Executive Manager
Sebataolo Rahlao
Administration
Melanie Reddy (Project Administration Officer)
Ramini Naidoo (Administration Officer)
Regional Fisheries & Invertebrate Fisheries
Johan Groeneveld (Senior Scientist)
Ashrenee Govender (Scientist)
Erika Steyn (Assistant Scientist)
Xolani Mselegu (Research Assistant) contract
Saiesha Harpal (Research Assistant) contract
Devona Chetty (Research Assistant) contract
Research Associates
Rudy van der Elst
Michael Schleyer
Camilla Floros
Judy Mann
Bruce Mann
Bronwyn Goble
Demersal Fisheries and Ecology
Sean Fennessy (Assistant Executive Manager/Senior Scientist)
Bernadine Everett (Scientist)
Estuarine and Soft Sediment Ecology
Fiona MacKay (Senior Scientist)
Sikhumbuzo Maduna (Assistant Scientist Marine & Estuaries)
Bianca McKelvey (Assistant Scientist Estuaries) contract
Stacey Jordaan (Assistant Scientist Marine & Estuaries) contract
Nontombi Siro (GIS Technician) contract
Andile Nkosi (Research Assistant Estuarine Ecology) contract
Rebecca Reddy (Research Assistant Genetics) contract
Sam Mselegu (Laboratory Assistant)
Mzokhona Mthiya (Laboratory Technical Assistant) contract
Mandlenkosi Nkala (Coastal Marine Field Technician) contract
ORI Team
Linefish and Marine Protected Areas
Vacant (Senior Scientist)
Ryan Daly (Scientist)
Gareth Jordaan (Assistant Scientist) contract
Marius Els (Research Assistant)
Derrick Khumalo (Research Assistant)
Estuarine and Soft Sediment Ecology
Fiona MacKay (Senior Scientist)
Sikhumbuzo Maduna (Research Assistant)
Sam Mselegu (Technical Assistant)
Mzokhona Mthiya (Technical Assistant)
Bianca McKelvey (Research Assistant)
Clare Pillay (Research Assistant)
Nontombi Siro (GIS Technician)
ORI Team
Linefish and Marine Protected Areas
Bruce Mann (Senior Scientist)
Gareth Jordaan (Assistant Scientist)
Ryan Daly (Scientist)
Marius Els (Technician)
Derrick Khumalo (Technician)
Xolani Mselegu (Technical Assistant)
Coral Reef Research
Sean Porter (Senior Scientist)
Peter Watt-Pringle (Research Assistant) contract
Library
Musa Khumalo (Librarian)
Frances Roberts (Library Assistant) contract
Philisiwe Mhlongo (Library Assistant) contract
Coastal Zone Research
Vacant (Senior Scientist)
Tamaryn Ward (Liaison Officer) contract
Angel Jali (Research Assistant) contract
Ntandoyenkosi Zondi (Research Assistant) contract
Anele Chili (Research Assistant) contract
Field Operations
Vusi Mthembu (Field Officer)
Sebataolo Rahlao
Executive Manager
PhD (Stellenbosch)
Sean Fennessy
Assistant Executive Manager / Senior Scientist
Demersal Fisheries and Ecology
PhD (University of KwaZulu-Natal)
Fiona Mackay
Senior Scientist
Estuarine and Soft Sediment Ecology
MSc (University of Zululand)
Johan Groeneveld
Senior Scientist
Regional Fisheries & Invertebrate Fisheries
PhD (University of Cape Town)
Sean Porter
Senior Scientist
Coral Reef Research
PhD (University of Cape Town)
Bernadine Everett
Scientist
Demersal Fisheries and Ecology
PhD (UiT The Arctic University of Norway)
Ryan Daly
Scientist
Linefish & Marine Protected Areas
PhD (Rhodes University)
Ashrenee Govender
Scientist
PhD (University of KwaZulu-Natal)
Erika Steyn
Assistant Scientist
Regional Fisheries & Invertebrate Fisheries
MSc (University of Stellenbosch)
Gareth Jordaan
Assistant Scientist
Linefish & Marine Protected Areas
MSc (University of KwaZulu-Natal)
Stacey Jordaan
Assistant Scientist
Estuarine and Soft Sediment Ecology
MSc (University of KwaZulu-Natal)
Rudy van der Elst
Research Associate
MSc (University of KwaZulu-Natal)
Michael Schleyer
Research Associate
PhD (University of KwaZulu-Natal)
Camilla Floros
Research Associate
PhD (University of KwaZulu-Natal)
Bruce Mann
Research Associate
PhD (University of KwaZulu-Natal)
Judy Mann
Research Associate
PhD (University of Queensland)
Bronwyn Goble
Research Associate
PhD (University of KwaZulu-Natal)
Students
supervised by *ORI staff
Student | University | Project Title | Supervisor/s |
|---|---|---|---|
C. Buhrmann (Phd) | UKZN | Determining the emotional states of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops sp., under human care | *Larry Oellermann |
