Bettine van Vuuren studied at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. She received a B.Sc. Zoology in 1992 and M.Sc. in 1995. She was awarded a PhD in Zoology in 2000 on the topic 'Molecular phylogeny of duiker antelope . She subsequently relocated to the University of Stellenbosch and in 2001, took up a postdoctoral position at the University of Montpellier II, France. Her research focused on game mammals in French Guiana and the results contributed towards the development of hunting laws for the protection of Neotropical game species. In 2002, she returned to Stellenbosch University. She was invited to become a core team member of the Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology . In October 2011, she accepted a position at the University of Johannesburg, and in 2016 / 2017 she was awarded a University of Johannesburg research centre. She has been involved with the supervision of > 40 PhD and MSc students and hosted >10 postdoctoral fellows. She is a member of the Zoological Society of Southern Africa, the International Biogeography Society and the Southern AfricanWildlife Management Association.
Career and impact
van Vuuren believes that aspects of her research must have practical conservation and management application. She has driven research documenting genetic patterns for several of Africa's economically important game species. Through ongoing interaction, she feeds her research back to nature conservation, industry and the general public. To this end, she was involved with the Draft Regulations for the Biodiversity Act as the Coordinator for the listing on invasive vertebrate species and was largely responsible, in collaboration with Dr Preston, for the listing of mammal species and associated distribution maps. She serves, when required, as a scientific adviser to the Department of Environmental Affairs: Directorates Biodiversity and Conservation, as well as Environmental Programmes. In addition to studying spatial patterns on the African continent, her research has a strong Antarctic / sub-Antarctic focus. She has worked extensively on Marion Island as a project leader and was the first female Chief Scientist in the South African National Antarctic Programme's annual relief voyage in 2006. She serves on the South African ICS Committee for the international Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research and was the National Alternate Delegate to the recent SCAR Delegates meeting in Davos, Switzerland, the South African representative to SCAR Life Sciences, and also the South African representative and co-Chair of a SCAR Action Group. Van Vuuren is an official South African delegate to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research and the Vice-Chair of the Standing Scientific Group on Life Sciences since 2010 and South African representative on for the Action Group on Integrated Science for the Sub-Antarctic. She is recognized nationally and internationally and attained leadership positions in academia and science outside a university setting. She has strong national and international collaborations.
