Gertrude Mafusire (Pri.Sci.Nat) is a senior air quality specialist at Rayten Engineering Solutions (Pty) Ltd. She is a holder of a postgraduate MPhil Energy Studies degree from the University of Johannesburg (completed under the Supervision of Professor Harold Annegarn and Dr Micky Josipovic) and an undergraduate Honours Chemistry degree from the Midlands State University – Zimbabwe. Through her postgraduate studies, Gertrude was exposed to atmospheric transport, specifically the transport of biomass burning aerosols over Southern Africa, which is influenced mainly by meteorological conditions, including atmospheric circulation systems. She gained insight into the La Nina and El Nino climatic phenomena. Gertrude gained experience in academic research (on the physics and chemistry of the atmosphere) and writing journal articles and conference papers, with publications in local and international scientific journals. In October 2013, she presented on the “Origins and frequencies of aerosol/haze and CO episodes over Southern Africa” at the joint International Union of Air Pollution Prevention & Environmental Protection Associations (IUAPPA) and National Association of Clean Air (NACA) Conference in Cape Town, South Africa. She was awarded the Best Student Paper Award. Her research was later published in the prestigious and accredited Journal of Geophysical Research in 2015.
Upon completing her postgraduate studies, Gertrude worked as a research assistant at the SeTAR Centre, University of Johannesburg, before its closure. The Centre specialised in sustainable energy and air-quality research, including the interrogation of the physics and chemistry of the atmosphere. Gertrude joined the team at Rayten Engineering Solutions in 2017. Over the past few years, she has grown professionally as an air quality scientist. Gertrude has over five years of experience in the air quality field, including project management, client and supplier liaison, marketing, and compilation of air quality documents and/or reports such as Atmospheric Emission Licenses (AELs), Annual AEL reports, emission inventories and atmospheric impact reports. She has also gained experience in dispersion modelling, which is one of the key services offered by Rayten. Gertrude now focuses on using her experience in the air quality field at Rayten Engineering Solutions in training and managing junior air quality scientists, including reviewing their reports and /or work. These are essential aspects in ensuring the intellectual growth of the company and maintaining the company’s integrity.
Over the many years spent at Rayten, Gertrude has learnt that teamwork is vital in ensuring the company’s continued growth and success.
