Inaugural Lecture: Professor Tammy Robinson-Smythe

Due to the severe weather conditions currently affecting the Western Cape, the professorial inaugural lecture of Prof Tammy Robinson-Smythe has been postponed to Thursday 14 May.

Join us for Prof Tammy Robinson-Smythe's professorial inaugural lecture – Research in support of conservation: the story of marine alien species in South Africa, hosted by the Faculty of Science.
 

Professor Tammy Robinson-Smythe
Research Chair in Managing Invasions in Protected Areas
Centre for Invasion Biology
Faculty of Science
Title: Research in support of conservation: the story of marine alien species in South Africa
 

Event details
Date: Thursday 14 May 2026
Time: 17:30 SAST
Venue: STIAS, Wallenberg Research Centre, 10 Marais Street, Stellenbosch
Format: Hybrid event
 

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Research in support of conservation: the story of marine alien species in South Africa 

The spread of alien species is a global phenomenon that has tracked the movement of people and their commodities. In a marine setting, this spread has largely been associated with shipping, recreational vessels and mariculture. When arriving in new places, alien species can negatively affect native biodiversity as well as human health and wellbeing. This makes preventing and managing invasions key conservation aims. However, to achieve these aims, and to do so cost-effectively, it is vital to understand how species arrive and spread, and for management interventions to be informed by sound evidence. Over the past 20 years, understanding of marine invasions in the South African context has grown rapidly. This lecture offers an overview of the key achievements in this field, the current understanding of coastal invasions in South Africa, and the exciting developments that place the country at the forefront of addressing marine invasions in Africa.
 

Biography

Prof Tammy Robinson-Smythe, a marine ecologist with a focus on bioinvasions, holds the Research Chair in Managing Invasions in Protected Areas, based in Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Invasion Biology in the Faculty of Science.

Her research addresses topics that are both theoretically important and practically relevant. Her work at the interface of primary and applied research pushes invasion science forward while tackling issues that are particularly relevant to developing nations such as South Africa. She focuses on four key areas, namely (i) interrogating the spread of invasive species; (ii) understanding the impacts of marine alien species; (iii) supporting evidence-based management of these biota; and (iv) investigating the implications of climate change for invasions.

Prof Robinson-Smythe has a keen interest in developing young scientists. Together with her students, she has recorded multiple species new to South African waters, led the first marine eradication programme for invasive aliens in Africa, and developed the scientific basis and logistics framework for a national monitoring programme for alien fouling species. Her contributions at a national level include chairing the National Marine Alien Species Working Group and co-chairing the associated task team on the monitoring of invasions in marine protected areas (MPAs). She works closely with SANParks, pursuing research that supports them in their mandate to protect native biodiversity and the benefits that flow to communities from MPAs.

Her global standing is reflected in her being the aquatic editor in chief of the international journal NeoBiota, her service on the board of the Society for the Study of Marine Bioinvasions, and her role as member of the writing team for the United Nations report Third World Ocean Assessment.