Page 67 - University of Pretoria RESEARCH REVIEW 2018

PhD student Mohammad Sayari to investigate the Poly Ketide Synthase genes in the Ceratocystidaceae. These genes are thought to be involved in pathogenicity in some fungi. Stephanie van Wyk, also a PhD student, used the genome data available for Fusarium circinatum, a pine pathogen, to unpack the QTL linked to growth and showed it to consist of five genes of different origins.
At the intersections of disciplinary fields
Mike and Brenda Wingfield have spent a lifetime working together and are one of a handful of couples in the country where both partners have National Research Foundation A-ratings. They
do not have the same academic background – Mike was trained as
a plant pathologist and entomologist; Brenda’s primary degrees are in genetics and biochemistry. The fact that they approach research questions from very different perspectives has meant that often their science collaboration has been at the intersection between their respective fields of expertise.
Much has been written about the innovation that is possible at such intersections. The Wingfield’s careers perhaps epitomise this. Mike is a skilled morphologist and excellent mycologist with a deep interest in ecology. His strong observational abilities have served him well in spotting tree disease symptoms where others might overlook them. Brenda has focused on gene expression and DNA sequences, seeking to understand life in terms of genetics and chemistry.
Thus, while both are passionate biologists, the result of examining research questions from two very different philosophical standpoints has been excellence in research and, indeed, many lively debates.
Mike Wingfield is the founding Director of the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI) at UP. FABI celebrated 20 years of research excellence in 2018,* commemorated with a
symposium held in January, among other events, that gathered most of the postdoctoral research fellows and PhD students who had graduated from FABI over the past two decades. It is significant that many of these young scientists now hold leadership positions in knowledge institutions here in South Africa, on the continent, and globally. This achievement underscores the very identity of FABI - a truly international research institute where postgraduate students and early career researchers are given opportunities (and have the mentorship) to thrive.
Brenda Wingfield joined UP in 1998 as a professor of genetics, and later served a seven-year term as the deputy dean of research, and for a short period as dean. She now holds the SARChI Chair in Fungal Genomics. She is also the vice-president of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), and is serving a second term as
the secretary-general of the International Society of Plant Pathology. Brenda has pioneered the use of DNA sequences in fungal taxonomy, and in 2009 sequenced the first fungal genome on the African continent. She is recognised internationally for her research in fungal phylogenetics, population genetics and genomics. This recognition
is reflected in her receiving the designation of an APS Fellowship (American Phytopathological Society) at the International Congress of Plant Pathology held in Boston in 2018.
* https://www.fabinet.up.ac.za/webresources/FABI20thAnniversary/FABI20_Programme.pdf
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