Nationality: French

Institution: University of the Witwatersrand

Department: Evolutionary Studies Institute

PAST programme support: Research project support

Research title: New exceptional reptile specimens with skin impressions from the Maji ya Chumvi Formation, Kenya

Valentin Buffa is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Vertebrate Palaeontology at the Evolutionary Studies Institute of the University of the Witwatersrand, working on the early evolution of reptiles in the Permian and Triassic of Africa.

He obtained his Ph.D. at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, where he studied Permian and Triassic reptiles from Madagascar and Western Europe, including the numerical simulation of the gliding locomotion of the World’s first flying reptiles. His current work focuses on Permian reptiles from South Africa and Kenya, including newly discovered specimens with exceptional soft tissue preservation. His main objective is to reassess the phylogeny of early reptiles through the use of high-resolution X-ray Computed Tomography, and the study of soft tissue. He also aims to develop new computational methods through collaborations with engineers to provide new insight on the paleobiology of these Permian and Triassic animals.