PAGES ECN webinar - Mentoring to stimulate international collaborations

Mentoring to stimulate international collaborations - why ECRs need international mentors and how supervisors can assist them
This webinar is hosted by Prof. Lindsey Gillson, Dr. Estelle Razanatsoa and Cherie Dirk from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, who talk about their experiences and ways to cultivate international mentorships and collaborations.
Professor from January 2021. Prof. Gillson’s work covers themes of long-term vegetation change, ecosystem management and conservation, with a particular focus on African ecosystems. Internationally, she is currently a member of the PAGES Scientific Steering Committee, and the Centre for Australian Biodiversity and Cultural Heritage Centre Advisory Committee. At the University of Cape Town, she is Deputy Director of the Plant Conservation Unit and is a member of the Science Faculty Animal Ethics Committee, and the Environment and Management Committee. She was Associate Editor of Anthropocene for several years and is now Chief Editor, Plant Conservation Section, Frontiers in Conservation Science. Prof Gillson also delivers excellent students, among which Dr. Estelle Razanatsoa and Cherie Dirk are shining examples.
Dr. Estelle Razanatsoa completed her PhD at the University of Cape Town in 2019 where she investigated the impact of climate change and human activities on the vegetation in southwest Madagascar. She is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow under Lindsey’s guidance working on combined approach of modelling and proxy validation to investigate ecosystem changes, human land use and fire-climate feedback across Madagascar. She is one of the group leaders of the new PAGES Diverse-K working group that was established at the end of 2020 which addresses the development of recommendations for pressing environmental and social justice issues and also acting as a scientific committee of the International Paleofire Network (IPN).
Cherie Dirk is a PhD candidate at UCT specialising in applied paleoecology and participatory system dynamics modelling, with previous experience as a project manager and research assistant on projects related to climate change adaptation and the support of scientific capacity development in South Africa (SA) and Africa. Her current research focuses on the patterns and dynamics of ecosystem services and social-ecological systems, including conservation and management of nature reserves and agricultural landscapes in the Cape Floristic Region, SA. Cherie also published about this last year in PAGES’ magazine Past Global Changes.
Through the supervision of Estelle and Cherie, Lindsey Gillson has cultivated a learning and supervisory environment that encourages autonomy, creativity and a high standard of research quality and technical training. We draw on networks throughout the world to grow our interdisciplinary expertise. By leading a unique Applied Palaeo Lab in Southern Africa, Lindsey has encouraged the growth of the next generation of leaders in this field who can inspire other young scientists in Africa and beyond. The team works together to mainstream palaeoecology into biodiversity conservation, ecosystem management and sustainability science by showcasing excellent, innovative research that integrates palaeoecology with other disciplines.
The webinar is one hour followed by a Q & A session of about 40 minutes.
This webinar has been organized by the PAGES ECN Webinar Cluster. Contact them at [e-mail] if you have ideas for future webinars and want to be involved.