Biography

I graduated from the University of Zimbabwe with a BSc Honors Degree in Biological Sciences in 2003. In 2009 I enrolled at the Northwest University, where I worked on black rot disease of crucifers caused by Xanthomonas campestris and graduated with an MSc in Microbiology in 2011. The following year I joined the University of Pretoria, where I worked on the microbiology of roof harvested rainwater in rural and urban communities. After graduating in 2015, I continued my studies as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow and worked on several research pieces covering water quality, food safety, and plant pathology. Over this period, at least 21 articles were published and have co-supervised 6 PhD, 2 MSc, and 2 honours students to graduation.

Discipline/s

water quality, food safety, plant pathology, genomics

Research description

The research we are working on includes the role of irrigation water quality on the observed microbial quality of irrigated fresh produce. This includes the detection, identifications, and characterization of potential water/food-borne pathogens, including pathogenic E, coli, Salmonella spp. Listeria monocytogenes and Klebsiella Pneumonia, among others. Identified potential pathogens are further profiled for their virulence, pathogenicity, and antibiotic resistance, based on culture methods and whole-genome sequencing. Besides identifying individual pathogens, our studies also focus on total microbial community ecology through metagenomics, including the profiling of core microbiomes and the functional genomics responsible for the observed population dynamics. The metagenomics work covers water and food microbial ecology from a food safety perspective, soil health, and plant pathology, focusing on pesticide use implications and the potential identification and use of biocontrols. Overall our research focuses on limiting the impact of foodborne diseases along the farm to fork continuum, food security through improved soil health for increased yields, limiting the impact of crop diseases, and appropriate pesticide use to reduce crop losses.

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