Rate My Professor Bettine van Vuuren

Bettine van Vuuren holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Zoology (1992), an MSc (1995), and a PhD in Zoology (2000) from the University of Pretoria, with her doctoral thesis focusing on the molecular phylogeny of duiker antelope. She completed a postdoctoral position at the University of Montpellier II in France. Van Vuuren joined the University of Johannesburg in 2011 and was promoted to Full Professor in 2012. She has served as Acting Head of the Department of Zoology in 2014 and 2020, and became Director of the Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation in 2017. In 2021, she was appointed Senior Director: Strategic Initiatives and Administration, and she assumed the role of Registrar on 1 April 2023, also serving as a Member of the Executive. Her research centers on molecular ecology and understanding spatial genetic patterns in species across the African continent and sub-Antarctic systems, with an emphasis on applications in biodiversity conservation and wildlife management. She has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed papers, supervised more than 50 postgraduate students, and hosted more than 10 postdoctoral fellows. Van Vuuren has contributed to conservation policy development, including work on invasive species regulations and antelope translocations, and holds leadership roles in the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, including as Chair of the South African National Committee for SCAR.