C·I·B Teams
 

C·I·B Core Research Team

 

David Richardson

Prof. David Richardson is Director of the C·I·B and a Professor in the Department of Botany and Zoology at Stellenbosch University. His research focuses mainly on plant invasions, especially trees and shrubs. He is interested in the biogeography, ecology and management of invasions. David is Editor-in-Chief of the journal Diversity and Distributions.

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Christian Chimimba

Prof. Christian Chimimba is a lecturer in the Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria. His research interests include African small mammal evolutionary and biosystematics research focusing on rodents of medical, veterinary, economic, agricultural, and of biodiversity/conservation concern.

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Dr Susana Clusella-Trullas

Dr Susana Clusella-Trullas is a physiological ecologist at the C·I·B. Her research combines theory, laboratory and field work to examine physiological responses of organisms to changing environmental conditions, with a strong focus on thermal biology. Her interests include climate change impacts on indigenous and invasive species and the interactive effects of climate and invasion. Additional research addresses patterns of physiological traits at large spatial scales and bottom-up modeling approaches.

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Sarah Davies

Sarah Davies is involved in managing the C·I·B's research programme, and in projects on invasive Argentine ants in the fynbos biome. She is particularly interested in how ecological systems change when invaded, how invasions can be prevented and controlled and the policy implications of these priorities.

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Karen Esler

Prof. Karen Esler is Deputy Chairperson of the Department of Conservation Ecology, Stellenbosch University. The overall goal of her research is to understand how drivers of change (climate change, over-exploitation, habitat fragmentation and alien invasion) influence population and community structure and processes in fynbos and Karoo vegetation. The applied aspect of this work has been to advise on aspects of restoration and conservation.

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Stefan Foord

Dr. Stefan Foord is a lecturer in the Department of Zoology at the University of Venda. His research focuses mainly on arachnid systematics, ecology and conservation.

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Llewellyn Foxcroft

Dr Llewellyn Foxcroft is a scientist in the South African National Parks Conservation Services division, based in Skukuza, Kruger National Park. His main research interests are in alien plant invasions, investigating the processes and patterns of invasion, and the links to management interventions. He also has wide ranging interests in conservation biology, as well as strategic adaptive management frameworks. He is editor of the journal Koedoe: African Protected Area Conservation and Science.

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Mirijam Gaertner

Mirijam Gaertner is employed as a research coordinator by the City of Cape Town’s Invasive Species Unit. Her research focuses on the effects of plant invasion on fynbos ecosystems, as well as the restoration of these systems. Another field of interest are South African nature conservation practices in fynbos ecosystems, especially sustainable use of ecosystem goods, restoration of ecosystem goods and services and conservation area networks. Her most recent research focuses on effects of invasive plants on the ecosystem level investigating how invasions can change ecosystem feedbacks and potentially result in regime shifts.

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Charles Griffiths

Prof. Charles Griffiths is Director of the Marine Biology Research Centre and a Professor in the Zoology Department, University of Cape Town. His research interests lie mainly in the field of marine biodiversity and marine invasive species.

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Cang Hui

Dr Cang Hui is a researcher working on the interface between mathematics and ecology. His interests lie in proposing models and theories for explaining emerging patterns in community ecology, macroecology and evolution.

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Bettine Jansen van Vuuren

Prof. Bettine Jansen van Vuuren is based at the University of Johannesburg in the Zoology Department. Her research is of a molecular ecology nature, focussing on the spatial distribution of genetic variation at different spatial scales and the processes that shape these patterns. Ongoing projects are based in Southern Africa as well as the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic Regions.

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Steven Johnson

Prof. Steven Johnson is a professor in the School of Biological and Conservation Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg. His research is focused on the ecology and evolution of plant-pollinator interactions.

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Dr Jaco le Roux

Dr Jaco le Roux is the molecular ecology lab manager and does research related to phylogeography and population genetics of invasive plants. His research interests are broad but mainly revolve around evolutionary dynamics of small populations, evolutionary biology and ecology of plant invaders in general.

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Heidi Prozesky

Dr. Heidi Prozesky is a lecturer at the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, Stellenbosch University. Her research interests include science and technology studies, with a particular focus on gender and publication productivity, as well as environmental sociology and the sociology of the family.

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Mark Robertson

Prof Mark Robertson is a lecturer in the Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria. His research interests include species distributions, plant invasions, invasion impacts on biodiversity, and biodiversity studies across environmental gradients.

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Tammy Robinson

Dr. Tammy Robinson is a marine biologist and lecturer at the University of Stellenbosch. As a community ecologist her research interests centre on marine biodiversity with a particular focus on the impacts of marine invasive species on the South African coast.

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Mathieu Rouget

Prof. Mathieu Rouget is a Professor at the School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal. His research aims to improve environmental decision making and natural resource management. His research contributes to integrate biodiversity conservation into land use decision making and to generate multiple benefits from our ecosystems.

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Michael Somers

Prof. Michael Somers is a lecturer at the Centre for Wildlife Management, University of Pretoria. His research interests are broad but include invasion biology, reintroduction biology, conservation behaviour and carnivore behaviour and ecology.

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John Terblanche

Prof. John Terblanche is an Associate Professor in the Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology at Stellenbosch University and has established an international track record in the field of insect physiology. His research interests are agricultural pests and disease vector responses to climate change.

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Brian van Wilgen

Dr. Brian van Wilgen is a Chief Ecologist in the CSIR Natural Resources and Environment Unit, based in Stellenbosch. His primary fields of research include fire ecology and the use of fire in managing ecosystems, as well as the ecology and management of invasive alien plants in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.

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Olaf Weyl

Dr. Olaf Weyl is a Principal Scientist at the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity. His research interests include fish biology and ecology, particularly with reference to the impact of alien fishes and the influence of anthropogenic factors such as fishing on aquatic ecosystems.

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John Wilson

Dr. John Wilson is the researcher co-ordinator for the South African National Biodiversity Institute's Invasive Species Programme. He is based at the Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University. He is interested in the ecology and evolution of biological invasions, how humans have influenced these processes, and how we can improve the science-base for management and legislative decisions.

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Theresa Wossler

Prof. Theresa Wossler is a lecturer in the Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University. Her research focuses on social insects and the threat introduced social insects have on their host communities through the flexibility that sociality offers.

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