The INQUA Fellowship is awarded to outstanding early-career scientists whose research advances understanding of current environments and human–environment interactions.
Marishka received the fellowship for her research project on the environmental drivers of human innovation in arid southern Africa during the Late Pleistocene (the period of 80 000 to 92 000 years ago), contributing to environmental sustainability.
This period captures an important phase of human occupation and innovation at the archaeological site, Varsche Rivier 003 in southern Namaqualand, the site on which Marishka’s doctoral research is based.
During this time, early humans developed new technologies and behaviours in response to changing rainfall patterns and environmental conditions in arid southern Africa, Marishka says.
“Palaeoscience research helps us understand how humans and ecosystems responded to past climate change, water scarcity and environmental stress,” she says.
“By reconstructing how early humans adapted to shifting rainfall patterns and resource availability in arid environments, my research provides long-term perspectives that are directly relevant to modern challenges, such as climate resilience, sustainable land use, biodiversity conservation and water security”.
“Understanding how past societies successfully navigated environmental uncertainty can inform how we plan for a more sustainable future in the face of ongoing climate change,” Marishka explains.
The award will support her international research stay at the University of Valencia in Spain, where she will receive advanced specialist training in archaeobotany and phytolith analysis, under the mentorship of leading researchers in the field.
These include her co-supervisor Dr Irene Esteban, one of southern Africa’s leading phytolith experts. Phytoliths are fossilised particles of plant tissues, which form the core of Marishka’s doctoral research.
Her main supervisor is Dr Lynne Quick, recognised leader in southern African Palaeoecology and Research Associate at Mandela University.
Marishka’s project investigates how climatic variability and ecological boundaries shaped early human innovation in arid regions of southern Africa, an area that remains significantly under-represented in global palaeoscience research.
This fellowship also contributes to building palaeoecological research capacity in South Africa, strengthening international collaboration and reinforcing Nelson Mandela University’s growing reputation in palaeoscience research.
Her work has been presented at leading international conferences, including the International Meeting on Phytolith Research in Barcelona, and she has received international training in science communication and palaeoecological methods in Europe.
Originally from Gqeberha, Marishka (26) completed all her degrees at Mandela University, including her Master’s degree in Botany, with an average of 83%, also under the guidance and supervision of Dr Quick.
Her academic journey has been supported by competitive national and international funding, including full-cost doctoral funding from the National Research Foundation’s GENUS Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences.
Marishka has also been a contract lecturer in Botany and Education, a laboratory demonstrator, and a research assistant at the University’s African Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience, while also playing an active role in postgraduate student representation and science engagement.