Born in Elsies River and growing up in Mitchell’s Plain and Belhar, one could say that Burtram Fielding is a product of the Cape Flats in the truest sense. Given his impressive academic achievements, one could also say that he is a perfect example of the kind of potential that lies within the Cape Flats.
After matriculating in 1990 at Symphony High in Belhar, Burtram went on to register for and complete a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and Physiology at the University of the Western Cape. He then went on to complete both Honours and Masters, and by 2000, he had completed his PhD in Microbiology. Also during this time, he had completed a short course in Project AdministrationShort Course at the University of Cape Town and in 2019, he graduated with a Masters in Management Coaching from Stellenbosch University.
He started working as a Part Time Lecturer at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology before moving on to become a Full Time lecturer at the University of the Western Cape. Patiently working his way through the academics ranks, he rose to Senior Lecturer in 2006, Associate Professor in 2008, Acting Director of Research in 2014, Deputy Head of Department also in 2014, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation in 2016, Director Of Research Development in 2018 and Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences in 2022. In addition to this, he became a full Professor in 2011 and appointed an Extraordinary Professor in 2024. After spending 24 years at UWC as a highly accomplished academic, he moved to Stellenbosch University in 2024 where he now serves as the Dean in the Faculty of Science.
In addition to all these achievements, Burtram has worked as a Research Fellow at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Singapore and he serves on the editorial boards of fourteen international journals and serves as a scientific reviewer for six national and international funding bodies, and he is an expert in the area of diseases such as viral infections and cancer.
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