Nonkululo Phephu, PHD candidate, Lecturer, Bryologist, Departmental Success Rate Coordinator at the Department of Nature Conservation.

“I was born in Mbizana, a small rural town of Eastern Cape, South Africa. I started working on bryophytes in 2005 as an intern under the mentorship and leadership of Dr Jacques van Rooy (South African National Biodiversity Institute) until I was a full scientist. He allowed me to take off right away by involving me in bryophyte anatomy, taxonomy, field work, herbarium curation and scientific writing. He and the late Dr Sarie Perold have been instrumental in shaping me into one of the few active bryologists working on the Flora of southern Africa. Generally, bryophytes are not well-known in our country, like vascular plants,” Phephu says.

“I love bryology because it gives me a rare opportunity to promote the knowledge of this group of plants as well as to represent my country and continent in this field. At present I am a PHD candidate studying the endemic element of the bryophytes of southern Africa,” she says.

Phephu says her current occupation as a lecturer, not only allows her to continue with bryology research but to also establish and preserve the relationship between the academic circles and the National Herbarium, which houses the largest bryophyte collection in Africa, and recruit the students to study these plants.