Management
Tatenda Dalu
Director: Centre for Invasion Biology
Tatenda Dalu is Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, with a PhD in Marine Biology (2015) from Rhodes University. His research investigates aquatic faunal communities, organic matter transfers, and impacts of anthropogenic disturbances. He has supervised 8 PhD and 30 MSc students, co-edited 3 books, authored over 220 peer-reviewed articles, and described two new invertebrate species. Prof Dalu holds leadership roles with SACNASP, the British Ecological Society, and ASRARP, and serves on multiple editorial boards and contributes to the Global Environmental Outlook 7. Prof. Dalu is ranked among the top 2% of scientists globally (Elsevier-Stanford 2022–2023 report). His awards include the SAYAS membership, TWAS Young Affiliateship, Iso Lomso Fellowship, and SASAqS Bronze Medal.
C·I·B Core Staff
Dorette du Plessis
Outreach Manager
Dorette du Plessis is the Outreach Manager of the C·I·B. Her duties include the management of the Iimbovane Outreach Programme, and the reporting and liaison with funders and higher education institutions.
Suzaan Kritzinger-Klopper
Chief Technical Officer
Suzaan Kritzinger-Klopper is the Senior Technical Officer of the C·I·B. In assisting the core team members and their students, Suzaan is the overall responsible person for field work. She is also the liaison for permits, landowners and all other parties. Her main area of interest is in fynbos botanical diversity, and she helps with basic plant identification.
Sabrina Kumschick
Researcher
Sabrina Kumschick is a researcher at the C·I·B, funded by the Invasive Species Programme of the South African National Biodiversity Institute.
Londiwe Msomi
Education Outreach Officer
Londiwe is the Education Outreach Officer for the Iimbovane Project. She is responsible for organising outreach activities including campus visits, learner and educator workshops, and giving talks at schools. She also attends career fairs and offers career information to school learners.
Erika Nortje
Lab Manager
Erika Nortje is the Manager for the SCS-CIB Ecophysiology laboratory. She is responsible for equipment maintenance, laboratory safety, supply chain management, animal husbandry, and coordinating laboratory space and equipment usage. Erika takes care of curating the microclimate data from the long-term Cederberg transect and assists with other exciting laboratory and administrative tasks.
Natalie van der Heuvel
Environmental Educator
Natalie van der Heuvel is the Environmental Educator for the Iimbovane Project. Her responsibilities include raising awareness about biodiversity, environmental conservation and sustainable development, through hands-on EE training and the development of EE activities and resources.
John Wilson
SANBI Researcher
Prof. John Wilson is a researcher with the South African National Biodiversity Institute based at the Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University. He is interested in the ecology and evolution of biological invasions, and how humans have influenced these processes. He is also working on why certain introduced populations are small, how these populations can best be managed, and which species to prioritise.
