Speakers

Hassina Mouri is a Full Professor in the Geology Department at the University of Johannesburg and holds the UNESCO Chair for Medical Geology in Africa. Prof. Mouri is the President of the International Union of Geological Sciences for the term 2024-2028. She graduated with distinction in Geology from the University of Science and Technology in Algeria in 1990 and completed her postgraduate studies in France in 1995. Prof. Mouri has held academic positions in Finland, the USA, and South Africa, focusing on high-grade metamorphic rocks and medical geology in recent years. She has received numerous prestigious awards, including the African-European Union Regional Women in Science Award and the International Hypatia Award. In 2024, she became a member of the South African Academy of Science.

Further information: https://www.uj.ac.za/members/hassina-mouri/

Professor P. David Polly is a paleontologist and evolutionary biologist at Indiana University, specializing in vertebrate paleontology. Prof. Polly earned his PhD from UC Berkeley in 1993 and has held various academic positions, including Professor and Department Chair at Indiana University and Visiting Professor at the University of Helsinki and Australian National University. Prof. Polly’s research focuses on the evolutionary dynamics of mammals, contributing significantly to the fields of paleobiology and climate change. Prof. Polly has published extensively, with over 150 research articles and several books, and has received numerous honours and awards, including being a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Further information: https://pollylab.org/