Farrant bags the silver

Professor Jill Farrant of UCT's Department of Molecular and Cell Biology has won the senior (silver) medal of the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB).

The medal is awarded for excellence in research and for service to the association, and is one of its highest honours.

But winning awards is nothing new to Farrant. Among her numerous awards are the South African Association for the Advancement of Science bronze medal, the South African Biological Society Captain Scott Memorial Bronze Medal for her MSc research and the SAAB bronze medal for her PhD. She was also awarded the National Research Foundation (NRF) President's award.

Farrant was offered an NRF chair at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, but declined the offer after UCT offered her an equivalent research chair in molecular physiology of plant desiccation tolerance, which she will hold until 2011.