Blaine van Rensburg

Blaine van Rensburg is a Research Fellow at the University of Bath, collaborating with Professor Matt Roberts on branching process models of plants with seedbanks. He will transition to a postdoctoral position in Professor Thomas Hiscock's lab at the University of Aberdeen in January 2026.

His research specializes in partial differential equation (PDE) modeling for evolutionary and ecological dynamics. Key projects include: numerical and asymptotic analysis of mutant epithelial cell waves in Inflammatory Bowel Disease; evolutionary dynamics in populations with multiple shifting optimal traits revealing 'least adaptation' as a survival advantage; and eco-evolutionary predator-prey modeling using the infinitesimal framework for sexual reproduction. Recent work extends to probabilistic seedbank models for plants in changing environments.

As an active collaborator, van Rensburg engages with mathematical biology communities through faculty-led projects. His current Bath affiliation focuses on seedbank modeling with Prof. Roberts, while future Aberdeen work under Prof. Hiscock will expand his ecological dynamics research. Contact for collaboration is explicitly encouraged via his institutional email.