Charles Kimberlin Brain (7 May 1931 – 6 June 2023), also known as C. K. "Bob" Brain, was a South African paleontologist who studied and taught African cave taphonomy for more than fifty years.

Biography

Brain was born in Salisbury, Northern Rhodesia on 7 May 1931. From 1965 to 1991, Brain directed the Transvaal Museum, which became one of the most scientifically productive institutions of its kind in Africa during his tenure. During his years at the museum, Brain actively pursued his own research, which was A-rated by the Foundation for Research Development (now the National Research Foundation of South Africa) from the inception of its evaluation system in 1984 until his retirement. Brain planned and scripted the displays in the museum's "Life’s Genesis I" and "Life's Genesis 2" halls, which have been seen by several million visitors. Very early in Brain's career, Robert Ardrey wrote of him: Although Brain retired in 1996, he was active as Curator Emeritus at the Transvaal Museum, an Honorary Professor of Zoology at the University of the Witwatersrand, an active Research Associate at the Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research, and Chief Scientific Advisor to the Palaeo-Anthropology Scientific Trust (PAST). He was an active researcher of fossils of the earliest animals and was co-ordinating a renewed excavation initiative at the Swartkrans Cave. He was a consulting editor for the Annals of the Eastern Cape Museums. In its 2006 Lifetime Achiever tribute to Brain, the National Research Foundation of South Africa said: Brain was invited participant at over thirty international conferences and symposia worldwide. He and his wife had four children. He died on 8 June 2023, at the age of 92. A species of legless lizard, Typhlosaurus braini, is named in his honour.

Education

Honours and awards

Scholarly scientific societies

In addition to other active memberships, Brain was a founding member of four societies:

Publications

Books

Scientific journals

(This list is very incomplete.)