Dr Magriet van der Nest is a senior researcher in the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI, University of Pretoria). Her research focuses on increasing our understanding of the biology, ecology, and evolution of economically important pathogens that threaten the South African forestry industry. She employs genomic approaches to investigate the genetic basis of host adaptation, pathogenicity, and the capacity of pathogens to survive under changing environmental conditions. This research is critical for developing sustainable management strategies, particularly in the context of climate change and its impact on forest ecosystems.
Complementing her work in forestry, Dr. van der Nest also conducts research on agriculturally important animals. Her projects are aimed at improving sustainability and health in livestock production. This includes studying genetic diseases that adversely affect meat quality, identifying signatures of positive selection that shape productivity traits in pig populations, and investigating genomic variation within sheep breeds to inform breeding programmes. Dr. van der Nest's research is also contributing to the field of conservation genomics. Her recent work in this area focuses on applying genomic techniques to study native tilapia species, providing valuable insights for their management and preservation.
Mailula DM, Wingfiled BD, Van Der Nest MA, Hammerbacher A. (2025) Production of fusel alcohols and fusel acetates by pathogenic fungi in the Ceratocystidaceae. Fungal Ecology 10.1016/j.funeco.2025.101427
Ramantswana TM, Malatji DP, Pierneef RE, Soma P, Van Der Nest MA, Muchadeyi FC. (2025) Differential gene expression analysis of Dohne Merino sheep naturally infected with Haemonchus contortus. Scientific Reports 10.1038/s41598-025-25782-y
Maake MM, Beukes CW, van der Nest MA, Avontuur JR, Muema EK, Stepkowski T, Venter SN, Steenkamp ET. (2025) Argyrolobium legumes from an African centre of endemism associate with novel Bradyrhizobium species harbouring unique sets of symbiosis genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 10.1016/j.ympev.2025.108471
Kooverjee BB, Van Der Nest MA, MacNeil MD, Scholtz MM, Neser FWC, Soma P. (2025) Estimation of breed composition of South African sheep affected with wet carcass syndrome. Frontiers in Genetics 10.3389/fgene.2025.1635947
D’Angelo D, Sorrentino R, Nkomo T, Zhou X, Vaghefi N, Sonnekus B, Bose T, Cerrato D, Cozzolino L, Creux N, D’Agostino N, Fourie G, Fusco G, Hammerbacher A, Idnurm A, Kiss L, Hu Y, Hu H, Lahoz E, Risteski J, Steenkamp E T, Viscardi M, van der Nest M A, Wu Y, Yu H, Zhou J, Karandeni Dewage C S, Kotta-Loizou L I, Stotz H U, Fitt B D L, Huang Y, Wingfield BD. (2025) IMA GENOME - F20 A draft genome assembly of Agroathelia rolfsii, Ceratobasidium papillatum, Pyrenopeziza brassicae, Neopestalotiopsis macadamiae, Sphaerellopsis filum and genomic resources for Colletotrichum spaethianum and Colletotrichum fructicola. IMA Fungus 10.3897/imafungus.16.141732
Dankie VN, Steenkamp ET, De Vos L, Swalarsk-Parry BS, Dewing C, Fru F, Wilken PM, Mchunu NP, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, van der Nest MA. (2025) Growth, pathogenicity and sexual fertility of the African tree pathogen Ceratocystis albifundus. Journal of Plant Pathology 10.1007/s42161-024-01634-y
Swalarsk-Parry BS, De Vos L, Fru FF, Santana QC, van der Nest MA, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, Herron DA, Ramaswe JB, Dewing C, Sayari M, van der Merwe NA, van Wyk S, Lane FA, Wilson AM, Adegeye OO, Soal NC, Price J-L, Steenkamp ET. (2024) Wide variation in aggressiveness and growth in South African Fusarium circinatum isolates with geographical origin as the primary determinant. Southern Forests: a Journal of Forest Science 10.2989/20702620.2024.2363749
van der Nest MA, Steenkamp ET, De Vos L, Wienk R, Swart V, van den Berg N. (2024) Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the white root rot pathogen Dematophora necatrix (Xylariaceae: Xylariales). Mitochondrial DNA Part B: Resoures 10.1080/23802359.2024.2403411
Hlongwane NL, Dzomba EF, Hadebe K, van der Nest MA, Pierneef R, Muchadeyi FC. (2024) Identification of signatures of positive selection that have shaped the genomic landscape of South African pig populations. Animals 10.3390/ani14020236
De Vos L, van der Nest MA, Santana QC, van Wyk S, Leeuwendaal KS, Wingfield BD, Steenkamp ET. (2024) Chromosome-level assemblies for the pine pitch canker pathogen Fusarium circinatum. Pathogens 10.3390/pathogens13010070