Apply for a grant and take your research to a whole new level.
Get funding for your most impactful research projects in collaboration with Africa’s most diverse Palaeoscience community.
Funding Highlights 2013-2023
Breaking boundaries and driving inclusivity.
Our commitment to creating opportunities and enabling access through open collaboration and inclusive research programmes knows no bounds.
Funding Opportunities
Our grants and programmes aim to provide opportunities that drive inclusivity and turn shared wisdom into real-world solutions for all.
Our research projects are taking Palaeoscience into the future. Will you help us go further?
GENUS Palaeoscientists are working on a number of exciting projects across a diverse range of disciplines.
Evolutionary Processes
This area of research centers on the study of evolutionary processes, biodiversity, and understanding the timing of evolutionary events within major clades. It involves analysing the global distribution of fossil taxa, as well as exploring the intricacies of functional morphology and key innovations in morphological evolution.
Cultural & Behavioural Evolution
Explore the pivotal shifts in material culture and behavioral patterns among early humans, elucidating their profound influence on the development of modern human behaviour.
Palaeo-environments & Palaeoclimates
Earth systems change dynamically, and when stretched beyond certain thresholds, lead to changes (and potentially collapses) in ecosystems and biodiversity. This theme uncovers the variability in the resilience of past ecosystems to fluxes through space and time.
Innovation
Utilising technologies to optimise the utilisation of fossils and archaeological material by enhancing efforts to explore, preserve, enhance, and research them is crucial. It is equally essential to seek out new, inventive methods for extracting and analysing information.
Improve your chances of funding.
We’ve put together General FAQs to help you navigate the process of applying for a Grant. It includes useful insights into eligibility, application requirements, and the review process.
What our grantees have to say.
Our grantees share their thoughts on how GENUS has helped them achieve their research ambitions.
In January 2024, I was awarded the GENUS Next Generation Palaeoscience Postdoctoral Fellowship for two years, spanning 2024 and 2025. The postdoc will be hosted by the University of Cape Town Department of Geological Sciences and the Human Evolution Research Institute at UCT. My postdoc is a fascinating continuation of my PhD work in the Kalahari, where I will focus on identifying behavioral differences between Earlier Stone Age (ESA) and Middle Stone Age (MSA) hominins in South Africa. I am forever grateful to GENUS for being part of my PhD and postdoctoral journey!
Dr Precious Chiwara-Maenzanise
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Cape Town Department of Geological Sciences and the Human Evolution Research Institute
My team and I have been working on the Kalkkop meteortite impact crater palaeolake sediments for a number of years now and this grant will help us finally resolve the age of the new cores we drilled in 2019. This is a crucial piece of the puzzle and we are excited to see this massive project delivers in 2024! This grant will help pay for OSL dating the lake sediments and allow us to develop a new age-depth model and reconstruct the past variability of the lake and local region.
Dr Robyn Pickering
Senior lecturer and co-director of HERI, Department of Geosciences and Human Evolution Research Institute , UCT
My biggest career goal is to contribute to the development of archaeobotany in southern Africa and build a bridge between the field and other paleoenvironmental studies to form a community of ‘Environmental Archaeology’ in southern Africa. During my studies and postdoctoral fellowship, the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences has been very supportive of my journey through their financial support for postgraduate students, which in turn has allowed me to complete my studies and grow as a young researcher.
Dr Bongekile Zwane
Next Generation Palaeoscientist Postdoctoral Fellow, African Centre for Coastal Palaeosciences, Nelson Mandela University
The Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences contribution to the ongoing success of my PhD studies is not confined to simply providing funds. CoE-Pal has fostered an environment of inclusion which has allowed for the provision of a safe space to engage with issues of transformation. All of which has lifted grantee morale during these exceptional times. The continuous support of this institution has provided me with the opportunity to identify, investigate and capitalise on new technology and research methods.
Kelita Shadrach
PhD Candidate, School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand
GENUS has not only provided funding for my studies but additionally, support and motivation for my studies and the advancement of my career as a young, black, female scientist through structured programmes. The committee’s willingness to always help makes me feel fortunate to be a GENUS in Palaeosciences grantee.
Moseri Moteng
MSc Candidate, Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand
The research grants received from CoE in Palaeosciences enabled me to undertake research with my postgraduate students, who received hands-on academic training from me and research support from our broader palaeosciences community. This funding has also ensured that I and my students could partake in local and international collaborations, and produce quality publications. I am particularly grateful for the efficient management of these funds.
Professor Emese Bordy
Dept of Geological Science, University of Cape Town
The CoE salary has enabled me to pursue my goal of continuing with my studies since this position makes it easier for me to study part-time. My position allows me to access the fossil collections at Wits, but also at other institutions both locally and overseas.
Dr Sifelani Jirah
Collections Manager, Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand
