Prof Lucy Moleleki

I obtained my Masters from the University of Natal. I thereafter worked for 4 years as assistant researcher officer at the South African Sugar Experiment Station (Now South African Sugar Research Institute).  During my appointment at SASRI, I investigated the interaction between sugarcane smut and host, sugarcane, using cDNA-AFLP.  I then worked as a lecturer at the University of Johannesburg.  In 2004, I was awarded the prestigious commonwealth Scholarship to undertake my PhD studies at the University of Dundee (based at the Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) now The James Hutton Institute) under the supervision of Prof Paul Birch and Dr Ian Toth. During my PhD studies, I investigated host pathogen interaction between the soft rot pathogen Pectobacterium atrosepticum and its  host potato).

I am  currently the research group leader of bacterial genomics and host pathogen interactions. Our research has two major components. The first area of our research is towards understanding virulence mechanisms of soft rot pathogens (specifically Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp brasiliense) and how these bacteria interact within their major host potato. We are also interested in studying host defences in potato plants elicited by the soft rot pathogens. The second focus area is on root knot nematodes of potatoes. In this area of research we endeavored to better understand the threat posed by root knot nematodes to the potato industry through understanding the diversity and overall impact of RKN on potato production. We are funded mainly by the National Research Foundation (NRF), Potatoes South Africa (PSA) and NRF (THRIP), International Foundation for Science (IFS), Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) and various other funding bodies.

The group currently has 4 (2 main supervisor) PhD students and 4 MSc students. Some of the current projects include understanding host defence mechanisms in potato in a compatible vs incompatible interaction with P. c. brasiliense) and functional characterisation of major virulence genes of the same pathogen.