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About

Kariska Potgieter is an innovative chemist whose research sits at the exciting intersection of laboratory automation, robotics, and catalysis. Her work has pioneered high-throughput methodologies that dramatically accelerate the discovery and evaluation of heterogeneous catalysts, addressing longstanding bottlenecks in conventional catalytic screening. Potgieter's most celebrated contribution, "Robotic Catalysis: A High‐Throughput Method for Miniature Screening of Mesoporous Metal Oxides" (2020, 11 citations), demonstrated that up to 96 catalysts could be synthesized and tested simultaneously using accessible tools including 3D-printed components, making the approach both scalable and cost-effective. Subsequent work extended this platform to nanoparticle catalysis and perovskite systems, further validating the versatility of robotics-assisted investigation. Beyond research, Potgieter has shown a deep commitment to science education, developing an automated aspirin synthesis practical that equips undergraduate students with critical skills in coding, microcontrollers, and digital laboratory techniques. With a growing citation record and publications spanning applied catalysis and chemical education, her contributions are shaping how the next generation of scientists both discovers new materials and learns to work within increasingly automated research environments.