The South African and global invasion science fraternities were shocked to learn of the passing of Professor John Measey (age 57) following a mountain bike accident in China on 19 April 2025.
At the time of his death John held a part-time position in the Department of Botany and Zoology at Stellenbosch University (SU) in South Africa, was a member of SU’s Centre for Invasion Biology’s Core Team, and held an appointment at Yunnan University in the city of Kunming, China. In 2025 he become an adjunct professor at Hiroshima University in Japan, where he worked closely with the Amphibian Research Centre.
John Measey was a permanent employee of Stellenbosch University between 2014 and 2022. During this time he was a highly valued member of the Centre for Invasion Biology’s Core Team and supervised 41 post-graduate students to graduation. John was a globally respected herpetologist who made crucial contributions to the knowledge of the ecology and conservation status of amphibians and reptiles, especially in South Africa but also in many other parts of the world. He was the world expert on the African clawed frog or platanna (Xenopus laevis), an African amphibian which is invasive in several parts of the world. He also published several key reviews of animal invasions in South Africa.
John Measey
6 December 1968 - 19 April 2025
Measey also made major contributions to invasion ecology more generally. Among the topics in his invasion-related publications were: protocols for engaging with stakeholders, links between emerging infectious diseases and biological invasions, invasion syndromes, and invasions in urban ecosystems. He was co-editor of the encyclopaedic book “Biological invasions in South Africa” that was published in 2020. John was also interested in scientific writing and publishing, and was author of two books on the topic: “How to write a PhD in biological sciences: a guide for the uninitiated” (2021) and “How to publish in the biological sciences: a guide for the uninitiated” (2022), both published by Taylor & Francis. He was a passionate blogger and wrote engagingly on a wide range of topics: http://john.measey.com/Blog.
John Measey was a superb researcher, an excellent lecturer, supervisor and mentor. He was a crucial cog in the wheel of the invasion ecology in South Africa and globally and he will be sorely missed.
David M. Richardson
Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch Universitty, South Africa
Obituary
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