Patricia Berjak

Patricia Berjak FRSSAf
Born	(1939-12-29)29 December 1939
Died	21 January 2015(2015-01-21) (aged 75)
Alma mater	University of the Witwatersrand University of Natal
Scientific career
Fields	botany

Patricia Berjak FRSSAf (29 December 1939 – 21 January 2015) was a South African botanist known for her work on the biology of plant seeds, especially seed recalcitrance.^[1][2][3] She was professor for 48 years at the University of Kwazulu-Natal (UKZN).

She earned a B.Sc. degree in biochemistry at the University of the Witwatersrand (1962), then went on to the University of Natal (now UKZN), earning a M.Sc. in mammalian physiology and biochemistry (1966) and PhD in seed biology (1969). She was a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa, and a Fellow of the University of Natal, the Royal Society of South Africa and the Third World Academy of Sciences. She was awarded the Order of Mapungubwe (Silver) in 2006.^[4] The standard author abbreviation Berjak is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.^[5]

References

1. Rondganger, Lee (28 January 2015). "UKZN scientist dies after short illness". IOL.
2. Mycock, David (2015). "Professor Patricia Berjak (1939–2015): World-renowned plant scientist and exceptional mentor". South African Journal of Science. 111 (5/6). doi:10.17159/sajs.2015/a0106.
3. Farrant, Jill M. (2015). "Patricia Berjak FRSSAf (1939–2015)". Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa. 70 (2): 191–192. doi:10.1080/0035919X.2015.1051341.
4. "Patricia Berjak (1939 - )". Order of Mapungubwe. The Presidency, Republic of South Africa. Archived from the original on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
5. International Plant Names Index.  Berjak.

Further reading

• Sooryamoorthy, R. (2015). "Collaboration Experience: Portrait of an Eminent Scientist". Transforming Science in South Africa: Development, Collaboration and Productivity. Palgrave Macmillan UK. pp. 226–. ISBN 978-1-137-49307-1.