Dr Andrea Webster’s current research aims to establish a Kalahari specific stable isotope signature that facilitates examination of predator-prey interactions between brown hyaena and black backed jackal to better understand their influence on mesoherbivore recruitment rates in Tswalu Kalahari Reserve. The project will provide essential baseline data related to seasonal changes in diet of scavenging carnivores and will lay the foundation for future research related to the impact of other carnivore species on the property. The project Is a collaborative effort between the Mammal Research Institute, Stable Isotope Laboratory, University of Oxford, University of Northern Arizona, the Tswalu foundation and Oppenheimer Generations Research and Conservation.
Dr Elisa Seyboth is a postdoctoral researcher with the Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit. She is studying humpback whale distribution, population status, and feeding and reproductive aspects of the species in the Southern Hemisphere considering climate change effects on the marine ecosystem. Elisa is a member of the Brazilian High Latitudes Oceanography Group (GOAL- Federal University of Rio Grande), of the West Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Arc (WASPA) - Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) and the national representative of Brazil in the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). Her research at UP is funded by a grant to Griffith University from a private charitable trust as part of the Whales and Climate Research Program.
Dr. Matthew Germishuizen is a postdoctoral researcher with the Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit at the University of Pretoria. His research focuses on understanding the climatic and oceanographic drivers influencing southern right whale demographics, movement patterns, and foraging ecology across the Southern Hemisphere. By integrating long-term datasets, satellite tracking, and environmental modelling, his work provides valuable insights into how climate variability and ecosystem shifts impact this species. Dr. Germishuizen collaborates closely with an international network of researchers from New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, and Brazil, contributing to a broader, hemispheric-scale understanding of southern right whale populations. His research is supported by funding from the Marine Mammal Commission (USA) and industry sponsorship, ensuring applied conservation relevance and policy impact
Dr Bharti Arora is a post-doctoral researcher within the Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit, with a speciality in wildlife endocrinology and reproductive physiology. She has extended experience working in the dimensions of human-wildlife conflict and has worked with a range of mammalian species including Asian elephants, Chinese Pangolins, Indian rhinoceros, great Indian Bustard, Markhor and Takin. At the MRI Whale Unit, Bharti is working to better understand the physiology of baleen whales, with the aim to optimize blubber sampling and extraction protocols for the assessment of reproductive steroid hormones and stress hormones. Her research is funded by DRI and the MRI Whale Unit.
