Claire Browning

Claire is a Research Scientist and Curator of the Karoo Palaeontology collections at Iziko South African Museum. After completing her MSc in Sedimentology and Palaeontology she began her career as a Geologist at the Council for Geoscience where she worked for 8 years on various mapping and research-related projects in South Africa and Madagascar. Claire has always been fascinated by palaeobiology and education and decided to shift her career into the heritage sector at Iziko Museums of South Africa. Currently her research interests include an on-going international collaboration aiming to understand the Palaeoenvironment as recorded in South Africa during end-Ordovician (~440 million years ago). This is especially important because it records a dynamic set of climate shifts that have been related to the second largest mass extinction event known on our planet. She also collaborates on research projects in the ~300 to 180 million year-old Karoo Basin. She spends time exploring new areas for fossil discovery and collaborates on descriptions for newly acquired specimens in the lab. In addition to research, Claire works proactively with education and public engagement initiatives at the museum. She is constantly looking for ways to make science relatable to a wider audience, especially through multimedia.