UCT FACULTY OF SCIENCE INVITES YOU TO THE 
2026 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI LECTURES

The UCT Faculty of Science Distinguished Alumni Lectures aim to highlight our outstanding alumni who are making significant contributions in their respective fields.

Distinguished Alumni - Rising Star
Dr. Gareth Tate
Senior Conservation Manager - Endangered Wildlife Trust
Topic: Eyes in the Sky: How vultures are revolutionising conservation in Africa.

Africa’s vultures are disappearing at an alarming rate, yet they are becoming powerful allies in conservation. Drawing on research that began at UCT’s FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology and more than a decade in African raptor conservation, Gareth will explore the Eye in the Sky System, a pioneering GPS-based alert network that turns vultures into airborne sentinels for wildlife protection. These tracked birds help detect poisoning incidents, poaching camps and snare lines in near real time, demonstrating how science, species knowledge and technology can be combined to deliver measurable conservation impact.
 

Distinguished Alumni
Helen Davies
Director: Risk & Resilience - City of Cape Town
Topic: Navigating, planning for and building resilience to shocks at the city and provincial scale.

Helen will reflect on her experience leading and coordinating responses to major shocks, including the Day Zero water crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and the load-shedding crisis while working for the Western Cape Government. She will discuss her role in helping the City of Cape Town, its citizens and economy prepare for future shocks and strengthen resilience. Drawing on these experiences, she will consider how governments anticipate, navigate and respond to increasing uncertainty and complexity while maintaining service delivery and ensuring infrastructure remains resilient during times of disruption.