TU Dresden mourns the death of Dr. Rehana Malgas-Enus from Stellenbosch University in South Africa, who passed away in Dresden on Monday, September 19, 2022, at the age of only 39. The innovative chemist had come to TU Dresden in early September for a three-month guest stay as part of the Eleonore Trefftz Program. 

At Stellenbosch University, with which TU Dresden maintains a strategic partnership, Dr. Malga-Enus was a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Polymer Sciences. She led her own research group there, independently funded by the South African National Research Foundation (NRF), and specialized in the development of organic and inorganic nanomaterials. Her pioneering work opened up a wide range of applications (from catalysis to water purification to biomedical applications, e.g. for cancer treatments). Her research had already resulted in a patent application. In light of her excellent achievements, Dr. Malgas-Enus was awarded the NRF Excellence in Science Engagement Award in 2018 and selected by the South African Department of Education for the prestigious, highly competitive Future Professors Program in 2020.

However, Dr. Rehana Malgus-Enus was not only a dedicated researcher, but also a talented and enthusiastic science communicator who founded the Stellenbosch University Chemistry Outreach Initiative (SUNCOI) to open up the world of chemistry to students from underprivileged schools and to show them the opportunities provided by a scientific education.

Prof. Jan J. Weigand (Faculty of Chemistry), who as Dr. Malgas-Enus' host at TU Dresden planned joint research projects and cooperative publications with her, is deeply saddened. Her untimely death leaves a gap that cannot be filled, both on a human and scientific level. The Chairman of the School of Science, Prof. Clemens Kirschbaum, also expressed his sorrow. The Vice-Rector University Culture, Prof. Roswitha Böhm, emphasizes the excellence of the visiting scientist: "Dr. Rehana Malgas-Enus was an outstanding and inspiring scientist who fully devoted herself to her research, to social commitment and strategic collaboration." All three are extremely saddened to lose such a promising young scientist and express their deepest sympathies on behalf of TU Dresden: "Our thoughts are now with her husband, her family, her friends and colleagues in South Africa."

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