Dr Liana Maree (PhD) is a lecturer in the Department of Medical Bioscience at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). Her main academic responsibly is lecturing second year nursing students in human anatomy and physiology. She also acts as supervisor or co-supervisor for a number of postgraduate students (Honours, MSc and PhD).

Dr Maree started off her academic career at Stellenbosch University, where she obtained both a BSc Agric (Animal physiology, Zoology, Nature Conservation) and MSc Agric (Animal Science) degrees. She furthered her postgraduate studies at UWC and obtained her PhD in Reproductive Physiology in 2011, focussing on the variations in structural and functional aspects of sperm mitochondria.

Currently her research focus is comparative sperm biology, with emphasis on sperm morphometry and sperm motility. Other collaborative research projects she is involved in include: investigating the relationship between sperm structure and sperm selection; applications of computer-aided sperm analysis in fertility studies; and cryopreservation of sperm of various animal species.

Apart from human and non-human primates (baboon, rhesus monkey, vervet monkey), Dr Maree was fortunate to have studied the sperm of various animal species, including domesticated animals (merino rams, Tankwa goats), laboratory animals (rat, mouse) and various wildlife (elephant, rhino, lion, dolphin, African penguin, naked mole-rat). As Research Fellow of the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, Dr Maree is part of proposed future studies on more threatened or endangered species.