Specialist knowledge.
Practical impact.

Dr Martin van Nierop (PhD Chem Eng) obtained a doctorate in Chemical Engineering from the University of Witwatersrand in 2002. Martin became involved in a number of large research projects for the University. In 2003, Martin managed the Cape Town Brown Haze Study, which was conducted by the Climatology Research Group at the University under the leadership of Prof Stuart Piketh.

A year later Martin and Stuart managed the formation of Gondwana Environmental Solutions. Since Gondwana opened their doors in 2004, over 450 projects have been completed. Martin has been involved in all types of projects conducted by Gondwana at various levels over the years. Martin was instrumental in Gondwana becoming an ISO/IEC 17025:2005 SANAS Accredited Testing Laboratory in Environmental Analysis in February 2015.

Prof Stuart Piketh (PhD, Geography) completed his doctorate at the University of Witwatersrand in 2000. Stuart joined the Climatology Research Group at the University in 1998 as a research officer. Stuart progressed within the Group becoming Director and Reader 2003. Stuart managed various projects on a national and international scale as Director of the Group. Stuart joined the North-West University in 2012 as Professor for the School of Geo and Spatial Science.

Stuart has accumulated over 20 years of experience in the air pollution, climatology and climate change and continues to promote and develop research in these fields.

Anja van Basten (BA (hons) Physical Geography) completed her BA (hons) degree in Physical Geography cum laude at Wits University in 1988. She taught high school Geography between 1989 and 1994. She has worked for Gondwana Environmental Solutions since June 2009 and completed an AERMOD course in March 2010. She has worked on many projects since then, including air quality impact assessments, air quality management plans and other environmental research projects.

Dr Luanne Stevens (PhD Botany) has been working in the field of monitoring, measuring and estimating GHG emissions from the land and agricultural sectors for more than 15 years. She obtained her PhD in Botany from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2000 and has since worked as a senior research at Wits, as an atmospheric scientist at the CSIR and as a private environmental consultant. Presently, Luanne consults on projects related to atmospheric chemistry, greenhouse gas emissions, climate change and the impacts on the environment. She has conducted extensive work in developing updated GHG inventories for the agricultural, transport and now the land use sectors for the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA).

Mr. Shozi, Technical Manager, holds a B-Tech Degree in Electrical Engineering – Instrumentation. He has completed specialized training courses including the Gas Analyzer, TEOM Models Operation, Maintenance, and Technical & Diagnostic Training, and the GM5000 training by Thermo Fisher. With extensive experience in conducting workshop troubleshooting and repairs of analysers, Mr. Shozi is responsible for managing various brands of air quality monitoring equipment. He develops site maintenance plans for clients’ AQMS, focusing on zero, span, and dynamic calibrations. Mr. Shozi executes precise calibrations at client sites to ensure accurate and reliable measurements, leads site installation design and commissioning activities, and oversees projects to completion. As the main technical contact, he provides expert guidance and support, leveraging his strong organizational and communication skills to deliver exceptional service.