Prof David Spurrett

Prof David Spurrett is the Head of the School of Philosophy and Ethics, and Programme Director for Cognitive Science at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where he received the Distinguished Teacher’s Award, and the Vice-Chancellor’s Research Award. He also received the President’s Award from the National Research Foundation. He has been a visiting research fellow at King’s College, London, and a visiting Scholar at St John’s College, Cambridge, and he collaborates with researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His main research interest is the philosophy of science and human decision making. He has numerous scientific publications, and has co-authored several books.

Prof Trevor Hill

Prof Trevor Hill is an associate professor and deputy Head of School in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He graduated from Rhodes University, and has been involved with the Institute of Water Research, Geographical Information Management Systems (GIMS), and Q-Data. He has taught at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), Queens University (Canada), the National University of Ireland, and Ketsaarte University (Thailand). He has published over fifty papers and book chapters, and supervised over thirty MSc and PhD students. He received the University of KwaZulu-Natal Distinguished Teachers Award in 2006. His research interests are in Quaternary Research and Environmental Education.

Prof Dave Ward

Professor Dave Ward is the Chair of Botany at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, his alma mater. He has taught at the University of British Columbia, Ben Gurion University (Associate Professor), and Stellenbosch University where he was the chair of Conservation Ecology. He has been affiliated with Tufts University, Boston, U.S.A., and Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany. His book “The Biology of Deserts” (Oxford University Press) has recently been released, and he has over 130 publications to his name. He is an experimental community biologist, and his principal research interest is bush encroachment.

Dr Luthando Dziba

Dr Luthando Dziba is a senior researcher at the Agricultural Research Council, and the research leader of the National Rangeland Monitoring and Improvement Program funded by the Department of Agriculture. He studied at the University of Fort Hare and Utah State University, and has been affiliated with the University of Edinburgh, Oklahoma State University, and the Macauley Institute. He publishes in the field of rangeland ecology.

Dr Mark Hardy

Dr Mark Hardy is a Senior Specialist Scientist in the Western Cape Department of Agriculture. He has been involved in field-scale agricultural research (grasslands and agronomy) for over thirty years, having worked for the Research Divisions of the Department of Agriculture in Cedara and Elsenburg, and been affiliated with the Agricultural Research Council, the University of Natal (later UKZN), and Stellenbosch University. He has published scientific papers and book chapters, and has also written numerous popular publications.

Dr Terry Olckers

Dr Terry Olckers is a senior lecturer in Entomology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He acquired his PhD from Rhodes University before being employed by the Plant Protection Research Institute of the Agricultural Research Council. He has been affiliated with the Working for Water Programme in South Africa, Landcare Research in New Zealand, and the Federal University of Parana in Brazil. He has given presentations in many countries across the world, and has published over 35 scientific papers on biological control of alien invasive plants.

Dr Terry Everson

Dr Terry Everson is a senior lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, with which she has had a long involvement. She has been involved in community land rehabilitation projects in the Upper Thukela catchments for the past 12 years. In 2006 she won the research category of the Women in Water awards for her outstanding contribution in advancing the cause of women in Water, Sanitation and Forestry Sectors.

Dr Adrian Shrader

Dr Adrian Shrader is a lecturer of Wildlife Conservation and Management at the University of KwaZulu-Natal whose main research interest is the foraging ecology of large mammals. He has taught at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and at the University of Pretoria, and has also been affiliated with the University of Illinois, Duke University, and Ben Gurion University. He has a particular interest in presenting complex scientific findings – be they in the written, poster, or oral forms – in a clear and understandable way.

Mr Craig Morris

Craig Morris is a senior researcher at the Agricultural Research Council and a honorary senior lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg, with research interests in applied ecology (grassland & wildlife science) and the management and sharing of agricultural and natural resource management information. His 40 or so scientific publications range from studies of community patterns of inland aquatic microfauna through to landscape patterns of mountain macroflora, but have mostly focussed on applied issues related to the management of mesic grassland for livestock production and biodiversity conservation.

Mr Frikkie Calitz

Frikkie Calitz is a Senior Biometrician at the Biometry Unit of the Agricultural Research Council in Stellenbosch, and holds an MSc in Biometry. He has been affiliated with the ARC since 1973, first as a researcher and then, after 1983, as a biometrician providing statistical support to researchers (experiment design, statistical analysis and interpretation). He also advises to private companies and post-graduate students (Consumer Sciences, Food Sciences, Plant Pathology, Botany, Soil Science, Horticulture, and Genetics) of the University of Stellenbosch and the University of the Western Cape. He presents annual statistical courses at various universities in the Western Cape.

Mr Justin du Toit

Justin du Toit is a lecturer in the School of Biological and Conservation Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He has worked in the horticultural industry, as a researcher at the Agricultural Research Council, and has taught at the University of Fort Hare. His research interests are rehabilitation ecology (particularly rehabilitation of degraded grasslands) and seed biology of desert Acacia species. He has an ongoing interest in hosting forums such as workshops, symposia, and farmers’ days for the dissemination of science to society.