The Team
Prof James Larkin
Professor James Larkin is Director, Radiation and Health Physics Unit (RHPU) at the University of the Witwatersrand. He is also the Chairman of the university’s NIH mandated Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) and is a past chairman of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) International Nuclear Security Education Network (INSEN).
Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, UK (FRSM), member of the Institute for Nuclear Materials Management, US (INMM), and a founding member of the Southern African Radiation Protection Association (SARPA). Visiting Researcher, King’s College, London.
He is heavily involved in international nuclear security education, and over the past ten years has been to numerous different countries to share his nuclear security knowledge and experiences with national, regional, and international audiences. At Witwatersrand University he teaches various courses in nuclear security, radiation protection, and nuclear facility leadership, and acts as the university’s radiation safety officer.
Born and grew up in Kenya, where his love for wildlife started and continues to today.
Jessica Babich
Jessica has a degree in Anthropology and is passionate about wildlife and people. Her speciality is environmental anthropology – a particular dynamic that she is looking forward to bringing into The Rhisotope Project. As an independent sector consultant, her vision is to work with as many like-minded groups, organisations, people and projects as possible – uniting people to help them fight the crime and poaching scourge.
She has extensive knowledge and experience in project research, planning and implementation. She is skilled in working with all sector dynamics, from grassroots and local entities through to provincial, national and international collectives. By saving rhinos, she believes that people will be saved too.
Rebecca Beith
Becky joined the Rhisotope team as Operations Manager in January 2023. She is no stranger to working with wildlife and people , having worked in agriculture, hospitality and conservation -related industries in the course of her career.
Her experience includes working with local NPOs and establishing youth and leadership initiative projects.
Becky’s administrative experience is unsurpassed, and she is proficient in HR, bookkeeping and office administration as well as many other useful skills. Her passion and enthusiasm for conservation, and dedication to protecting our vulnerable species is a huge asset to the Rhisotope Project.
Jessica Shuttleworth
Jessica Shuttleworth grew up on the south coast in KwaZulu Natal. After school, she studied at NMU (Saarsveld) and graduated with a Diploma in Nature Conservation. She completed a year internship at Kwandwe Private Game Reserve before starting her professional career.
For the past three years, Jessica has been at Buffalo Kloof Private Game Reserve in the position of wildlife manager, head rhino data analyst, and cheetah monitor. Since her early years she has had a passion for wildlife, a trait passed down from her parents.
Jessica is in this fight so that the wildlife she loves does not become a distant memory for her children. She believes conservation of our planet’s biodiversity is crucial for future generations.
Laurian McLaren
Laurian has been an avid traveler and animal lover since she was a child, first exploring the South African game reserves as a child and later reserves around the world. She is passionate about conservation. She now resides in Greater London, UK and would love to assist in the plight to restore wildlife, especially Rhinos to their grandiose in Southern Africa.
Laurian’s background is in Equines and worked in the Equine veterinary clinic at Onderstepoort University. She has, for the past 7 years, worked closely in raising awareness to the Rhino poaching crisis and remains a team leader with Action for Rhinos
Kayleigh de Villiers
Kayleigh grew up in a conservancy just outside Cullinan and has been passionate about animals and animal welfare since an early age. She always knew that she was meant for great things and that she would be apart of something the would change the world. Once she puts her mind to something it will get done because where there’s a will there’s a way.
Kayleigh obtained her BSc in Animal Science and her MSc in Pasture Science from the University of Pretoria. She went on to pursue a masters in Physics where she could contribute and assist in research for The Rhisotope Project.