Professor Jemma Finch is an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa). She holds a PhD from the University of York. A palaeoecologist by training, she uses plant and animal remains preserved in sediments to understand past climate and environmental change. She is the recipient of the 2021 UKZN Vice Chancellor’s Research Award.

Jemma also teaches undergraduate biogeography and environmental change, and has special interests in fieldwork-based training, and in developing scientific writing skills.