Ginika Ramsawak

Ginika Ramsawak is a South African PhD candidate at the University of the Witwatersrand, where she leads the reanalysis and reconstruction of the MH-1 holotype skeleton of Australopithecus sediba. Her research at the Malapa site is redefining how we understand this early hominin species, using a wealth of newly recovered fossils to revisit key hypotheses about sediba’s form and function. This work, developed in collaboration with a diverse international team, represents one of the most comprehensive reevaluations of a type specimen in the history of paleoanthropology. She works as a field coordinator at Malapa and various other sites in the Cradle of Humankind. With extensive field experience across Iron Age sites and the Cradle of Humankind, she was also part of the Dragon’s Back excavation team at Rising Star cave under the guidance of Dr. Keneiloe Molopyane— contributing to the groundbreaking research on Homo naledi. Beyond the lab and field, Ginika is an active science communicator. She has appeared in the Netflix documentary Cave of Bones, featured on YouTube science channels, participated in podcasts, and regularly engages with under-resourced communities to make palaeoscience accessible and inspiring. Through these platforms, she is committed to broadening public understanding of human origins and breaking barriers to access in the sciences.