TPCP Team
Group Leaders
Prof Bernard SlippersUP Research Leaders Total:17
Prof Irene Barnes
Prof Martin Coetzee
Prof Tuan Duong
Prof Almuth Hammerbacher 
Prof Brett Hurley
Prof Tjaart Krüger
Dr Thabiso Motaung Motaung
Prof Sanushka Naidoo
Prof Emma Steenkamp
Prof Noelani van den Berg
Prof Albe van der Merwe
Prof Fanus Venter
Prof Cobus Visagie
Dr Markus Wilken
Prof Brenda Wingfield
Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology
DST / NRF SARChI Chair in Fungal Genomics
Prof Mike Wingfield
Dr Neriman YilmazExternal Research Associates Total:11
Prof Jeremy Allison
Dr Wubetu Bihon
Prof Treena Burgess 
Dr ShuaiFei Chen
Prof Pedro Crous
Dr Jeff Garnas
Dr Ilaria Germishuizen
Dr Mesfin Gossa
Dr Chrizelle Krynauw (née Beukes)
Dr Carlos Rodas
Prof Jolanda RouxResearch Fellows Total:5
Dr Janneke Aylward
Dr Tanay Bose
Dr Gudrun Dittrich-Schroder
Dr Seonju Marincowitz
Dr Magriet van der NestPostdoctoral Fellows Total:12
Dr Juanita Avontuur
Dr Felipe Balocchi
Dr Johannes Christoff Joubert
Dr Charlene Clarke
Dr Firehiwot Eshetu
Dr WenWen Li
Dr Privilege Makunde
Dr Jackson Muyobela
Dr Nam Pham
Dr Manchela Francinah Ratsoma
Dr Myriam Solis
Dr Ariska van der NestDoctoral Students Total:31
Ms Simoné Bornman
Mr Callin Ceriani
Mr Lihan Esterhuizen
Mr Taygen Fuchs
Ms Ginna M. Granados
Mr Christiaan Grobler
Ms Pilar Hemmelmann
Ms Fanelesibonge Hlabisa
Ms Vaylen Hlaka
Mr Nigel Kombora
Ms Sithembile Kunene
Ms Frances Lane
Ms Mabodiba Maake
Mr Sicelo Masuku
Mr Lazarus Mavima
Mr Khulekani Cyprian Mbatha
Mr Tshepo Joseph Mmushi
Ms Ruth Nante
Mr Siphephelo Phungula
Ms Jenna-Lee Price
Ms Jane Baile Ramaswe
Ms Luki-Marie Scheepers
Ms Lehlogonolo Quecious Shalang
Mr Preston Shaw
Ms Nomfundo Shinga
Ms Benedicta Swalarsk-Parry
Ms Cheyenne Theron
Ms Alida van Dijk 
Ms Melandre Van Lill
Ms Lente van Zyl
Mr Edwin WanjofuMasters Students Total:33
Mr Adam Bazerbachi
Ms Caylee Benson
Ms Zandri Coetzee
Ms Janie Coetzer
Ms Sydney Cohen
Mr Kyle Craninx
Mr Sam Eichhorn
Ms Kerryn Fourie
Mr Johan F. Griesel
Ms Nadia Gürtel
Mr Lehlohonolo Hlahane
Ms Zimazile Jazi
Ms Chulumanco Majavu
Ms Bianke Marx
Ms Ongeziwe Mbhele
Ms Damei McCue
Ms Nondumiso Mngomezulu
Ms Mandisa Mthombeni
Ms Thobeka Mzimela
Ms Ayanda Phulula
Ms Lizzy Ramela
Ms Anya Roos
Mr Drake Slabbert
Mr Michal Slupski
Mr Tolu Soogun
Mr Grant Terblanche
Ms Kayla Thomas
Ms Cairin van 't Hof 
Mr Bertus van Rooy
Mr Jandré Verster
Mr Keegan Walton
Mr Sphelele Zondi 
Mr Nkhoye ZondoHonours Students Total:5
Ms Tayla Bolleurs
Ms Wilmarie Cronje
Ms Rachel Jacobs
Ms Kaelyn Medhurst
Ms Marie-Louise TheronNew Publications
Motete T, Solís M, Hammerbacher A, Naidoo S. (2026) Gene Expression Profiling in Eucalyptus Associates Phenylpropanoid Resistance to Teratosphaeria destructans. Plant Pathology
10.1111/ppa.70207
van Heerden A, Pham NQ, Duong TA, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD. (2026) Draft genome sequence of Ganoderma philippii, a serious root rot pathogen of Eucalyptus in Southeast Asia. Australasian Plant Pathology 55:81.
10.1007/s13313-026-01159-1
Townsend G, Hill M, Hurley BP, Roets F. (2026) Native Scolytinae and Platypodinae beetle assemblages in indigenous South African forests and their co-occurrence with the invasive PSHB beetle. Journal of Insect Conservation 30
10.1007/s10841-026-00779-8
Balocchi F, Duncan G, Yilmaz N, Wingfield MJ, Paap T. (2026) The critically endangered geophyte Gladiolus aureus threatened by a wilt disease associated with Fusarium libertatis. Journal of Plant Pathology
10.1007/s42161-026-02227-7 
Bose T, Wingfield MJ. (2026) Plantations are invasive pathogen bridgeheads—response to Li et al.. Trends in Ecology & Evolution
10.1016/j.tree.2026.05.006
Jamieson B-A, Paap T, Pegg GS, Carnegie AJ, Wingfield MJ, Roux J, Hardy GEStJ, Drenth A, Hammerbacher A, Bose T. (2026) Quambalaria spp.: Emerging Tree Pathogens of Concern. Current Forestry Reports 12:13.
