Sally has many years' experience in the academic world, writing her own material and editing the work of others. Her academic background is in the natural sciences: her BSc was in wildlife science (University of Natal), her MSc in African mammals (University of Pretoria), and her PhD and first postdoc in ornithology and environmental change (Animal Demography Unit, University of Cape Town). Her second postdoc (also at the ADU) was in "translational research communication" -- communicating about research with the public -- and this gave her a feel for how to communicate effectively with nonspecialist audiences.
Since 2013 she has been working in academic editing, part-time for the first four years, and full-time since January 2016. She edits manuscripts written by non-native English speakers in a wide range of biological fields, from cellular biology and genetics to medicine, and occasionally in non-biological fields as well. She has also edited educational material covering the entire South African Physical Science curriculum for Grades 10 to 12. She is currently broadening her scope and undergoing training in editing a wider range of material, but editing ornithological and ecological work is what she enjoys most. Sally is an associate member of the Professional Editors' Guild.
