The Masters and Genin African Primatology Fund

The fund was established to honor the memories of Judith Masters and Fabien Genin who were tragically killed in South Africa. Both Masters and Genin were extraordinary researchers and dedicated teachers and mentors.

Judith Masters was a research professor at the University of Fort Hare, South Africa where she headed APIES (the African Primate Initiative for Ecology and Speciation). Judith’s research focused on the diversification and evolution of strepsirrhine primates. Included in her over 100 publications was the book Leaping Ahead: Advances in Prosimian Biology coedited with Fabien Genin and Marco Gamba. The volume contains papers presented at the 2007 International Conference on Prosimians held in Ithala, South Africa which Judith and Fabien organised. Judith and her collaborators have been working on revising the taxonomy of the dwarf galago. Judith was the co-founder and co-chair of the Primate Ecology and Genetics Group (PEGG) of the South African Primatology Society. Fabien Genin, originally from Toulouse, France, was a frequent collaborator of Judith’s. He studied the ecology of strepsirrhine primates in Africa and Madagascar focusing specifically on ecophysiology, behavioural ecology and bioacoustics. Fabien also had a faculty appointment at University of Fort Hare. Both Judith and Fabien were incredibly devoted to their students and to the promotion of primatology in Africa. Their involvement with IPS was expressed in their frequent attendance at our congresses, their efforts in promoting the attendance and participation of their students, and their willingness to host an IPS congress in South Africa

Judith Masters and Fabien Genin left us, but their work remains and will never be forgotten. The Masters and Genin African Primatology Fund is devoted to continuing the work they started by supporting research by African and Malagasy primatology students.

You can donate to the fund here…