Management
Guy Midgley
Acting Director
Guy Midgley has worked in the fields of global change and biodiversity science since the 1980s, including a 32 year career at the South African National Biodiversity Institute. He took up a Professorship at Stellenbosch University (Botany and Zoology) in 2014. He has held lead roles in international scientific assessments (IPCC 4th, 5th and 6th Assessments, CBD ad hoc Technical Expert Group, and IPBES Global Assessments) and national level syntheses for climate change policy guidance. With over 170 publications, he holds an NRF A-rating, has been a Thomson Reuters highly cited researcher (2014), and is rated amongst the top 200 most influential climate change scientists globally (2021). He is a holder of the SA Royal Society Marloth Medal and Humboldt Foundation Research Award for lifetime science contributions.
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.
Elrike Marais
Project and Research Manager
Dr Elrike Marais is a Project and Research Manager at the C·I·B. Elrike manages the Stellenbosch University HOPE/C·I·B projects and the Working for Water Programme funded research projects. In addition, she assists the Director in data collection and analyses, and physiology students in the laboratory.
Christy Momberg
Management Assistant
Christy Momberg is a Management Assistant and is responsible for providing administrative support for the C·I·B senior management team.
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 Lab Manager for the C·I·B Physiology and Ecology laboratory. She is responsible for equipment maintenance, lab safety, coordinating space and equipment usage, supply chain management, animal husbandry and occasionally assists with experiments. Erika also supports the logistic arrangements and fieldwork for the Cederberg long-term project and she curates data for the various C·I·B microclimate sites.
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.
