Research opportunities

The School of Geosciences offers MSc degrees by research dissertation and PhD degrees by thesis through the BPI Palaeontology. The minimum registration period for MSc is 1 year and PhD 2 years.

Some of the research topics currently available as MSc and PhD research projects are listed below. Click the title of each project that interests you for more information on that project.

The research thrusts of the BPI Palaeontology relate mainly to the palaeontological and sedimentological development of the Carboniferous-Jurassic Great Karoo Basin, and the Plio-Pleistocene fossil hominid-bearing deposits.

1. Palaeontology, sedimentology and stratigraphy of the Permian Ecca-Beaufort contact

This project focuses on the shoreline transitional contact between the Ecca and Beaufort groups and can be undertaken at either MSc or PhD level. It forms part of a long-term project of the Institute, in the course of which numerous new tetrapod taxa, including some of the most positive therapsids known, have been recovered.
The ultimate aim of the project is to use palaeontology and lithology in explaining basin development.
For MSc, students are required to undertake 2-3 months of fieldwork to search for fossils and document the lithology of the Ecca-Beaufort contact over a localised area of the basin. Current areas of interest are the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal.
PhD students would be required to undertake 5-6 months of fieldwork to search for fossils and document the lithology of the Ecca-Beaufort contact over a large area of the Karoo.
Supervisors: Professor Bruce Rubidge
Funding: Available -- contact the Director, BPI

2. Litho and biostratigraphy of the Middle Permian Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone of the Beaufort Group

The Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone is the thickest biozone of the Beaufort Group and has yielded a rich fauna of early therapsids. This project aims to work toward a lithological and biostratigraphic subdivision of the Lower Beaufort.
This project can be undertaken at either MSc or PhD level.
* For MSc, students are required to undertake 2-3 months of fieldwork to search for fossils and document the lithology over a localised area of the basin in the Eastern, Northern or Western Cape Provinces.
* PhD students would be required to undertake 5-6 months of fieldwork to search for fossils and document the lithology of the lower Beaufort in the large parts of the basin in the Eastern, Northern or Western Cape Provinces.
Supervisors: Professor Bruce Rubidge
Funding: Available - contact the Director, BPI

3. Dendroclimatology of the Karoo Basin

This project has been structured to cater for both MSc and PhD requirements. Moreover, various time frames and localities are available for the study.
Using the inter- and intra-ring measurements of growth rings in gymnosperms and comparing with data from other Gondwana localities, the palaeoclimate can be deduced.
Supervisor: Dr Marion Bamford
Funding: University and/or NRF - contact the Director, BPI and the project supervisor.

4. Taxonomic and taphonomic assessment of the fauna of the lowest Cynognathus Assemblage Zone

Lag deposits from several localities in the early Triassic Cynognathus Assemblage Zone have yielded numerous bones of a wide variety of archosaur and therapsid taxa (many of them not previously known from the Karoo).
This MSc project offers an exciting opportunity to match up and describe some new tetrapod taxa from the Triassic.
Supervisor: Prof Bruce Rubidge
Funding: Available - contact the project supervisor.

5. Litho and biostratigraphy of the Elliot Formation in the main Karoo basin

The dinosaur and early mammal bearing rocks of the Triassic-Jurassic Elliot Formation are a current focus of the Institute, which has recently undertaken broad-scale lithological and stratigraphic studies; but we now require very detailed lithological and stratigraphic documentation in selected areas of the basin.
Supervisor: Dr. Adan Yates
Funding: Available - contact the project supervisor

6. Taxonomy of the Therocephalia

One of the most enigmatic and exciting groups of therapsids needs to be taxonomically revised and investigated. Several recent finds of therocephalians by the BPI will add a new dimension to this project.
This project has the potential to become, or to be designed as, a PhD thesis. The candidate and his/her supervisors will carefully design the project.
Supervisors: Prof Bruce Rubidge; Dr. Fernando Abdala
Funding: University and/or NRF - contact the Director, BPI

7. Palynology of the Karoo

Note: although various times and localities are available, this project is aimed at addressing the problems of the palynological record of the Karoo.
One or more aspects can be addressed: biostratigraphy, climate, extinction events, and ecology. Due to the scope, it has been designed as a PhD project.
Supervisor: Dr M Bamford
Funding: University and/or NRF - contact the Director, BPI

8. Therapsid Postcranial Morphology and Anatomy

A number of research projects on therapsid postcrania are available at both MSc and PhD levels. These require preparation and description of fossil material housed in the University s fossil collections curated at the BPI Palaeontology.
Supervisor: Professor Bruce Rubidge
Funding: Available - contact the Director, BPI

9. Research and Field-Exploration on Southern African Dinosaurs

Southern African dinosaurs require extensive revision and new fieldwork. Recent work by the BPI has established an Elliot Formation Dinosaur Exploration Team, which has (during routine preparatory studies) already revealed the earliest known sauropod dinosaur and collected several new specimens. A number of MSc and PhD projects have been tailored to investigate the relationships, anatomy and physiology of Southern African dinosaurs.
Supervisors: Dr Adam Yates
Funding: Available - contact the principal supervisor

10. Taxonomy of the Dinocephalia

The Dinocephalia are a diverse group of early therapsids, which are best known from middle- to late Permian deposits of southern Africa and Russia. Very little taxonomic work has been undertaken on this group in recent years, especially on the family Tapinocephalidae. Several taxonomic and phylogenetic projects on the dinocephalians are available at both MSc and PhD level.
Supervisor: Professor Bruce Rubidge
Funding: Available - contact the Director, BPI

Research opportunities

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