Name: Dr. John Measey

Position: Professor (1968-2025)

Research Description:

Dr. John Measey was a Professor at the Centre for Invasion Biology (C·I·B) based in the Institute for Biodiversity at Yunnan University and at the Department of Botany and Zoology at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. He was also an Honorary Attaché of the Museum National D'Histoire Naturelle, Paris. His research centered on biological invasions and other ecological investigations incorporating a wide range of techniques to address hypotheses in evolution, conservation and population biology.


Sadly, John died following a mountain bike accident in China on 19 April 2025. Remebered as "a superb researcher, an excellent lecturer, supervisor and mentor. He was a crucial cog in the wheel of the invasion ecology in South Africa and his contributions will be sorely missed". Dr Measey was a globally respected herpetologist who made crucial contributions to the knowledge of the ecology and conservation status of amphibians and reptiles, especially in South Africa but also in many other parts of the world. He was the world expert on the African clawed frog or platanna (Xenopus laevis), a native African amphibian which is invasive in several parts of the world.

Contact Information

Address:
Centre for Invasion Biology
Department of Botany and Zoology
Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch, Western Cape
South Africa