DR. TAMARA FRANZ-ODENDAAL

Dr Franz-Odendaal is a Full Professor in the Department of Biology at Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.  She started her lab at the Mount in 2006.  She is also an Adjunct Professor at Dalhousie University (Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Science) and at Saint Mary’s University (Faculty of Science).

She is a developmental biologist with a strong background in paleontology.  She completed all her degrees at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Her past supervisors include Dr Susan Kidson, University of Cape Town, South Africa, Dr Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan, also from the University of Cape Town, South Africa and Dr Julia Lee-Thorpe, now at Oxford University, United Kingdom. Her post-doc supervisor was Dr Brian Hall (Dalhousie University).

She was born in Paarl, South Africa and now lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia with her husband and daughter.

Dr Franz-Odendaal is an advocate for Women in Science and runs WISEatlantic. She is also the Lead Ally and Co-founder of the Canadian Black Scientists Network.

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Recent Awards & Accolades:

Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Award Mount Saint Vincent University (2020)

Fellow of the American Association of Anatomy (2020)

Chair for Women in Science and Engineering NSERC (2011 – Present)

Research Excellence Award – Mount Saint Vincent University (2015)

Young Investigator Award in Morphological Sciences – American Association of Anatomists (2013 )

University Faculty Award – Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council, Canada (2006 – 2011)

Exceptional Service Award – Canadian Society of Zoologists (2008)

Dedicated Service Award – American Association of Anatomists (2008)

Board Memberships

Nova Scotian Institute of Science (President)

Canadian Black Scientists Network (2019-)

CCWESTT (2015-2020)

Science Atlantic (2017-2019)

American Association of Anatomy (Scientific Affairs Committee) (2016-2020)

Canadian Society of Zoology (2015-2017)

Past education:

Post Doc (Dalhousie University, Canada) in Evo-devo with Dr Brian K. Hall

PhD  (University of Cape Town, South Africa) in Paleontology (Zoology)

MSc (University of Cape Town, South Africa) in Developmental Biology

BSc (Med)(Hons) (University of Cape Town, South Africa) in Developmental Biology