Nazley is passionate about biodiversity, ecology, and conservation in the face of global change. She completed a BSc in Applied Biology, Ecology, and Evolution, which solidified her drive to understand how species interact with each other and their changing environments. Her Honours thesis explored how management interventions have influenced baboon raiding behaviour within the urban sprawl of the Cape Peninsula over time. For her MSc, she investigated the effects of climate change on avian thermoregulation and behaviour in northern KwaZulu-Natal, as part of the Hot Birds Research Project. This research deepened her interest in species responses to environmental stressors.
Shortly after completing her MSc, Nazley began an internship with South African National Parks (SANParks), where she worked on biodiversity data management. During this time, she was introduced to the SANParks Biodiversity Information Management System (BIMS), based on the Freshwater Research Centre’s own FBIS platform. This experience sparked her interest in data science and bioinformatics, and highlighted the importance of comprehensive and accurate species occurrence data for effective conservation in protected areas.
In 2025, Nazley joined the Freshwater Research Centre as a data scientist on the FBIS-Africa project. She is excited to expand her expertise in bioinformatics and GIS, and contribute to the development of this innovative platform. She believes that science, collaboration, and open-access, high-quality biodiversity data are critical to preserving the continent’s rich and threatened freshwater ecosystems.
Formal Education:
MSc (Distinction) (Zoology, University of Pretoria)
BSc Honours (First class) (Biology, University of Cape Town)
BSc (Applied Biology, Ecology and Evolution, University of Cape Town)
Specializations:
Data management, bioinformatics, conservation, zoology, global change, research
Email: nazley@frcsa.org.za