Dr Chad Keates

Chad is currently employed at the University of Florida as a Post-doctoral Fellow, working within the Aquatic and Wetland Plant Science Lab as the Genetics Lab Manager. Chad started his studies as a journalist at Rhodes University but quickly transitioned to Zoology in his honours, which was followed soon after by his PhD on the evolutionary structuring of African grass snakes. Since the completion of his PhD in 2021, Chad has completed two post-docs and most recently completed a stint at Hankuzi Explorations, as General Manager, where he oversaw the research and operations of the NPC. Chad is an Honorary Research Fellow at the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, is part of the Science Advisory Board for Anura Africa, and is the Media Representative for the Herpetological Association of Africa. Chad is an accomplished herpetologist, having authored many high impact publications that have resulted in the discovery and description of several new taxa of both reptile and amphibian. Chad has also presented at numerous academic conferences’ and has been contracted as a specialist herpetologist on a wide variety of Environmental Impact Assessments within Southern Africa. He is a strong advocate for scientific engagement and regularly presents reptile and frog talks and demonstrations for audiences ranging from toddlers to academics. When not in the office or in the classroom, Chad is out in the field, photographing the amazing herpetological diversity that the World has to offer. In his short time as a herpetologist he has traversed much of Southern Africa, and more recently Botswana, Angola, Zambia, and DRC with the likes of National Geographic, Okavango Wilderness Project and Hankuzi Explorations.