Professor Paulette Bloomer has been appointed as the Head of the newly merged Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology at the University of Pretoria (UP) from 1 January 2018.

Prof Bloomer obtained her PhD in Zoology from UP in 1993. Following that, she completed several postdoctoral studies including at the University of Georgia (Athens, USA), the University of Cape Town (UCT) and UP. She was appointed as a permanent full-time academic staff member in the Department of Genetics and worked as Lecturer from 1999 to 2000, Senior Lecturer from 2001 to 2003, Associate Professor from 2004 to 2009, and Professor from 2010. Prof Bloomer served as the Head of the Department of Genetics from 2010 to 2017.

She has been leading the Molecular Ecology and Evolution Programme since 1999. She is a team member in the Centre of Excellence in Birds as Keys to Biodiversity Conservation at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute at UCT and a member of the Mammal Research Institute (MRI) and the Genomics Research Institute (GRI) at UP. Her research focuses on investigating the underlying processes responsible for the creation and maintenance of vertebrate biodiversity, using a phylogeographic and population genetics approach. Current group projects focus mainly on endemic southern African, African or Western Indian Ocean species and with a particular interest in how species and populations adapt or respond to long-and short term environmental changes.

Prof Bloomer has published widely in International Scientific Indexing (ISI) journals including prestigious journals such as Science. She has mentored several postdoctoral fellows and supervised more than 40 MSc and PhD graduates. She is an established researcher and holds an NRF C rating. She was a UP Young Outstanding Academic Achiever in 2005/2006. She is equally passionate about undergraduate teaching. 

The University wishes Prof Bloomer great success in her new responsibilities as Head of the Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology.