Postgraduate students and post-docs

We currently work on projects related to:

If you are interested in any of the above topics, contact us. Please note this is not equivalent to a bursary offer.

Current Lab members:

Dr Tinotenda Mangadze. Post-doctoral Fellow. Estuarine responses to global change scenarios.
Dr Hanlie Malherbe. Post-doctoral Fellow. Land-use change impacts on estuaries.
Abigail Rohde. MSc candidate. Modelling of the ecological role of submarine canyon heads off the east coast of South Africa. Supervisor: U. Scharler
Shanice Ramanooj. MSc candidate. Spatial ecology of sharks around submarine canyons on the east coast of South Africa. Supervisor: M. Dicken (KZN Sharks Board), U. Scharler.
Gemma Gerber. PhD candidate. Global change in estuaries investigated through ecosystem models. Supervisor: U. Scharler.
Karabo Thema. MSc candidate. Spatial differences in ecosystem function, a modelling study. Supervisor: U. Scharler.
Dikarabo Rafedile (aka Fifi). MSc candidate. Resilience of mesozooplankton communitites in estuaries. Supervisor: U. Scharler, H. Jerling (UniZulu).
Andile Nkosi. MSc candidate. Resilience of benthic communitites in estuaries. Supervisor: U. Scharler, F. MacKay (ORI).
Ben Brooker. PhD candidate. System limits in estuaries. Supervisor: U. Scharler.
Fru A Nche-Fambo. PhD candidate. Microplankton dynamics in relation to freshwater input and pollution. Supervisor: U. Scharler.
Thembeka Radebe. MSc candidate. Variability of estuarine macrozoobenthos communities. Supervisor: U. Scharler.
Dane Garvie. MSc candidate. The role of zooplankton in the Mlalazi estuarine ecosystem. Supervisor(s): Dr. U. Scharler, Dr. H. Jerling (University of Zululand).
Kajal Lechman. MSc. Research Assistant.

Past postgraduate students/post-docs:

Morgana Tagliarolo. Post-doc. Assessing spatial and temporal variability of carbon fluxes using a network analysis approach. U. Scharler.

Katrin Tirok. Post-doc. Modelling of plankton dynamics in St. Lucia. U. Scharler, D. Stretch.

Morag Ayers. Post-doc. Robustness of networks and ecosystems. U. Scharler.

PhD

Kendyl le Roux. PhD. Energy flows in coastal marine ecosystems. Supervisors: U. Scharler, D. Glassom

Reinhardt Scholtz. PhD. Geostatistical Analysis of Integrated Ecosystem Monitoring Data. Supervisors: G Kiker (University of Florida), U. Scharler, H. Mwambi (UKZN).

Kelly Ortega-Cisneros. PhD. Estuarine ecosystem function. Supervisors: U. Scharler, A. Whitfield (SAIAB).

Ntuthuko Masikane. PhD. Development of a sediment toxicity test with an endemic amphipod. Supervisors: B. Newman (CSIR), U. Scharler.

Robynne Chrystal. PhD. Hydrodynamics and network analysis of St. Lucia. Supervisors: D. Stretch, U. Scharler.

Morag Ayers. PhD. Ecosystem modelling of the Natal Bight. Supervisor: U. Scharler.

MSc

Amy Shurety. MSc. Resilience in ecosystems. Supervisor: U. Scharler

Kajal Lechman. MSc. the role of zooplankton in the Mdloti estuarine ecosystem. Supervisor(s): Dr. U. Scharler, Dr. H. Jerling (University of Zululand).

Madonna Vezi. MSc. Phosphorus distribution in estuarine food webs. Supervisor: U. Scharler.

Fru A Nche-Fambo. MSc. Microplankton dynamics in St. Lucia. Supervisors: U. Scharler, K. Tirok.

Travis Kunnen. MSc. Bacteria biomass and productivity in the Natal Bight. Supervisors: D. Muir, U. Scharler.

Elisa Inguane-Vicente. MSc. Aquaculture in the South west Indian Ocean region. Supervisors: U. Scharler, J. Sara.

Vuyiswa Radebe. MSc. Coastal Dune activities. Supervisors: U. Scharler, J. Harris (EKZN Wildlife).

BSc (Honours)

Natalie dos Santos. Bsc(Honours). Nest temperatures and predicted sex ratios of South African loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta). Supervisors: U. Scharler, R Nel (NMU).

Nomfundo Hlambisa. Bsc (Honours). Environmental variability impacts on abundance of dominant estuarine zooplankton at uMlalazi Estuary, KwaZulu-Natal. Supervisor: U. Scharler

Melissa Ewels. BSc (Honours). Influence of the Thukela River on the Thukela Bank. Supervisor: U. Scharler

Abigail Rohde. BSc (Honours). Meiofauna communities in the Mlalazi estuary. Supervisor: U Scharler.

Khutso Ramalepe. BSc (Honours). Microplankton community structure in the Mdloti estuary. Supervisor: U. Scharler

Senine Naidoo. BSc (Honours). Biomass and productivity pyramids of food webs. Supervisor: U. Scharler

Corrine Joseph.BSc (Honours). Catches of target and bycatch species in the Zinkwazi and Blythedale bather protection nets of the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board from 1978 - 2014. Supervisors: U. Scharler, M. Dicken (KZN Sharks Board).

Kajal Lechman. BSc (Honours). Modelling the impact of changes in riverflow of the Thukela on the Thukela Bank ecosystem. Supervisors: U. Scharler.

Dane CD Garvie. BSc (Honours). Variability and stability of estuarine zooplankton. Supervisors: U. Scharler, H. Jerling (University of Zululand).

Divesh Sookdeo. BSc (Honours). Resuspension of plankton in Lake St. Lucia. Supervisors: U. Scharler, Dr. K. Tirok.

Snethemba Kunene. BSc (Honours). Plankton biomass distribution in estuaries. Supervisor: U. Scharler.

Ropa Moyo. BSc (Honours). Microplankton abundance and biomass in the Natal Bight. Supervisor: U. Scharler.

Kendyl le Roux. BSc (Honours). Macrobenthos community distribution in Mhlanga. Supervisors: F. MacKay (Oceanographic Research Institute), U. Scharler.

Keren Worlock. BSc (Honours). Macrobenthos biomass distribution in Mhlanga. Supervisors: U. Scharler, F. MacKay (Oceanographic Research Institute).