Professor Michael John Wingfield (born 21 April 1954) is a South African academic and scientist who studies plant pathology and biological control.
Wingfield has authored or co-authored over 1,000 scientific publications and is considered a leading expert in the field of forest health and invasive species.
[6][7] His collaboration with Chinese academics led to the formation of the CERC/FABI Tree Protection Programme (CFTPP),[8] a joint venture between the FABI and the China Eucalyptus Research Centre (CERC), in 2015.
[10] Wingfield is married to Brenda D. Fairbairn,[11] one of his main collaborators,[4] a professor of genetics and previous Deputy Dean at the University of Pretoria, and an Associate Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences since 2016.
[18][19] He has worked on several projects and partnerships studying diseases that affect pine, eucalyptus, and other significant plants.
[18][19][20] He, along with his students and collaborators worked on various pathogens, including Ceratocystis, Ophiostoma, Mycosphaerella, Fusarium, Cryphonectria, and Armillaria species.
[19][21][22] His team has used traditional and molecular approaches to classify and distinguish infections, define a novel, sometimes cryptic species, and determine evolutionary connections.