Doctoral Student

Tshifhiwa Mandiwana-Neudani BA, UED, BSc (Hons) (Venda), MSc (UCT) Department of Botany Tel: +27 (0)21 650 3915 Fax +27 (0)21 650 4041 Email: tshifhiwa.mandiwana-neudani@uct.ac.za

Tshifhiwa  was born in the former Venda, Limpopo Province, South Africa. After receiving a BA degree and University Education Diploma (UED) from the University of Venda she worked for three years as a high school Biology teacher. Once her teaching contract expired she returned  to the University of Venda to follow a different stream and completed a BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences. Tshifhiwa  then moved to the University of Cape Town to study for an MSc in Systematics and Biodiversity Science. Following the completion of her MSc, she worked at the former Technikon Pretoria (presently TUT) and was involved in teaching as well as research. She later moved to the Transvaal Museum (NFI) as a researcher in the Ornithology Department. She is presently employed in the Botany Department at UCT and is working on her PhD on francolin and spurfowl systematics.

Throughout her postgraduate studies, Tshifhiwa's research has continued to focus on the systematics of birds, particularly francolins and spurfowls. Her interests are in sorting out the taxonomy and investigating and understanding inter- and intraspecific relationships and aspects that relate to biogeography. In 2008 she was awarded the 'Best PhD Oral Presentation' award at the Joint VIIth Southern African Society for Systematic Biology (SASSB) and the XXXIVth South African Association of Botanists (SAAB) Conference held in Drakensville (Kwa-Zulu-Natal), South Africa (15 - 18 January 2008) for the presentation of her work on the systematics of spurfowls done in collaboration with Tim Crowe and Rauri Bowie.

Thesis

Taxonomy, phylogenetics and biogeography of francolins and spurfowls (Supervisors: Tim Crowe & Rauri Bowie)

Recent peer-reviewed publications

Mandiwana-Neudani, T.G., Kopuchian, C., Louw, G. & Crowe, T.M. 2011. A study of gross morphological and histological syringeal features of true francolins (Galliformes: Francolinus, Scleroptila, Peliperdix and Dendroperdix spp.) and spurfowls (Pternistis spp.) in a phylogenetic context. Ostrich 82:115-127. IF 0.338