & Molecular Biology, New Hampshire, July 2009

Poster Metagenomic approach and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of the microbial consortium from El Tatio geyser field, Chile

D Cowan SCAR Open Biology Meeting, Sapporo, Japan, September 2009

Keynote Microenvironmental and phylogenetic analysis of hypolithic communities in the Antarctic Dry Valleys

D Cowan Thermophiles-2009, Beijing, China, September 2009

Keynote Structure, function and engineering of enzymes from the nitrile hydratase operon of Geobacillus pallidus

B Kirby 15th International Symposium on the Biology of Actinomycetes, Shanghai, China, August 2009

Poster Phylogenetic diversity of actinobacterial populations associated with Antarctic Dry Valley mineral soils

X-P Hu Thermophiles-2009, Beijing, China, September 2009

Poster Searching for thermophilic cellulolytic enzymes using metagenomics

DA Cowan Third SMBBM International Congress Of Biochemistry , Marrakech, April 2009

Oral Structure, function and engineering of enzymes from the nitrile hydratase operon of Geobacillus pallidus

M Bailén SASM Bio2Biz, Durban, September 2009

Poster Analysis of cytoplasmic solutes in novel microalgae from Antarctic Dry Valley desert”.

D Barnard SASM Bio2Biz, Durban, September 2009

Poster Elucidating the metabolic pathway and genes involved in the 2,3-butanediol synthesis in true thermophiles

J-B Ramond SASM Bio2Biz, Durban, September 2009

Poster Impact of winery-effluents on microbial communities in constructed wetlands

M Taylor SASM Bio2Biz, Durban, September 2009

Poster Physiological insights to an ethanologenic thermophile

M Mutondo SASM Bio2Biz, Durban, September 2009

Poster Metatranscriptomic analysis of Antarctic lypolithic communities

C Kouadjo SASM Bio2Biz, Durban, September 2009

Poster Characterisation of chromium-resistant bacteria from a fly-ash dumping system in SA

N Mavengere SASM Bio2Biz, Durban, September 2009

Poster Isolation, identification and characterisation of novel

47

actinomycetes from Antarctic soil samples

D Anderson SASM Bio2Biz, Durban, September 2009

Poster Discovery of cold-adapted genes in an Antarctic metagenome

H Kwon SASM Bio2Biz, Durban, September 2009

Poster Cloning and expression of amidases from a psychrotolerant Nesterenkonia spp.

C Mketsu SASM Bio2Biz, Durban, September 2009

Poster Screening for substrate-tolerant nitrile hydratases

T Mamphogoro

SASM Bio2Biz, Durban, September 2009

Poster Identification of laccase and peroxidase enzymes from mesophilic bacteria

DA Cowan Bio2Biz, Durban, September 2009

Keynote Biodiversity and Bioprospecting

DA Cowan SASM, Durban, September 2009

Keynote Structure, function and engineering of thermophilic nitrile metabolising enzymes

B Kirby SASM Bio2Biz, Durban, September 2009

Oral Phylogenetic diversity of actinobacterial populations associated with Antarctic Dry Valley mineral soils

W Mavengere SASM Bio2Biz, Durban, September 2009

Oral The catalytic mechanism and efficiency of an engineered nitrile hydratase

T Makhalanyane

SASM Bio2Biz, Durban, September 2009

Oral Diversity and expression of key anabolic genes in Antarctic hypolithons

DA Cowan International Congress of Biotechnology, BIOTECH METU October, 2009

Keynote Metagenomics and Bioprospecting

[2010] Ohlhoff C , Mulako, I, Huddy R, Baue R , Tuffin IM, Cowan DA.

South African Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloemfontein (2010).

Oral High-Throughput Robotic Screening of a Compost Metagenomic Library: Discovery of Lignocellulosic Thermozymes.

Gao Y, Bauer R, Burton SG, Huddy R, Le Roes-Hill M, Tuffin IM, Cowan DA.

Cape Biotechnology Forum, Somerset West (2010)

Poster Characterization and screening of an actinobacterial isolate for thermophilic lignocellulosic enzymes.

Hu X-P, January T, Bauer R, Fall., S, Huddy R, Mulako I, Taylor M, Tuffin IM, Cowan DA.

Cape Biotechnology Forum, Somerset West (2010)

Poster Searching for lignocellulosic enzymes using a metagenomic approach.

Oldale M, Bauer R, Burton SG., Easton, S, M Le Roes-Hill, Tuffin IM, Cowan DA.