Alwande Dube (MSc) | UKZN | Spatio-temporal patterns of reef biodiversity on Aliwal Shoal | *Sean Porter *Michael Schleyer Angus MacDonald |
Emilia Murcott (MSc) | University of Milano-Bicocca | Spatial variation in sessile reef community composition in Inhambane, Mozambique and potential environmental drivers | *Sean Porter *Michael Schleyer Simone Montano |
A. Nkosi (MSc) | UKZN | Macrozoobenthic community structure and dynamics of the uMdloti and uMlalazi estuaries, South Africa | Ursula Scharler
*Fiona MacKay |
Dikonketso Tlaamela (PhD) | UniVen | Understanding the negative impacts and benefits of invasive alien populus alba: implications for management in South Africa | MP Tshisikhawe
*Sebataolo Rahlao
L Swanepoel |
Sithembile Nkosi (PhD) | UKZN | Current evidence of climate change using Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis as a model for biome transformation | Y. Naidoo
A. Anandraj
*Sebataolo Rahlao |
E Munting
(MSc) | Rhodes | Marine protect areas for fish and fishermen: Investigating the multidimensional effects of KwaZulu-Natal’s Marine Protect Area Network on the commercial linefishing sector | Antony Bernard, Jessica Cockburn,
*Bruce Mann |
N Cullain
(PhD) | Dalhousie | The movement ecology of reef manta rays in southern Africa and assessing the effectiveness of current and future marine protected areas for the species. | Fred Whorisky
*Ryan Daly |
S. Laing (PhD) | UKZN | Investigating the economic value of recreational SCUBA diving on the coral reefs of southern Mozambique and South Africa | *Michael Schleyer |
Pariksha Govender (MSc) | UKZN | DNA barcoding of euphausiids (krill), amphipods and chaetognaths (arrow worms) off the East coast of South Africa | *Johan Groeneveld |
Student | University | Project Title | Supervisor/s |
|---|---|---|---|
K. Ramalepe (MSc) | UKZN | The role of habitat complexity in promoting functionally diverse and species rich marine infauna | *Fiona MacKay
Kerry Sink |
C. Buhrmann (Phd) | UKZN | Determining the emotional states of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops sp., under human care | *Larry Oellermann |
B. McKelvey (MSc) | UKZN | Assessment of land-use/land-cover changes in select KZN estuaries and the implications for estuary health | *Fiona Mackay |
S Ockhuis (MSc) | Rhodes | Genetic connectivity of the slinger Chrysoblephus puniceus in South African east coast Marine Protected Area | Gavin Gouws
*Sean Fennessy |
A. Nkosi (MSc) | UKZN | Macrozoobenthic community structure and dynamics of the uMdloti and uMlalazi estuaries, South Africa | Ursula Scharler
*Fiona MacKay |
N. van Schoor (MSc) | UKZN | Decadal changes in land-use, water quality and fish assemblages in subtropical urban and non-urban South African estuaries | Steven Weerts
*Fiona MacKay |
A. Rawoot (MSc) | UWC | An integrative morphological – molecular taxonomic study of marine copepods: building a DNA reference library for metabarcoding studies | *Johan Groeneveld |
S. Mahlangu (MSc) | UJ | DNA barcoding and eDNA metabarcoding of estuarine macroinvertebrate fauna of KwaZulu-Natal | Peter Teske
*Fiona MacKay |
G. Logan (MSc) | UCT | Movement patterns and site fidelity of potato bass Epinephelus tukula, green jobfish Aprion viriscens and giant kingfish Caranx ignobilis determined by acoustic telemetry in the iSimangaliso MPA | Colin Attwood
*Ryan Daly |
M. Agyekum (MSc) | University of Bremen | Forest gaps in mangroves and their contribution to ecosystem services | Martin Zimmer
*Fiona MacKay
Steven Weerts
Veronique Helfer |
R Dixon (MSc) | Rhodes | Movement patterns of giant kingfish Caranx ignobilis along the southern African coast determined by dart tagging and acoustic telemetry | Paul Cowley
Taryn Murray
*Bruce Mann |
S. Laing (PhD) | UKZN | Investigating the economic value of recreational SCUBA diving on the coral reefs of southern Mozambique and South Africa | *Michael Schleyer |
P Duma (MSc) | UKZN | Why has the implementation of Volunteer Coastal Officers been delayed? A case study of the KwaZulu-Natal Coast | *Bronwyn Goble |
