Professor Beatrice Olutoyin Opeolu is the Founder and Director of BEE Solutions and Consultancy Services. She led the Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability Research Focus Area at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa. Her field of specialisation is environmental toxicology and chemistry. She focuses on the interactions between man and the environment, investigating chemical contaminations, remediation of toxic chemicals, and the health risks to humans and ecosystems. Beatrice serves on the Technical Committees of several nationally funded projects in South Africa. She is a South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)- Biological Testing Methods voting committee member. She co-developed an international programme, the SETAC online short course, aimed at developing countries. Beatrice is well regarded as an evaluator of academic programmes for the South African Council on Higher Education (CHE). She facilitates research projects, masterclasses and other capacity development initiatives in Africa using her extensive South-South and North-South networks.
She is a Past President of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Africa. She is the Immediate Past President of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) World Council. She is also a Fellow of SETAC. Beatrice has several research and service awards to her credit. She won the inaugural HERS-South Africa Trailblazer Award in 2023.
Over the past two decades, Beatrice has delivered several speeches as a participant, invited/plenary speaker, and keynote speaker at local, regional, and international conferences. She is a sought speaker and panelist at events, including the United Nations Commission on Status of Women (CSW) side events. She was the convener of the session - “Inclusive Science for Global Sustainable Development in a Climate-changing World” at the UN General Assembly78 (UNGA78) Science Summit (12-29 September 2023) and later UNGA79 (2024) Science Summit in New York.