Cape Biotechnology Forum, Somerset West (2010)

Poster Isolation and Characterisation of thermophilic esterases from Actinomycetes used in the digestion of lignocelluloses.

Matthews LA, Bauer Cape Biotechnology Poster Screening for alpha-L-

48

R, Burton SG, Easton S, Le Roes-Hill M, Tuffin IM, Cowan. DA

Forum, Somerset West (2010)

arabinofuranosidases from thermophilic actinobacteria

Crisp RG, Bauer R, Burton SG, Cowan DA, Casanueva A, Le Roes-Hill M, Tuffin. , IM

Cape Biotechnology Forum, Somerset West (2010)

Poster The identification and characterization of thermophilic lignin degrading peroxidases from Actinomycetes for use in bioethanol production.

Ohlhoff C, Bauer R, Casanueva A, Cowan DA, Huddy R, Mulako I, Tuffin IM.

Cape Biotechnology Forum, Somerset West (2010)

Oral High-throughput robotic lignocellulose conversion to fuel: Taking a high-throughput shortcut across the metagenomic highway.

Mamphogoro, TP, Casanueva, A, Mulako, I, Le Roes, M, Burton, SG, Tuffin, M. Cowan, DA.

Cape Biotechnology Forum, Somerset West (2010)

Poster Identification and Characterisation of Laccase and Peroxidase Enzymes from mesophilic bacteria for lignocelluloses degradation

Meiring T, Tuffin M, Cary,C , Cowan.,DA.

Cape Biotechnology Forum, Somerset West (2010)

Oral/ Poster

Genomic and morphological characterisation of a novel Antarctic prophage

Adonis L, Barnard D, Tuffin M, Cowan D.

Cape Biotechnology Forum, Somerset West (2010)

Poster Characterization of the 2,3-butanediol pathway.

Ramond J-B, PJ. Weltz, Burton SG, Tuffin M, Cowan D.A.

Cape Biotechnology Forum. Somerset West, March (2010)

Oral Molecular Survey of Constructed Wetland Microbial Communities impacted by Winery-Effluents

Nyman TC, Anderson DA ,Heath, C, Tuffin, IM, Cowan, DA.

Cape Biotechnology Forum, Somerset West (2010)

Poster/ Oral

Sequencing and Partial Characterisation of a Novel Lipolytic Enzyme from a Estuarine Metagenomic Library

Mavengere WN, Casanueva A, Le-Roes Hill. M, Burton,S., Tuffin, IM, Cowan, DA

Cape Biotechnology Forum, Somerset West (2010)

Poster/ Oral

Deserted’ or in ‘hot soup’: The search for thermotolerant Actinobacterial tyrosinases.

Lukusa, K., Meiring, T. Cary. SC., Tuffin, M. Cowan, D. A.

Cape Biotechnology Forum, Somerset West (2010)

Poster Isolation and Morphological Diversity of Bacteriophages from Antarctic Cold Desert Environments.

Barnard D, Tuffin M, Cowan D

Cape Biotechnology Forum, Somerset West (2010)

Poster Elucidating the metabolic pathway and genes involved in 2,3-butanediol synthesis in obligate thermophiles.

Kouadjo ., C G ,Van Zyl L.J,Tuffin., IM Cowan.,DA., Zeze A

Cape Biotechnology Forum, Somerset West (2010)

Poster Chromium tolerance and reduction potential of staphylococci species isolated from a fly as dumping site in South Africa. Cape

Anderson DE,Taylor MP, Meiring TL, Tuffin., IM, Cowan., DA.

Cape Biotechnology Forum, Somerset West (2010)

Poster Metagenomic sequencing and gene discovery

Yung, CCM, Cary, Extremophiles-2010, Poster Chasmolithic microbial

49

SC, Cowan, DA, Pointing, SB.

Ponta Delgada, September 07-11

community of weathered granite in McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

Cary, SC, Tiao, G, McDonald, IR, Robson, L., Cowan, DA, Lee, CK

SCAR Open Science Conference, Buenos Aires, August 03-06

Poster The enigmatic mummified seals of the McMurdo Dry Valleys: biological consequences with implications to climate predictions

Du Plessis G, Kirby BM, Bauer R, Tuffin M, Cowan DA.

Soil Metagenomics 2010, Braunschweig (Germany), December 8-10

Poster Actinobacterial diversity of the Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes.

Heath C, Hu X-P, Taylor M, Bauer R, Cary C, Cowan DA..

Soil Metagenomics 2010, Braunschweig (Germany), December 8-10.

Poster Discovery and characterisation of a novel esterase from an Antarctic soil metagenome.

