Dr. Tinyiko Cavin Shivambu is a biological scientist who is fascinated by plants and animals. As a result, he obtained a BSc in Botany and Zoology and a BSc Honours in Zoology from the University of Venda. He also holds a MSc in Zoology from the University of Pretoria. In 2021 he completed his PhD in Zoology at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg campus. His field of study involves species distribution modelling, urban ecology, risk assessment, wildlife, DNA barcoding, and biological invasions. He has been involved a various number of projects including distribution modelling of alien invasive spiders introduced to South Africa, risk assessment of tarantula species in the south African pet trade, and lastly, he is particularly involved in research on alien invasive birds in urban and rural landscapes and those sold in the pet trade. He has been monitoring these species in urban landscape and pet trade as this forms part of a management strategy and policy development. He is a member of Entomological Society of South Africa and the Zoological Society of Southern Africa and is affiliated with Centre for Functional Biodiversity and CIB DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion biology. He has authored and co-authored several peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. A list of publications can be viewed at https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3157-4712.