During the second year of my undergraduate studies, I was introduced to the amazing world of fungi and the significant impact members of this kingdom have!

I competed my BSc Microbiology in 2023 and I'm currently pursuing my honours degree under the Applied Mycology group. My research focuses on the understanding of mycotoxins produced by the ascomycete Stenocarpella maydis, the common cause of Diplodia ear rot in maize. I will also look into the development of a rapid diagnostic tool for S. maydis detection and perform genome assembly of isolates, under the primary supervision of Dr Neriman Yilmaz-Visagie and the co-supervision of Prof Cobus Visagie.