I grew up in the area around Cape Town, South Africa where I enjoyed getting out into
the fields, and hiking up the mountains to see the marvels of nature. I studied Biochemistry
and Genetics at the picturesque Stellenbosch University where I eventually left with
a M.Sc. in Biochemistry. I then spent several months in Pisa, Italy conducting research
at the Institute for Neuroscience there as well as got to see some of the more touristy
sites of Italy. On returning to South Africa I began a PhD in the Department of Human
Biology at the University of Cape Town. It was during that time that I got married
to my lovely wife, Laura. In 2013 we moved to Orange City, Iowa where I got a job
teaching Anatomy and Physiology (and some Vertebrate Zoology) to undergraduates. It
was during this time that I discovered that I enjoyed teaching and learning Anatomy.
In 2018 I decided it was time to become a better anatomist and sought a new position
at school with an excellent Anatomy program. This brought me to Quillen: which has
some of the best teachers and students (to become a good teacher you need really good
students).
My research focuses on a small fish that gets old very fast: Nothobranchius furzeri. I am interested in the neuropathologies that develop in its nervous system: where they start (how they spread and what causes them) as well as anti-aging interventions that would retard those neuropathologies. I am currently exploring the hypothesis that the fish develop a synucleinopathy as they age. Synucleinopathies are implicated in several human neurodegenerative diseases: frontotemporal lobar dementia, multiple system atrophy and Parkinson’s disease. I am also interested in the age-related degeneration of their immune system and how exercise and fasting influence the rate of age-related decline.