If you ever meet Professor Tertius Kohn, don’t be surprised if he starts talking about baboons with a sweet tooth, cheetahs on a diet or antelopes being chased by quad bikes. It’s all part of a day’s work for this muscle physiology maestro whose journey from a small town in the Boland to the lecture halls of the University of the Western Cape (UWC) is anything but ordinary.

This week marks a major milestone in his career: his inaugural lecture at UWC, held on Wednesday, 27 August, where he officially steps into his role as a full professor. The lecture is not just a celebration of academic achievement; it’s a reflection of a life shaped by curiosity, resilience, and a deep commitment to both science and society.

Image: Shelley Christians/UWC

For Prof Kohn, it’s a moment to share his journey, his research and his vision for the future with colleagues, students and the broader academic community.

It all began with a legacy of resilience. His grandfather, a Polish Jew and the sole survivor of his family during World War II, converted to Christianity and moved to South Africa during the Great Depression. He pastored disadvantaged communities in broken Afrikaans, carrying the weight of cultural isolation and personal loss.

This quiet strength trickled down to Kohn’s father, a pharmacist who defied apartheid norms with a one-door policy - an act that earned him vandalism and social ostracism. “I only understood my father’s subtle activism later in life,” Prof Kohn reflected. “It was a quiet rebellion, but powerful.”

As a child, his curiosity was explosive - literally. One day, after researching how to make gunpowder, he lit a homemade batch and filled the house with smoke. The frantic clean-up before his father got home was his first lesson in scientific experimentation and panic management. That same curiosity would later fuel his academic career, though thankfully with fewer explosions.

Growing up in De Doorns, Prof Kohn enjoyed a childhood of freedom and safety. His love for gymnastics led him to Paarl Boys’ High, where he learned firsthand about muscle performance. This fascination with the human body’s mechanics followed him to Stellenbosch University, where he initially aimed for medical school. When that didn’t pan out, he pivoted to a Bachelor of Science, majoring in physiology and biochemistry.

“I loved biochemistry,” he explained, “but physiology had the action. Muscles, movement, performance - it was like gymnastics, but under a microscope.”

Prof Kohn with his parents at his graduation in 2005. Image supplied.

After completing his PhD on elite runners, including the legendary Kenyans, his research took a wild turn. He began applying muscle physiology techniques to wildlife, starting with impalas and ostriches. Using pedometers to track ostrich activity, he discovered that even birds have workout routines. His work expanded to lions, cheetahs, and antelopes, exploring how muscle structure and metabolism affect performance and survival.

One particularly wild project involved training antelopes with quad bikes to study capture myopathy - a condition where animals suffer muscle breakdown due to extreme stress during capture. 

Prof Kohn’s research also ventured into the realm of human health, particularly diabetes. Collaborating with hospitals, he studied insulin resistance in muscle tissue. One surprising discovery came from baboons addicted to human food - think chips, sweets and leftovers. These baboons were developing insulin resistance, mirroring the rise of type 2 diabetes in children: “It’s a wake-up call. If baboons are getting sick from our food, what does that say about us?”

His flagship “Lactate Study” now focuses on early predictors of insulin resistance in young South African men, aiming to catch metabolic dysfunction before it becomes a lifelong struggle.

Beyond the lab, Prof Kohn is a passionate educator. He’s taught at Stellenbosch, UCT, and now UWC, where he finds students to be respectful, appreciative, and eager to learn. His teaching philosophy is simple: engage students, encourage critical thinking, and connect theory to real life.

Left to right: Prof Kohn, Prof Kohn with his sister Madeleine in 1979 and Prof Kohn in matric in 1993. Images: Supplied

“I tell my students, if you can understand how a cheetah runs, you can understand human physiology,” he says. “It’s about making science relatable and fun.”

He beams when talking about student success stories, especially those who graduate with cum laude honours. “Seeing them walk across that stage with a smile that big - that’s the hope and the reward.”

Behind the academic accolades is a man shaped by personal trials. He recently lost his mother, sister, and father, and speaks candidly about the emotional toll. He lives in Durbanville with his wife, who transitioned from academia to business, and their two daughters, aged 15 and 11. He jokes about preparing for their future boyfriends, proving that even muscle scientists worry about teenage drama.

From explosive childhood experiments to groundbreaking wildlife research, Prof Kohn’s journey is a testament to curiosity, resilience and heart. His inaugural lecture is not just a celebration of his achievements - it’s a reminder that science, when paired with compassion and creativity, can truly change lives.

@uwconline Cheetahs on a diet, baboons with a sweet tooth, Prof Tertius Kohn’s journey hits a milestone: his inaugural lecture at UWC. #IAmUWC ? original sound - University of the Western Cape