PhD, University of Pretoria MSc, University of Pretoria BScHons, University of Pretoria NRF Grant holder-linked Postdoctoral Fellowship Office: 2-30.1, Zoology Building Email: [email protected]

Ecological, behavioural, physiological and biomedical studies of African vertebrates

My interests lie in understanding the biology, ecology and behaviour of African vertebrates, in particular mammals, with the African mole-rats being my main study animal. With my co-workers, I investigate the ecological and physiological factors that affect the control of reproduction and sociality of these animals.

I have a keen interest in using knowledge of the biology of these mammals to improve treatments of human medical conditions. Many African mammals demonstrate flexibility in biological systems, can provide insights into abnormal or diseased states, and offer unprecedented translational discovery paths. The two main species on which I focus my research are tenrecs and mole- rats. African mole-rats are interesting non-model mammals for understanding ageing, oxygen limitation, pain receptors and cancer biology because they have evolved a range of solutions to living in a subterranean environment.

Publications

Postgraduate students

Current

Mr Kyle Finn. PhD in Zoology

Ms Tshepiso Majelantle. PhD in Zoology

Mr Tobias Suess. PhD in Zoology

Ms Andine Erasmus. MSc in Zoology

Mr Andries Janse van Vuuren. MSc in Zoology

Ms Monique van Dyk. MSc in Zoology

Ms Kyra Wallace. BSc (Honours) in Zoology

Completed

Mr Keegan Schoeman. BSc (Honours) in Zoology (2018)