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Grant van der Heever

Grant van der Heever holds an MSc (Cum Laude) in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology from the University of the Western Cape.

He is currently employed as an Instrument Technician (“aspiring scientist”) at the South African Environmental Observation Networks (SAEON) Offshore node in Cape Town. Although his role at SAEON spans various disciplines, his main duties are the planning and execution of at-sea surveys, and the operation and maintenance of the sampling equipment used during those surveys. The sampling equipment he operates relies on innovative deep-sea technology to investigate long-term ecological change in the understudied deeper waters of South Africa. These offshore ecosystems are home to remarkable marine plants and animals that sustain a lucrative commercial fishery that has supported South Africans for over centuries.

Grant’s future goal is to pursue a PhD which will focus on essential fish habitats, which to put simply, will use underwater camera technology to visually identify and characterise the habitats of commercially important fish species in South African waters.

Grant van der Heever 
                                                              
Grant van der Heever, Instrument Technician and aspiring Scientist 

Grant van der Heever, MSc Cum Laude

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