The University of the Western Cape (UWC) is proud to host a Workshop presented by a world-class specialist and international leader in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and its application in Geosciences – Dr. Richard Wirth.

Dr. Wirth is not only a skilled and experienced operator of the sophisticated equipment (two state-of-the-art TEM machines are installed at his home institution – GFZ-Potsdam), but also an exceptional scientist with more than 427 peer-reviewed papers in accredited journals and an outstanding h-index of 62.


He has designed a workshop on the TEM principles and applications and successfully presented it internationally. His workshop has received several awards worldwide, and Dr Wirth is excited to present it to a South African audience. This workshop is offered to the South African scientific community for attendance face-to-face and online (in the form of a “hybrid” event).

South African researchers, instrument technicians, industry specialists, and postgraduate students will have a chance to learn first hand about the physical principles behind focussed ion beam (FIB) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods. They will learn in detail how to apply these methods to geological materials, and what the benefits and limitations of the technique are.

Attending a workshop led by an international scientist will also help the South African scientific community to strengthen international collaborations and connections with the state-of-the-art laboratories in Europe.

Dr. Elizaveta Kovaleva is a lecturer in Applied Geology at UWC and says: “For the benefit of UWC in particular, the workshop will establish our University as an international hub for researchers from all over the world, on par with our neighbours. It is also great news that Dr. Wirth will stay in South Africa for a few days after the workshop and will make himself available to the South African scientific community for questions and discussions.”