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Hire Dr. Helene S.

South Africa

USD 20 /hr

My professional interests include zoology, entomology, research, writing, editing and proofreading of scientific text.

Profile Summary

I am a Namibian born South African citisen with a great love for nature and its intricacies. As an INTJ personality type I am an independent problem solver driven by the quest for knowledge and understanding. I completed my PhD in molecular phylogenetics at the University of Pretoria in 2011, and has since worked as a postdoctoral researcher in this field at UP as well as the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa. My research focused on molecular and morphological systematics of vertebrates and invertebrates, molecular epidemiology of zoonotic diseases and epidemiological modeling of rodent-borne zoonotic diseases as well as the development of non-invasive, molecular tests for wildlife diseases affecting conservation and management in Africa. Through my work I have published peer reviewed scientific articles with the use of phylogenetic tools, where I mostly specialised in bacterial and viral genetics. I have also co-supervised 5 MSc students in the field and have assisted them not only in data analyses but also in article structuring and scientific writing. To complement this, I completed a course in proofreading and copy editing in 2013. Currently, I work from home as a freelance science writer, researcher, proofreader and copy editor. I am open to freelance or remote opportunities suited to my expertise.

Subject Matter Expertise

• ★ Zoology
• ★ Molecular Biology
• ★ Scientific Proofreading & Editing
• ☆ STEM
• ☆ Biology/Life Sciences
• ☆ PCR
• ☆ Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)
• ☆ DNA Sequencing
• ☆ Medical Entomology
• ☆ Phylogenetics
• ☆ Forensic Entomology
• ☆ Epidemiology
• ☆ Research
• ☆ Research Methodology
• ☆ Science Communication

Services

• Writing
• Research
• Consulting
• Product Development

Writing Clinical Trial Documentation, Technical Writing, Newswriting

Research Feasibility Study, Gray Literature Search, Systematic Literature Review, Secondary Data Collection

Consulting Scientific and Technical Consulting

Product Development Formulation

Work Experience

Postdoc developing non invasive molecular tests for wildlife diseases

National Zoological Gardens of South Africa

April 2012 - March 2015

Postdoc

National Zoological Gardens of South Africa

April 2012 - March 2015

part Time Volunteer Orientator

I-to-I

2008 - 2014

Postdoc

University of Pretoria

March 2011 - March 2012

Postdoc in molecular systematics and zoonotic disease

University of Pretoria

February 2011 - March 2012

Earthwatch Volunteer Coordinator

Kalahari Meerkat Project

2006 - 2007

Education

PhD

University of Pretoria

April 2008 - February 2011

PhD (Zoology & Entomology)

University of Pretoria

2008 - 2011

MSc (Zoology & Entomology)

University of Pretoria

2004 - 2006

Certifications

• Certification details not provided.

Publications

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Almero Oosthuizen AND Helene Brettschneider AND Desire L. Dalton AND Elizabeth C. du Plessis AND Raymond Jansen AND Antoinette Kotze AND Emily P. Mitchell(2019). Canine parvovirus detected from a serval (Leptailurus serval) in South Africa . {AOSIS}

Almero Oosthuizen AND Helene Brettschneider AND Desire L. Dalton AND Elizabeth C. du Plessis AND Raymond Jansen AND Antoinette Kotze AND Emily P. Mitchell(2019). Canine parvovirus detected from a serval (Leptailurus serval) in South Africa . {AOSIS}

Emily P. Lane AND Helene Brettschneider AND Peter Caldwell AND Almero Oosthuizen AND Desir{\'e} L. Dalton AND Liza du Plessis AND Johan Steyl AND Antoinette Kotze(2016). Feline panleukopaenia virus in captive non-domestic felids in South Africa . {AOSIS}

M. Thabang Madisha AND Damian Ponsonby AND Ute Schwaibold AND Antoinette Kotz{\'e} AND Raymond Jansen AND Helene Brettschneider AND Desir{\'e} L. Dalton(2015). Differentiation of two South African otter species (Aonyx capensis and Lutra maculicollis) from spraint based on partial CytB primer sets . {Elsevier}

Philip Bateman, Christian Chimimba, Armanda Bastos, Helene Brettschneider, Clarke Scholtz, 2009, 'The tusked king cricket, Libanasidus vittatus (Kirby, 1899) (Anostostomatidae), from South Africa: morphological and molecular evidence suggest two cryptic species', <i>Insect Systematics &amp; Evolution</i>, vol. 40, no. 1 .

Stephan Wolf, Helene Brettschneider, Philip W. Bateman, 2006, 'The predator defence system of an African king cricket (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae): does it help to stink?', <i>African Zoology</i>, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 75-80 .

Armanda D Bastos, Deenadayalan Nair, Peter J Taylor, Helene Brettschneider, Frikkie Kirsten, Elmarie Mostert, Emil von Maltitz, Jennifer M Lamb, Pim van Hooft, Steven R Belmain, Giancarlo Contrafatto, Sarah Downs, Christian T Chimimba, 2011, 'Genetic monitoring detects an overlooked cryptic species and reveals the diversity and distribution of three invasive Rattus congeners in south Africa', <i>BMC Genetics</i>, vol. 12, no. 1, p. 26 .

OTHER

Metlholo Andries Phukuntsi AND Helene Brettschneider AND Desir{\'e} L Dalton AND Teresa Kearney AND Jacqueline Badenhorst AND Antoinette Kotze(2016). DNA Barcoding for Identification of Cryptic Species in the Field and Existing Museum Collections: A Case Study of Aethomys and Micaelamys (Rodentia: Muridae) . {Zoological Society of Southern Africa}

Metlholo Andries Phukuntsi AND Helene Brettschneider AND Desir{\'e} L Dalton AND Teresa Kearney AND Jacqueline Badenhorst AND Antoinette Kotze(2016). DNA barcoding for identification of cryptic species in the field and existing museum collections: a case study of Aethomys and Micaelamys (Rodentia: Muridae) . {Figshare}

Metlholo Andries Phukuntsi AND Helene Brettschneider AND Desir{\'e} L Dalton AND Teresa Kearney AND Jacqueline Badenhorst AND Antoinette Kotze(2016). DNA barcoding for identification of cryptic species in the field and existing museum collections: a case study of Aethomys and Micaelamys (Rodentia: Muridae) . {Figshare}

Metlholo Andries Phukuntsi AND Helene Brettschneider AND Desir{\'e} L Dalton AND Teresa Kearney AND Jacqueline Badenhorst AND Antoinette Kotze(2016). DNA barcoding for identification of cryptic species in the field and existing museum collections: a case study of Aethomys and Micaelamys (Rodentia: Muridae) . {Figshare}

Anja le Grange AND Armanda DS Bastos AND Helene Brettschneider AND Christian T Chimimba(2015). Evidence of a Contact Zone Between Two Rhabdomys dilectus (Rodentia: Muridae) Mitotypes in Gauteng Province, South Africa . {Zoological Society of Southern Africa}

Stephan Wolf AND Helene Brettschneider AND Philip W. Bateman(2005). cricket (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae): .

REPORT

Metlholo Andries Phukuntsi AND Helene Brettschneider AND Desir{\'e} L Dalton AND Teresa Kearney AND Jacqueline Badenhorst AND Antoinette Kotze(2016). DNA barcoding for identification of cryptic species in the field and existing museum collections: a case study of Aethomys and Micaelamys (Rodentia: Muridae) . {Figshare}