Qualifications:

• BSc, University of South Africa (1974)
• BSc (Hons), University of Cape Town (1975)
• PhD, University of Cape Town (1978)
• D.Eng. University of Stellenbosch (2005)

Professional Affiliations:

• Professional Engineer registered with ECSA (930012)

Research Affiliations:

• Centre for Minerals Research (CMR)

Research Interests:

• Flotation
• Catalysis

Biography:

Cyril O'Connor is a registered chemical engineer with a Ph.D. from the University of Cape Town and a Senior Doctorate (D.Eng.) in Metallurgical Engineering from Stellenbosch University. He is the immediate past Director of the Centre for Minerals Research and was the founder Director of the Institute for Catalysis Research, both of which are located in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Cape Town.  Prior to his retirement at the end of 2009 he was Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Cape Town (8 years), Dean of the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment (10 years) and served as an Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor in 2008/9.

He was President of the International Mineral Processing Council (2006-2020), held the Anglo-American Platinum Chair in Minerals Processing (2008-2012), was Vice-President of the International Zeolite Association (1998-2004), was a member of the Executive of the Academy of Engineering of South Africa (2012-2019) and is CEO of the South African Minerals to Metals Research Institute. He has chaired numerous scientific panels and boards and has served from time to time on various international scientific committees and review panels, has chaired the Organizing Committees of several major international conferences.  

He has published over 300 papers in international journals and international refereed conference proceedings, has supervised more than 80 PhD and MSc graduates and at his retirement was a National Research Foundation A rated researcher.

He is a Hon. Fellow and Fellow of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, a Fellow of, respectively, the Royal Society of South Africa, the University of Cape Town, the South African Academy of Engineering, the South African Institution of Chemical Engineering, IUPAC and is a founder member of the Academy of Science of South Africa. In 2017 he was elected as an International Member of the US National Academy of Engineering, in 2018 was appointed as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Central South University in Changsha, China, and in 2022 was awarded the Antoine M Gaudin Award by the US SME/AIME which is their highest annual award in the field of mineral and metallurgical processing.