Ramjugernath leads a large team of postgraduate students and researchers – arguably one of the leading research groups in its field globally – which undertakes cutting-edge research contributing towards chemical process development and optimization in South Africa and abroad.

The group actively contributes to the Government’s Fluorochemical Expansion Initiative (FEI) by researching and developing South Africa’s fluorinated products with its activities being integral to the development of a fluorochemicals industry in the country and directly linked to

the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA) and SASOL. Although South Africa possesses the second largest reserves of fluorspar (the starting material for all fluoro - chemicals), it currently imports almost all of its fluorinated  products. There is very little beneficiation of the fluorspar reserves in the country and the activities under the Chair assist in addressing the problem by developing technology and human capacity to drive the development and expansion of a fluorochemical cluster.

The research activities under the Chair are not limited to fluorochemicals but also cover the areas of chemical thermodynamics and separation technology. Thus, the Research Unit has one of the best equipped laboratories in the Southern Hemisphere and is one of the largest groups working in this field.

Ramjugernath is passionate about human capacity development and is a strong believer in a collaborative approach to research capacity development. In this regard he has had a number of research bi-lateral agreements for the exchange and training of students and researchers with research groups based in countries such as Germany, the United States of America, Canada, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Poland, France, and the Czech Republic.