Ryan D. Rattray

My passion for the natural world and southern Africa's extraordinary botanical heritage led me to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Genetics at the University of Pretoria, followed by an Honours and Master of Science (cum laude) in Botany at the University of Johannesburg, where I discovered the rich intersection of phytochemistry, ethnobotany, and molecular science. I completed my PhD on the chemical and molecular characterisation of southern African medicinal plants in 2024, focusing particularly on the aromatic Lamiaceae and their relevance to Cape Herbal Medicine.

My research is rooted in a deep commitment to linking Indigenous knowledge systems with rigorous phytochemical science. The medicinal plants of southern Africa — Salvia, Stachys, Pseudodictamnus, and Diosma among them — carry centuries of traditional knowledge that deserves both respect and scientific enquiry. Using GC-MS and UHPLC-MS metabolomics, molecular phylogenetics, and multivariate chemometrics, I work to understand their chemical diversity, evolutionary relationships, and the pharmacological basis of their traditional uses.

Beyond the laboratory, I have built a strong track record in research coordination, grant management, and stakeholder engagement — working alongside Indigenous knowledge holders, government bodies, and industry partners across southern Africa. From 2016 to 2019 I served as Laboratory Manager of the African Centre for DNA Barcoding at the University of Johannesburg, directing a national centre of excellence and leading pioneering work in cycad forensics and invasive species management. A six-month research visit to the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics at the University of Guelph in 2019 deepened my bioinformatics expertise and established lasting international research partnerships.

Since 2023 I have served as Project Manager and Researcher within the DST-NRF SARChi Chair in Indigenous Plant Use, managing the annual Indigenous Plant Use Forum and directing multidisciplinary research that integrates metabolomics, phytochemistry, and ethnobotany. In 2026 I was appointed Managing Editor of the Journal of Ethnopharmacology (Elsevier, IF=6.8) — one of the leading international journals in medicinal plant research — reflecting growing recognition within the global ethnopharmacological community.

I have disseminated my research through nine peer-reviewed publications in five international journals (IF 3.1–6.8), 19 oral presentations at national and international conferences across four continents, and four invited lectures including a plenary address at the South African Association of Botanists Annual Conference. I am committed to training the next generation of natural product scientists, currently co-supervising three MSc students and one PhD candidate.