Meiring, TL, Tuffin, IM, Cary, C, Cowan, DA.

ISME13-2010, Seattle, August 22-27.

Poster Isolation and genome sequencing of a novel Antarctic temperate phage.

Ohlhoff C., Kirby BM, Mulaka I, Huddy RJ, Bauer R, Tuffin M, Cowan DA.

Soil Metagenomics 2010, Braunschweig, (Germany), December 8-10.

Oral A compost metagenome: Gaining access to novel lignocellulosic thermozymes.

Stomeo F, Bauer R, Tuffin M., Cary C, Pointing S, Stevens M, Cowan DA.

Soil Metagenomics 2010, Braunschweig (Germany), December 8-10

Poster Analysis of bacterial diversity of soil from the Antartic McMurdo Dry Valleys shallow vertical transects.

Stomeo, F, Tuffin, M, Cary, C, Pointing, S, Stevens, M, Cowan, DA.

Extremophiles-2010, Ponta Delgada, September 07-11.

Poster Analysis of microbial diversity in Antarctic Dry Valley soil horizons.

Tuffin, IM., Khan, N., Cary, SC., Birkeland, N-K, Cowan, DA.

Extremophiles-2010, Ponta Delgada, September 07-11.

Oral High microbial diversity in Antarctic Dry Valley soil microenvironments.

Tuffin, M, Anderson, D, Heath, C, Cowan, DA.

Extremophiles-2010, Ponta Delgada, September 07-11.

Poster Metagenomic gene discovery: How far have we moved into novel sequence space?

[2011] Mackay, S, Huddy, RJ, Tuffin, M, Cowan, D., Bauer, R.

A Single Step Method for the Isolation of Inhibitor-Free High Molecular Weight DNA

Poster 4th Congress of European Microbiologists, FEMS, Geneva, Switzerland.

NR Mavengere, BM Kirby, R Bauer, IM Tuffin, DA Cowan

Isolation and characterisation of actinobacteria from Zambian hot springs

Poster 4th Congress of European Microbiologists, FEMS, Geneva, Switzerland.

And many more not yet listed........

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51

OUTREACH ACTIVITIES

Regional Activities

Member, Cape Biotechnology Initiative, 2001-

Chairman, Biotechnology Regional Innovation Centre applications working party,

2002

Member, Cape Biotechnology Initiative Section 21 Company, 2002-

Member (co-opted), UWC working party for Belhar Science Park

Recruiting and Public Awareness

UWC Microbiological Research in Antarctica, Sasolburg recruitment fair, June 2002

Microbiology of Antarctic Deserts: UWC Indaba, August 2002

Interview: Radio interview on “GM Foods debate” with “Voice of the Cape 100.4 FM”,

June 2004

Article on “Biotechnology at UWC” in “Science in Africa”, July 2004

Radio interview for SABC on Antarctic research for ‘Antarctic month”; June 2005.

SABC1 Television interview: Biotechnology at UWC, January 2007.

SAASTA Public Lecture: Microbiology in Antarctica, April 2009

52

REFEREES

TEACHING AND ADMINISTRATION

Professor Ramesh Bharuthram Vice-Rector (Academic) University of the Western Cape Modderdam Road. Bellville 7535 SA. Tel: +27 21 959 7142 E-mail: rbharuthram@uwc.ac.za

RESEARCH

Dr Eric J Mathur Synthetic Genomics, Inc. Vice President, Metagenomics 11149 North Torrey Pines Road, Suite 100 La Jolla, California 92037 Tel: + 1 858.754.2903 Fax: + 1 858.754.2988 Cellular: + 1 301.659.7578 Assistant: + 1 858.754.2904 E-mail: EMathur@SyntheticGenomics.com

Professor Michael Danson Centre for Extremophile Research Department of Biology & Biochemistry University of Bath Bath BA2 7AY UK Tel: +44 1225 826 509 Fax: +44 1225 826 779 E-mail: bssmjd@bath.ac.uk

Professor Roy M. Daniel Director, Thermophile and Microbial

Biotechnology Research Unit School of Science and Technology University of Waikato Private Bag Hamilton New Zealand Tel: +64 7 838 4324 Fax: +64 7 838 4023 E-mail: r.damiel@waikato.ac.nz

Professor Roberta Farrell Fungal Biotechnology Group Department of Biological Sciences University of Waikato Private Bag Hamilton New Zealand Tel: +64 7 838 4324 Fax: +64 7 838 4023 E-mail: r.farrell@waikato.ac.nz