Prof Nico Smit

Prof Nico Smit is a Professor of Ecology in the School of Biological Sciences at North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, South Africa. Nico’s research focuses on the biodiversity, taxonomy, and ecology of marine and freshwater parasites and he has authored and co-authored more than 250 scientific papers and three edited books on these and other related topics. To date, 23 PhD and 39 MSc students have graduated under his supervision. His research and teaching excellence have internationally been recognised through visiting Professor appointments at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, University of Queensland, Australia, and Masaryk University, Czech Republic, and through his current appointment as Adjunct Professor of Marine Biology and Ecology at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science, University of Miami, USA. National recognition for his research excellence includes an Honorary Medal from the South African Academy for Science and Arts’ Faculty of Natural Science and Technology for a significant contribution towards the advancement, and development of Science in South Africa and the Elsdon-Dew Medal from the Parasitological Society of southern Africa (PARSA) in recognition of significant contributions to the advancement of Parasitology in Africa. Nico has also contributed to the management of national and international academic societies as president of the Parasitological Society of Southern Africa (PARSA), president of the South African Society of Aquatic Scientists (SASAqS), and committee member of the International Symposium on Fish Parasites (ISFP). He currently serves as a Steering Committee Member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) Parasite Specialist Group. During the past 8 years, he has refereed papers for 17 international journals, served as associate editor of three international journals, and was guest editor for two special issues of the International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife. He is currently rated by the South African National Research Foundation (NRF) as an internationally acclaimed scientist (B1) in the field of aquatic parasitology.

Prof Susan J Cunningham

Prof Susan J Cunningham is the Director of the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, at the University of Cape Town. She grew up in New Zealand and obtained her BSc in Ecology & Biodiversity from Victoria University of Wellington and PhD in Ecology at Massey University. Susie joined the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology as a post-doctoral fellow in 2010, was appointed to the academic staff of the Fitz in 2015, and became Director in 2023. She leads the behaviour branch of the ‘Hot Birds Research Project’ – a research programme aimed at understanding climate change impacts on birds, in close collaboration with ecophysiologist Prof. Andrew McKechnie of the University of Pretoria. A major focus of Susie’s research is on understanding the behavioural and ecophysiological responses of birds to high temperatures, with a view to predicting climate change impacts. Her work in this area focuses on fitness consequences associated with thermoregulatory trade-offs, using predominantly Kalahari species, but also Fynbos, Karoo, marine and urban birds, as model taxa. Susie is also interested in the behavioural flexibility of animals in the face of ecological change: how environmental factors including temperature, aridity and urbanisation, drive behavioural decisions and their consequences for individual fitness, the evolution of life histories, and conservation in a changing world.

Dr Nkabeng Mzileni

Dr Nkabeng Mzileni has a background in game ranch management and conservation biology. She has a BSc in Ecology and Game Ranch Management from St Francis Xavier University, Canada. Her MSc in Game Ranch Management is from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, researching cheetah reintroductions and DTech from the Tshwane University of Technology, studying bovine tuberculosis in lions. Nkabeng lectured at the Tshwane University of Technology before joining a conservation NPO and then moving to South African National Parks where she spent 5 years as a Regional Ecologist of the Arid parks and currently is the General Manager of the scientific nodes, Cape and Arid Research Units of SANParks.

Dr Wayne Florence

Dr Wayne Florence is a South African Museum Director and natural heritage curator/scientist who has 25 years of experience in performing collections-based research as well as exhibitions curation, project management & design, research management and administration, science mentorship, life science education, science engagement & communication, public speaking, collaboration & partnerships, fundraising and management. He is currently the Director of Research and Exhibitions at Iziko Museums of South Africa and manages a multi-disciplinary team in the fields of art, natural history, social history, and exhibition design and production. He prides himself on being passionate about generating and communicating heritage knowledge for dissemination through peer-reviewed and popular publications and exhibitions to the benefit of diverse audiences. Dr Florence strongly believes in a progressive approach to museum management that encourages a collaborative approach to content development and finds it rewarding to empower emerging museum scientists to think beyond their formal training in the interest of heritage promotion.

Dr Lucy Kemp

As the daughter of ornithologists, Dr Lucy Kemp actively sought a different direction for her career in conservation, choosing instead to study Marine Biology for her MSc at the University of Cape Town in 2006. Despite this, after working on numerous projects for species such as African Wild Dogs and Black Rhino in Namibia, in 2011 she took the role of project manager for the Mabula Ground Hornbill Project. Alongside her work, Lucy completed her PhD on the Conservation biology and molecular ecology of the Southern Ground-Hornbill with the University of the Free State. Her main interest is how to take sound scientific evidence and use that to formulate on-the-ground conservation action, that considers socio-economic realities, cultural sensitivities, and conservation biology. Now as a professional conservation biologist, she feels that this flagship species is an excellent candidate for testing conservation tools and connecting people throughout Southern Africa through a common conservation interest, and growing love for this icon of our savannahs.

The Mabula Ground Hornbill Project aims to slow and reverse the decline of the Endangered Southern Ground Hornbill, in South Africa. With the help of their supporters and collaborators, her small team uses a variety of mitigation methods, including reintroductions and environmental education, to combat the many anthropogenic threats faced by the species, such as poisoning, loss of nests, and persecution for territorial window-breaking. By mitigating these threats, the project hopes to slowly rebuild the population of such a charismatic and culturally significant species, and in doing so contribute to the conservation of the many other savannah species facing the same issues.

Dr Maria Eugenia Pereyra

Dr Maria Eugenia Pereyra is a biologist from Argentina. She completed her studies at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina. Since her PhD, she has primarily investigated bone microstructure to infer growth dynamics, metabolic implications, and life history traits in reptiles. Her current research, conducted at the University of Cape Town, primarily explores the growth dynamics of neosuchian crocodiles by analyzing postcranial bone microstructure in both extant and extinct species. Her goal is to establish a robust comparative framework for reconstructing their life history and evolutionary trajectories. By integrating histological data with paleobiological and ecological perspectives, she seeks to refine our understanding of vertebrate growth strategies through deep time.