Ms Melandre Van Lill
| PhD student | |
Department |
|
Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology |
|
| This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
My Supervisor/s
| Primary Supervisor | |
| Fanus Venter | |
Co Supervisor |
|
| Chrizelle Beukes | |
| Emma Steenkamp |
My Links
I joined FABI in 2019 as a CPHB mentorship student in the second year of my undergraduate degree and continued with my honours in Microbiology in 2021, under the supervision of Prof Venter and Prof Steenkamp. During my honours, I studied the diversity of Mesorhizobium strains associated with the indigenous South African legumes, Vachellia karroo and Lessertia diffusa. For my Masters, I continued studying the diversity of rhizobia associated with various bush-encroaching legumes that threaten the Savanna ecosystem of South Africa.
For my Ph.D. I am focusing on the evolution of various rhizobia at a species, genus and family level. I am also involved as a curator on the SeqCode registry, an alternative nomenclatural Bacterial Code that enables genomes to serve as nomenclatural types instead of live cultures. Besides my academic ventures, I am also involved in the CPHB-FABI mentorship program and other community outreach initiatives.
Practical Demonstrator at University of Pretoria
- MLB 111: tutor (Molecular and cell biology, 2022-2023); Head tutor (2024)
- MBY 262: practical demonstrator (Food Microbiology, 2022)
- MBY 365: practical demonstrator (Microbe Interactions, 2022-2023)
- Joint techniques course for honours students (2023, 2024)
Other Interests
- CPHB Mentorship Program Coordinator (2023-present)
- Student representative of the Southern African Society of Systematic Biology (2023-present)
News
Eighteen undergraduate students have joined the 2024 CPHB-FABI Mentorship Programme.
The FABI Social Club went all-out to ensure the Easter Tea on 4 April was a resounding success.
FABI celebrated its 25th anniversary at a symposium hosted at Future Africa on the morning of 17 November.
FABI’s traditional monthly Tea party returned on 20 April after a 26-month COVID-induced hiatus.
FABI celebrated love on Valentine’s Day with a fun photo competition and movie night where FABIans could enjoy watching some romantic movies.
The Management Committee of CPHB and TPCP met for two days of intensive discussions prior to being met by all students and staff for a report back session.
FABI’s popular online Quiz Night had 12 teams battling for honours once again on 25 July.
My Journal Articles
| Publication |
|---|
| Muema EK, van Lill M, Venter SN, Claassens R, Steenkamp ET. (2025) Mesorhizobium salmacidum sp. nov. and Mesorhizobium argentiipisi sp. nov. are symbionts of the dry-land forage legumes Lessertia diffusa and Calobota sericea. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 19(3):1-20.
10.1007/s10482-025-02063-2 |
Van Lill M, Venter SN, Muema EK, Palmer M., Beukes CW, Chan WY, Steenkamp ET. (2024) SeqCode facilitates naming of South African rhizobia left in limbo. Systematics and Applied Microbiology 47(2-3):126504.
10.1016/j.syapm.2024.126504  |