Tricia Naicker received her M.Sc. (cum laude) in 2008 for the syntheses of polycyclic cage compounds as chiral ligands for metal catalyzed asymmetric reactions, from University of KwaZulu Natal. In 2011, she completely her Ph.D. at the same institution, working on the development and application of novel tetrahydroisoquinoline based organocatalysts, this resulted in a very successful, fully published thesis which were the first reports in this blossoming field from South Africa. In the same year she was presented the Department of Science and Technology’s Women in Science PhD award. Afterwards, she joined the world-renowned leader in organocatalysis, Professor KA Jørgensen’s research group as a postdoctoral fellow at Aarhus University- Denmark. Since 2013, she started her academic career as a senior lecturer and independent research endeavors at the Catalysis and Peptide Research Unit based in University of KwaZulu Natal. Her research interests are focused towards new methodologies in asymmetric organocatalysis for application in the synthesis of new drugs and enhancement of old drugs within the field of HIV and TB.

Asymmetric Organocatalysis