National Committee

The National Committee currently consists of the members below. If you would like to join our community sign up for APECS and in your registration form indicate that you are from South Africa. That way you will be added to our mailing list and will receive any emails relevant to South Africa and any events we are planning. For our previous committees have a look here.

Janine Schoombie | Chair

Janine is a Ph.D. student at the University of Pretoria. After completing her MSc in Aeronautical Engineering at Wits, Janine joined the M72 team on Marion Island in 2015, as a birder for the FitzPatrick Institute (UCT). She then honed her skills as an aerodynamicist at the CSIR before joining the M76 team in 2019, this time as a field assistant for a project looking at the ecological effects of wind on Marion Island. She has now combined her love for fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, and the sub-Antarctic in her Ph.D. project, studying the effect of changing winds on the flight capabilities of Grey-headed albatrosses breeding on Marion Island.

I am a researcher at the Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observatory and have been part of the APECSSA committee since July 2021. My research interests include biogeochemical cycling and phytoplankton physiology, with a particular focus on the roles of iron and light in constraining the Southern Ocean biological carbon pump. Tommy can be reached at tryankeogh@csir.co.za.

Riesna R. Audh | Co-Chair | Events Portfolio

Riesna is a Ph.D. candidate at UCT. Her research uses numerical modelling and sea ice cores to investigate the thermodynamic and biogeochemical properties of young sea ice in the Antarctic Marginal Ice Zone. She has participated in five research expeditions to the Antarctic between 2017 – 2019. These expeditions allowed her to help develop and teach the sea ice sampling protocols used during South African cruises. Riesna believes that science should be accessible and inclusive, and intends to use her research to showcase polar research amongst researchers and non-researchers alike. She hopes to use her research to highlight the importance of the polar regions and what our changing climate means for these vulnerable regions. She can be reached on adhrie001@myuct.ac.za.

I am studying towards a master’s degree in Statistical Ecology at the University of Cape Town. I am investigating the movement- and foraging ecology of penguins in Antarctica. During 2020/2021, I worked as a field assistant on the 77^th expedition to Marion Island. Previously, I did my Honours degree in Zoology at the University of Pretoria, where I studied the moult haulout phenology of female southern elephant seals.

Safiyyah Moos | Mentorship Portfolio

I am a Ph.D. candidate in Chemical Engineering at UCT. My research involves looking at the dynamics and exchanges across the ice-ocean interface in artificial sea ice. My passion for polar science and engineering started in my honours year and from then, my interest has grown. I was fortunate enough to participate in the SCALE 2022 winter cruise, where I was able to learn many hands-on and field-work skills aboard the SA Agulhas II, which deepened my interest for this research.

I would love to help make polar science become more accessible, improve science communication and to grow our polar community among young scientists and engineers through interactions and mentorship. I can be reached on msxsaf002@myuct.ac.za.

James Burns | Creative Portfolio

James studied geoinformatics (GIS and remote sensing) at Stellenbosch University, completing his MSc with the CSIR. He overwintered as a meteorological technician on Marion Island (2018/19) and also on Gough Island (2021/22). During both of these expeditions, he explored the islands and assisted the field researchers with their various monitoring projects, in the process developing a passion for the sub-Antarctic environment. He is looking forward to seeing what the next adventure will be! James can be contacted via email at jjburnz@gmail.com.

Yinhla Shihlomule

I am a PhD candidate in Zoology at the University of Pretoria. My research is focused on the mating strategies of southern elephant seals. I am interested in population genetics and microevolution. I have overwintered on four expeditions at Marion Island as a field assistant working on seals and killer whales: M71 (2014 – 2015), M74 (2017 – 2018), M77 and M78 (Sept 2020 – May 2022).

I am pursuing a Master’s degree in Zoology at the University of Pretoria. My research focuses on intermittently breeding female southern elephant seals from Marion Island and how environmental conditions may influence their reproductive histories. In 2022, I visited Marion Island during the 79th Expedition takeover period.

Tokoloho Rampai

Tokoloho Rampai is a lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Cape Town (UCT). She is a PhD qualifier through Wits University 2020. She has 9 years of collective experience in academia and research. She is one of the founding members of the UCT Marine and Antarctic Research centre for Innovation and Sustainability (MARIS), which is a large cross-faculty multi-disciplinary research centre. Within this centre, she is also a representative for the Innovation in Chemical, Materials and Observational Engineering discipline in the Scientific Steering Committee. Her research focus is mainly in materials Engineering, this is applied both in Antarctic sea ice research and advanced ceramic materials development for application in catalysis processes. Under the advanced ceramics research, she focuses on powder metallurgy, thermodynamics for materials development, material properties evaluation and tribological testing for suitability of application. And under the sea ice research, she focuses on improving the understanding of the material properties (structural and mechanical) of Antarctic sea ice, predominately through artificial sea ice growth experiments in temperature-controlled laboratory conditions and nominally through field testing in the Marginal Ice Zone in the Southern Ocean.

Jared Walsh

I am a MSc candidate in Marine Biogeochemistry at Stellenbosch University. I am attempting to reconstruct marine palaeoenvironments on the southwestern continental margin of southern Africa over the Plio-Pleistocene using foraminifera as palaeo-proxies. My passion for polar science stems from my experience onboard the SCALE22 Winter Cruise across the Southern Ocean to the MIZ, which left me deeply fascinated in the life and chemistry below our Antarctic waters.

Tebogo Ramokgopa

I’m a graduate of Bachelor of Earth Sciences in Mining and Environmental Geology. I am currently a science communicator(interns) at the South African National Space Agency. I am interested in the water quality of the Marginalized polar region and how it affects the biodiversity.

DJ van Wyk

DJ is working for SANSA as an electronics engineer within the Space Science division. He has overwintered on Marion Island and is currently set to overwinter at SANAE IV, Antarctica. He has a profound interest in space physics and engineering, with a love and passion for wildlife along with the science behind it. He completed a MEng degree in electrical and electronic engineering with a focus on satellite systems, currently pursuing a MSc degree focused on space mission analysis and design. With a keen interest in engineering and physics, he has held various engineering positions from being a project engineer to a design engineer for international companies.

Joshua Tsamba

Joshua Tsamba is a PhD student at the University of Pretoria. He is studying Plant Sciences and his research focuses on patterns and drivers of plant and endophyte diversity on the sub-Antarctic Marion Island. His broad research interest is understanding what drives the diversity and distribution of species, at both large and local spatial scales.

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