FABI academic Prof Mike Wingfield has received the annual Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship Award for his research into disease-causing fungi. This R2 million award recognises scholarship of the highest calibre across various academic and research disciplines, and is ranked as one of Africa’s most prestigious research grants.

Prof. Mike Wingfield was the founder Director of the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI). He stepped down from this position after 20 years in 2007 and now serves as an advisor to the Executive of the University of Pretoria. He is also serving a five-year term as President of the International Union of Forestry Research Organisations (IUFRO), based in Austria and representing more than 15 000 forest scientists globally. He is internationally recognized for his research on insect pests and diseases of forest trees.