Research Fellow
I started out at FABI as a mentorship student in 2010, did my BSc(Hons) here in 2011, and then moved to Stellenbosch University. But being the fantastic place that it is, I had to come back! So after obtaining my PhD at Stellenbosch, I joined FABI as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the beginning of 2017. I still collaborate closely with my previous postgraduate advisors in Stellenbosch and continue to work in their laboratories.
I am excited about using genetic resources to survey populations and study adaptations, at both the population and individual levels. Whole-genome and transcriptome sequences are invaluable genetic resources that I use as “blueprints” in my research. These blueprints reveal aspects of the organism’s biology and ecology that can be further pursued by in vitro experiments. I find it particularly interesting to identify characteristics that enable organisms to invade and occupy specific niches. Especially when these can, subsequently, inform management protocols.
My postgraduate research considered the population genetics and genomics of ophiostomatoid fungi that occupy the flower heads of the iconic Cape Protea plants. Currently, my primary focus is on Teratosphaeriafungal pathogens of Eucalyptustrees in forestry plantations. The contrast between the closely related leaf and stem pathogens in the genus Teratosphaeria is specifically intriguing and is one of the focal points of my genomics-based research.
Coelho MA, David-Palma M, Marincowitz S, Aylward J, Pham NQ, Yurkov AM, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, Sheng S, Heitman J. (2025) The complex evolution and genomic dynamics of mating-type loci in Cryptococcus and Kwoniella. PLoS Biology 10.1371/journal.pbio.3003417
Coelho MA, David-Palma M, Aylward J, Pham NQ, Visagie CM, Fuchs T, Yilmaz N, Roets F, Sun S, Taylor JT, Wingfield BD, Fisher MC, Wingfield MJ, Heitman J. (2025) Decoding Cryptococcus: From African biodiversity to worldwide prevalence. PLOS Pathogens 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012876
Aylward J, Atkins S, Roets F, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ. (2025) Several Seiridium species (Sporocadaceae: Xylariales) cause cypress canker in South Africa. Fungal Biology 10.1016/j.funbio.2024.101528
Aylward J, Marincowitz S, Basson RJ, Rippon W, Wingfield MJ, Roets F. (2024) Four new Geosmithia species from bark beetles infesting indigenous South African trees. Fungal Biology 10.1016/j.funbio.2024.09.006
Basson RJ, Roets F, Wingfield MJ, Aylward J. (2024) Bark beetles and their associated fungi infesting native Widdringtonia species in the Western Cape province of South Africa. African Entomology 10.17159/2254-8854/2024/a18505
Aylward J, Wilson AM, Visagie CM, Spraker J, Barnes I, Buitendag C, Ceriani C, Del Mar Angel L, du Plessis D, Fuchs T, Gasser, K, Krämer D, Li W, Munsamy K, Piso A, Price J-L, Sonnekus B, Thomas C, van der Nest A, van Dijk A, van Heerden A, van Vuuren N, Yilmaz N, Duong TA, van der Merwe NA, Wingfield MJ, Wingfield BD. (2024) IMA Genome – F19: A genome assembly and annotation guide to empower mycologists, including annotated draft genome sequences of Ceratocystis pirilliformis, Diaporthe australafricana, Fusarium ophioides, Paecilomyces lecythidis, and Sporothrix stenoceras. IMA Fungus 10.1186/s43008-024-00142-z
Visagie CM, Magistà D, Ferrara M, Balocchi F, Duong TA, Eichmeier A, Gramaje D, Aylward J, Baker SE, Barnes I, Calhoun S, De Angelis M, Frisvad JC, Hakalova E, Hayes RD, Houbraken J, Grigoriev IV, LaButti K, Leal C, Lipzen C, Ng V, Pangilinan J, Pecenka J, Perrone G, Piso A, Savage E, Spetik E, Wingfield MJ, Zhang Y, Wingfield BD. (2023) IMA genome-F18 - The reidentification of Penicillium genomes available in the NCBI and draft genomes for Penicillium species from dry cured meat, Penicillium biforme, P. brevicompactum, P. solitum, and P. cvjetkovicii, Pewenomyces kutranfy, Pew. lalenivora, Pew. tapulicola, Pew. kalosus, Teratosphaeria carnegiei, and Trichoderma atroviridae SC1. IMA Fungus 10.1186/s43008-023-00121-w
Aylward J, Ngubane NP, Dreyer LL, Oberlander K, Wingfield MJ, Roets F. (2023) Convergent evolution unites the population genetics of Protea-associated ophiostomatoid fungi. Fungal Ecology 10.1016/j.funeco.2023.101242
Aylward J, Roets F, Dreyer LL, Wingfield MJ. (2023) Unseen fungal biodiversity and complex inter-organismal interactions in Protea flower heads. Fungal Biology Reviews 10.1016/j.fbr.2023.100317
Crous PW, Aylward J, Marincowitz S, Wingfield BD, Wingfield MJ, et al.. (2022) Fungal Planet description sheets: 1383–1435. Persoonia 10.3767/persoonia.2022.48.08