Pariksha Govender (MSc) | UKZN | DNA barcoding of euphausiids (krill), amphipods and chaetognaths (arrow worms) off the East coast of South Africa | *Johan Groeneveld |
Students
that've recently qualified
Student | University | Project Title | Supervisor/s |
|---|---|---|---|
R Dixon (MSc) | Rhodes | Movement patterns of giant kingfish Caranx ignobilis along the southern African coast determined by dart tagging and acoustic telemetry | Paul Cowley Taryn Murray *Bruce Mann |
D Chetty (MSc) | UKZN | Status of the informal and recreational fisheries for sandprawns Kraussillichirus kraussi (Crustacea, Decapoda) in Durban Port | *Erika Steyn (ORI),
*Prof Johan Groeneveld (ORI) and Dr Anna Bastian (UKZN) |
A Rawoot | UWC | An integrative morphological – molecular taxonomic study of marine copepods: building a DNA reference library for metabarcoding studies | *Johan Groeneveld |
G. Logan (MSc) | UCT | Movement patterns and site fidelity of potato bass Epinephelus tukula, green jobfish Aprion viriscens and giant kingfish Caranx ignobilis determined by acoustic telemetry in the iSimangaliso MPA | Colin Attwood *Ryan Daly |
S. Mahlangu (MSc) | UJ | DNA barcoding and eDNA metabarcoding of estuarine macroinvertebrate fauna of KwaZulu-Natal | Peter Teske *Fiona MacKay |
N Ndlovu (BSc Hons) | UKZN | The use of DNA mini barcodes to amplify DNA extracted from marine organisms stored in formalin | *Ashrenee Govender
Sandi Willows- Munro |
R Sappor
(BSc Hons) | UKZN | Assessing environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding as a tool to catalogue fish species in marine environments | *Ashrenee Govender
Sandi Willows- Munro |
JR Gilmore (MSc) | UKZN | Population connectivity of corals between KZN marine protected areas (MPAs) | *David Pearton *Michael Schleyer David Glassom |
S Hofmeyr (MSc) | UKZN | Underwater photogrammetry using video data for long-term coral reef monitoring and understanding rugosity for coral reefs in South Africa | *David Pearton *Sean Porter *Michael Schleyer David Glassom |
S Badenhorst (MSc) | UKZN | Macrobenthic diversity across soft-sediment habitats of the Thukela Shelf | *Fiona MacKay |
T. Hanekom (MSc) | UKZN | Physiological responses of a South African coral community to global warming | *Sean Porter *Michael Schleyer |
V. Dames | Rhodes | An assessment of ecosystem condition of high-latitude coral reefs in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and southern Mozambique | Anthony Bernard *Camilla Floros *Sean Porter |
A. Govender
(PhD) | UKZN | Using DNA metabarcoding and zooplankton to assess connectivity between marine protected areas in South Africa | Sandi Willows-Munro *Johan Groeneveld |
B. McKelvey (MSc) | UKZN | Assessment of land-use/land-cover changes in select KZN estuaries and the implications for estuary health | *Fiona Mackay |
S Ockhuis (MSc) | Rhodes | Genetic connectivity of the slinger Chrysoblephus puniceus in South African east coast Marine Protected Area | Gavin Gouws *Sean Fennessy |
N. van Schoor (MSc) | UKZN | Decadal changes in land-use, water quality and fish assemblages in subtropical urban and non-urban South African estuaries | Steven Weerts *Fiona MacKay |
Student | University | Project Title | Supervisor/s |
|---|---|---|---|
JR Gilmore | UKZN | Population connectivity of corals between KZN marine protected areas (MPAs) | *David Pearton
*Sean Porter
David Glassom |
S Hofmeyr | UKZN | The relationship between substrate characteristics and fish communities on South African coral reefs | *David Pearton
*Sean Porter
David Glassom
|
S Badenhorst | UKZN | Macrobenthic diversity across soft-sediment habitats of the Thukela Shelf | *Fiona MacKay |
T. Hanekom | UKZN | Physiological responses of South African coral communities to global warming | *Sean Porter
*Michael Schleyer |
V. Dames | Rhodes | An assessment of ecosystem condition of high-latitude coral reefs in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and southern Mozambique | Anthony Bernard
*Camilla Floros |
A. Govender | UKZN | Using DNA metabarcoding and zooplankton to assess connectivity between marine protected areas in South Africa | Sandi Willows-Munro
*Johan Groeneveld |