Georgina Luti is a doctoral student in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Cape Town (UCT). She joins HERI with co-Director Dr Robyn Pickering as her supervisor, where the two find a shared research focus in isotope geochemistry.
“It’s exciting to have another geologist join HERI,” says Pickering. “Georgina’s research interests and mine overlap a lot, and it will be a pleasure to work with her and teach her more about isotopes.”
Luti completed her master’s degree in geology from the University of Nairobi, where she specialised in mineral and geothermal resources. She also held an internship at the Nairobi National Museums of Kenya, where she worked in the palaeontology section of the earth sciences department.
Field work has also played an important part in Luti’s background. She participated in the Turkana Basin Institute Origins Field School and taken part in field projects in both West Turkana and Baringo.
More recently, she has worked with as a consultant with UNESCO, helping to assess the sustainability of water resources in Nairobi’s urban areas.
Luti is a holder of the prestigious Francis H. Brown African Scholarship from the Leakey Foundation. Her decision to join HERI for the next chapter of her academic journey is meaningful both for the institute’s representation goals and its research excellence.
“One of HERI’s goals is to change the face of human evolution research, so having Georgina join us, as a Kenyan woman, is great,” says Pickering.
“However, our main goal is to do excellent research into human origins in Africa, so have to someone of Georgina’s calibre approach us, wanting to do her PhD with us, is wonderful and exciting,” says Pickering.
1. What excites you most about the palaeosciences?
Palaeosciences is exciting because they provide an avenue of using different geological proxies to infer different aspects of the past such as climate and environment, how and when they changed and how these changes affected the species in the associated time periods. Palaeosciences is a means of recreating the past which can also be useful for current and future studies.
2. Describe your research in three words.
Capacity building geochronology.
3. Who is your biggest inspiration?
My father is my biggest inspiration. Despite specialising in a different area, he encouraged me to work hard and never give up. This helped me a lot when I was looking for a scholarship for my MSc programme and when I was searching for a supervisor and a suitable PhD programme.
4. What has been your biggest academic challenge?
The biggest academic challenge for me was finding a supervisor, especially one specialising in isotope geochemistry. I am excited and grateful to have a supervisor who will mentor and train me in my dream of becoming an isotope geochemist and aid me in bringing back to Kenya all that I learn. It is a great opportunity that I was able to find a supervisor at UCT because their Geology Department is well established and recognised, and it hosts some of the leading geochemists.
5. What is the soundtrack to your studies?
I do not have a specific soundtrack, but I enjoy different genres of music, emphasis mostly on the message the songs carry. One of my favourite songs is Never Give Up by Sia because of its message to never give up no matter the challenges you face.