10.1007/s40725-026-00274-y
Masuku SK, De Vos L, Thabiso TE, Steenkamp ET, Wingfield BD. (2026) Baseline sensitivity of South African Fusarium circinatum to tebuconazole. Journal of Plant Pathology
10.1007/s42161-026-02197-w
Fitawek W, Anjulo A, Healey M, Lawson SA, Hurley BP. (2026) The Moringa value chain in Ethiopia and the socio-economic impact of pests and diseases. CABI Agriculture and Bioscience
10.1079/ab.2026.00041
Lynn KMT, Wingfield MJ, Oliveira LSS, Alfenas AC, Ferreira Alfenas RF, Marincowitz S, Barnes I. (2026) Phylogenetic and population genetic analyses reveal patterns of divergence amongst isolates of Ceratocystis manginecans. Ecology and Evolution 16
10.1002/ece3.73652
Dlamini CM, Matongera TN, Lawson SA, Healey M, Tanga A, Regasa K, Kassie W, Hurley BP, Germishuizen I. (2026) Modelling spatiotemporal dynamics of wattle plantations in northwestern Ethiopia using harmonised PlanetScope and RapidEye imagery. Trees, Forests and People 25:101293.
10.1016/j.tfp.2026.101293
Ndou M, Potts WM, Duong TA, Teske PR, Childs AR, Henriques R. (2026) Conspecific scaffold-level genome assembly outperforms heterospecific chromosome-level assemblies for assessing genetic indicators in a threatened marine fish. Evolutionary Applications 19:e70247.
10.1111/eva.70247
Marx B, van Dijk A, Steenkamp ET, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD. (2026) Breaking the mould: Cellulose in the cell walls of the Ophiostomatales. Fungal Biology Reviews 57
10.1016/j.fbr.2026.100489
Wingfield BD, Coetzee MPA, Wingfield BJ, Groenewald M, Pohl C, Wingfield MJ. (2026) The genetic blueprint of Cyclohexamide resistance: Analysis of 816 yeast species. Research Square
10.21203/rs.3.rs-9313202/v1
Paap T, White D, Bose T, Burgess TI. (2026) Diversity and phylogeny of Phytophthora Clade 9, including descriptions of three novel species. Mycological Progress 25:29.
10.1007/s11557-026-02140-4
Kgatla MM, Barker C, Baxter JR, Bester-van der Merwe AE, Chaisi M, Chakona A, Cherry MI, Daniels SR, Du Preez LH, Haddad CR, Hawkes PG, Ho C, Hoareau TB, Jacobs A, Jacobs K, Janion-Scheepers C, Jansen van Vuuren B, Kabongo RM, Khoza TT, Khumalo NL, Mahlanza T, Makapela L, Makhubo BG, Maneveldt GW, Mashego K, Matcher G, Matthee CA, Mavhunga M, Midgley JM, Mlambo M, Monsanto DM, Mthombeni R, Murray SL, Mynhardt S, Nang-Mba B, Ndlovu M, Parbhu SP, Phetla V, Phukuntsi M, Pitcher TR, Samaai T, Sethusa MT, Simon CA, Sink K, Sole CL, Theron GL, van Asch B, van der Bank M, van Steenderen CJM, Villet MH, Visagie CM, Williams KA, Willows-Munro S, Da Silva JM, Mwale M. (2026) An overview of DNA barcoding of biodiversity in South Africa. PLOS ONE 21(4):e0345173.
10.1371/journal.pone.0345173
Li GQ, Slippers B, Wingfield MJ, Chen SF. (2026) Diversity, distribution and host range of Botryosphaeriaceae in China. Forest Pathology
10.1111/efp.70077
Nzuza P, Schroder ML, Slippers B, Maes WH. (2026) Spectral responses to larval and artificial defoliation in Eucalyptus dunnii: Implications for UAV-based detection of Gonipterus damage. Drones 10(4)
10.3390/drones10040250
Six DL, Marincowitz S, Duong TA. (2026) Ophiostoma ipsi-confusi sp. nov. Six, Marinc. & Duong, a consistent symbiotic fungus of the pinyon ips bark beetle, Ips confusus LeConte. Symbiosis
10.1007/s13199-026-01135-9
Yan Z, Zhao Y, Meng X, Gao M, Si H, Zhao G, Bose T, Chang R. (2026) New manganese-oxidizing Acremonium-like fungi from halophytic rhizospheres in the Yellow River Delta, China. Mycologia :1-13.
10.1080/00275514.2026.2627133
Eshetu FB, Barnes I, Nahrung HF, Fitza KNE, Slippers B. (2026) A Century of invasion: How biosecurity influenced populations of Sirex noctilio and Its fungal symbiont in Australasia. Molecular Ecology 35(6):0962 - 1083.
10.1111/mec.70311