Bruce specialises in vertebrate palaeontology, biostratigraphy, sedimentology, basin development and palaeo-environments. His main area of interest is the early therapsids (particularly anomodonts, biarmosuchids and dinocephalians) and he also has an interest in temnospondyl amphibians. Bruce and his students have researched dicynodonts from throughout the Karoo Supergroup, but his particular speciality is on the tetrapod fauna and basinal development of the rocks of the lowermost Beaufort. Here he has discovered a new primitive and ancient therapsid fauna in South Africa which is similar to the most primitive therapsids from Russia and China.
Marion is a Palaeobotanist whose research interests have included the Permian Glossopteris flora, the Lower Cretaceous flora from the Kirkwood Formation in the Eastern Cape Province, and the Middle Cretaceous angiosperm flora from Orapa in Botswana. Her main emphasis now is on fossil woods from southern Africa, including its taxonomy, palaeoecology and dating. Fossil wood from the Karoo deposits (Permian and Triassic) is being studied in order to establish a biostratigraphic scheme. Cretaceous and Tertiary woods are studied for dating, palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography. She has also studied fossil woods from a Pliocene hominid cave deposit, Sterkfontein, for palaeoclimatic interpretations. She gives classes to Geology and Botany students on palaeobotany, as part of the general Palaeontology courses.
Doctor Nestor Fernando Abdala Researcher
Fernando is interested in the taxonomy, evolution and palaeobiogeography of Permo-Triassic therapsids (therocephalians and cynodonts) from the Karoo and is also involved in the study of Triassic faunas from Brazil and Argentina. He is also member of a team studying ontogenetic patterns in the skull of living marsupials.
He particularly enjoys listening almost every kind of music (but not classic music yet). From time to time he grabs the guitar to play some folkloric songs from Argentina (although he can?t sing well).
Her research interests focus on early hominid cultural behaviour and cognition; correlating archaeology, palaeontology and climate change; large mammal carcass modification, disarticulation, dispersal and burial; microscopic analysis of bone surface modifications.
