Scientific Committee

BIOGRIP has finalised its first Scientific Committee. The members of this committee serve in a voluntary capacity and advise BIOGRIP on issues around instrumentation and research direction.

None of the members of the Scientific Committee have direct links to or derive direct benefits from BIOGRIP. Their opinions should be neutral. BIOGRIP’s Scientific Committee members serve for a period of a few years, allowing them to become familiar with the platform.

“We are very privileged to have such a diverse and accomplished group on BIOGRIP’s first Scientific Committee, and thank them for being open to serve us,” says Director Dr Roger Diamond.

Scientific Committee members

Andy Buffler

Andy is an experimental nuclear physicist whose current focus is applied and metrological radiation physics (instrumentation, metrology and applications) of fast neutrons, and positron emission particle tracking. He is director of the Metrological and Applied Sciences Research Unit (MEASURE) at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and has served on many university management bodies, including as chairperson of the University Equipment Committee for several years.

Learn more about Andy here.

Jane Evans

Jane is a geologist based at the British Geological Survey. She currently specialises in the application of multi-isotope analysis to archaeological and environmental studies, including biosphere mapping and human and animal provenance studies. She was a panel member for the UK 2021 Research Excellence Framework assessment. Recently retired, she holds honorary professorships at Nottingham and Leicester Universities and an honorary research post at the British Geological Survey.

Gregor Feig

Gregor is a biogeochemist and atmospheric and environmental change scientist with experience in the fields of atmospheric composition monitoring, air quality management, atmospheric emissions inventory development, biogeochemistry, land-vegetation-atmosphere interactions, atmospheric modelling, and climate services and climate change adaption. He has extensive experience in the management of weather and air quality stations for meteorology, atmospheric pollutants and greenhouse gases. Currently he is developing the Expanded Freshwater and Terrestrial Environmental Observation Network (EFTEON), which is a research infrastructure hosted by SAEON (South African Earth Observation Network) and funded by DSI (Department of Science and Innovation).

Thato Mtshali

Thato is a marine biogeochemist at the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE), Oceans and Coast section. He is interested in how cycling of resources in the sea affects biological activity and vice-versa. His research interests focus on long-term monitoring of important chemical environmental ocean variables, such as trace and heavy metal pollution, eutrophication, ocean acidification, microplastics and the microbial cycle, along the west coast of South Africa. Thato's scientific approach is from two directions, fieldwork and laboratory analyses of samples.

Leonard Wassenaar

Leonard is a world-class expert in environmental geochemistry and isotope applications in global freshwater aquatic, watershed, riverine, hydrogeological processes and terrestrial hydro-ecological sciences. He has decades of hands-on experience in research, development and management of laboratories, including isotope ratio mass spectrometry, lasers, radiochemical and analytical equipment from all suppliers. He initially worked for Environment Canada, but ended up heading up the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Isotope Hydrology and then their Water Resources sections.