I am Rivaldo Mockson.
I am a forensic geneticist, wildlife forensics researcher, digital-product builder, and educator based in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
My work spans laboratory science, wildlife forensic research, academic writing, software development, tutoring, and entrepreneurship. These may appear to be completely different areas, but they are connected by the same process: understanding a difficult problem, working through it carefully, and building something useful from the answer.
I began in forensic science and genetics.
My academic foundation is in forensic science and genetics. I completed a BSc in Forensic Science and Genetics, followed by a BSc Honours in Forensic Science and Genetics. That training gave me a foundation in biological evidence, genetic methods, laboratory work, and the careful interpretation that forensic science requires.
From there, my work moved into wildlife forensics. Wildlife evidence presents different challenges from the neat examples people often imagine when they think about DNA. Samples may be old, exposed, processed, contaminated, mixed with other species, or recovered from surfaces that affect what can be tested.
That is part of what drew me into the field. Wildlife forensic genetics is not only about producing a result. It is about asking what the evidence can honestly support when the sample is no longer ideal.
I study what happens when wildlife evidence is no longer ideal.
My MSc research is in interdisciplinary conservation and forensic genetics, with blesbok, Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi, used as the model species. The research looks at degraded blood evidence, processed wildlife products, species identification, and individual-level comparison.
One part of the project examines blood evidence on metal, wood, rubberized car mat, cotton, soil, and grass under indoor, semi-covered outdoor, and fully exposed outdoor conditions. Another part examines processed products, including biltong and mixed dry sausage.
The methods include mitochondrial DNA barcoding, microsatellite analysis, NanoDrop DNA concentration and purity assessment, and targeted qPCR assay development. Each method answers a different kind of question. Species identification is not the same as individualization, and a method that works for one type of evidence may not work for another.
The most important question throughout the research is not merely whether DNA can be extracted. It is whether the DNA that remains can still answer the forensic question being asked.
Research also means helping other people solve their problems.
I currently work as a Research Assistant in the Department of Genetics at the University of the Free State. The role includes student project support, laboratory work, troubleshooting, training of Honours students, data interpretation, documentation, and quality control.
- DNA extraction and quantification
- PCR and gel work
- Sequencing preparation
- DNA barcoding
- Microsatellite analysis
- Data interpretation
- Documentation and quality control
Science is only valuable when it can be understood.
Teaching has also shaped the way I work. Through teaching-assistant experience, undergraduate genetics and forensic practicals, assessments, marking, and student support, I have seen how often a difficult idea becomes manageable when it is explained clearly and practised properly.
Making something understandable does not mean removing its complexity. It means respecting the complexity enough to explain it in a way that someone else can follow, test, and use.
I also build the tools I wish existed.
GradWise
GradWise is a research and academic-workflow platform being developed from my own experience with postgraduate research. It is shaped by the pressure of managing literature, writing, feedback, project decisions, and the long process of turning scattered work into a coherent academic argument.
Muzica
Muzica began from a concept originated by my brother. My role has centred on product development, technical architecture, implementation, deployment, and problem-solving. I worked on turning the idea into a functioning platform with listener and artist experiences, uploads, playback, payments, competitions, referral systems, artist earnings, moderation, and production infrastructure.
Website and digital-system work
I also build websites and practical digital systems for individuals and small businesses. Much of that work begins with unclear needs: someone knows they need a better website, process, or online presence, but not always how to structure it. My work is to translate that into something useful, understandable, and focused on the person who has to use it.
I do not see science, software, teaching, and entrepreneurship as separate lives.
The settings are different, but the way I think through the work is similar.
In the laboratory
I examine evidence and determine what conclusions the result can support. That means being careful about sample condition, method choice, contamination, limitations, and interpretation.
In software
I examine a problem and build a useful system around it. A product only matters when it helps someone complete real work with less confusion and more reliability.
In teaching
I identify where understanding has broken down. Sometimes the problem is not effort, but the way an idea has been explained, sequenced, or practised.
In research writing
I organise scattered information into a defensible argument. The work is to make the reasoning clear without making the science weaker than it is.
I prefer useful work over impressive language.
I care about accuracy, clarity, discipline, and practical outcomes. I would rather make a small thing work properly than describe an unfinished idea as if it is already complete.
A lot of my work happens independently, but I value honest collaboration. Good work improves when it is tested, questioned, corrected, and made more precise. That is true in laboratory work, thesis writing, teaching, software development, and business.
I am comfortable with repeated testing, corrections, and method improvement because that is where the work becomes stronger. A result, product, explanation, or website should be able to carry the weight of what it claims.
The long-term goal is larger than one degree or one product.
My MSc is still in progress, but the long-term direction is already clear. I intend to continue into PhD research in wildlife forensics, with interest in DNA persistence in trafficked wildlife products and the interpretation limits that come with degraded, processed, and mixed samples.
At the same time, I want to continue working in education, research tools, and technology development. Those areas are not distractions from the scientific work. They are different ways of building useful answers to difficult problems.
Wildlife forensic science
I want to continue into PhD research focused on wildlife forensics, with particular interest in DNA persistence in trafficked wildlife products and how evidence should be interpreted when samples are processed, degraded, or mixed.
Education and research support
I want to keep building better support for students and researchers: clearer teaching, better academic workflows, and tools that help people manage reading, writing, feedback, and project decisions.
Technology
I want to keep developing practical digital products and websites that solve real problems for individuals, creators, researchers, and small businesses.
Scientist. Builder. Educator.
I am interested in difficult evidence, complex systems, and ideas that become more useful when they are communicated clearly.
Whether I am analysing DNA, helping a student, writing a thesis chapter, developing a product, or designing a website, I approach the work in much the same way:
Understand the problem properly, test the possible solution, and do not claim more than the result can support.
Public contact: rivaldomockson@gmail.com · Bloemfontein, South Africa
Contact Rivaldo