Rate My Professor Bertie Fielding

Professor Bertie Fielding is the Dean of the Faculty of Science and Professor in the Department of Microbiology at Stellenbosch University. He obtained his BSc, BSc Honours (cum laude), and PhD in Microbiology from the University of the Western Cape in 2001. He also holds an MPhil in Management Coaching (cum laude) from Stellenbosch Business School. Fielding joined academia full-time in 2001 following his doctoral studies. From 2003 to 2006, he served as a research fellow in the Collaborative Antiviral Research Group at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Singapore, where his work focused on SARS-CoV. At the University of the Western Cape, he held positions including Lecturer and Course Coordinator for Medical Microbiology modules, Director of Research, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, and Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences starting in 2022. He transitioned to Stellenbosch University in a leadership role within the Science faculty.

Fielding's research centers on the molecular biology of human coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, with emphasis on virus-host interactions, pathogenicity mechanisms, and antiviral drug development. His contributions supported diagnostics and surveillance efforts for earlier SARS-CoV outbreaks, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, he engaged publicly to combat misinformation. Ongoing investigations include the antiviral and antibacterial properties of the South African plant geelbos, integrated with nanoparticles for treating infections and enhancing immune responses. He has authored over 88 publications, garnering more than 7,700 citations. Notable works include "Alkaloids: Therapeutic Potential against Human Coronaviruses" (2020), "Identification of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant using spike gene target failure and genotyping assays, Gauteng, South Africa, 2021" (2022), "The Flexible, Extended Coil of the PDZ-Binding Motif of the Three Deadly Human Coronavirus E Proteins Plays a Role in Pathogenicity" (2022), and "Molecular Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 during Five COVID-19 Waves and the Significance of Low-Frequency Lineages" (2023). In April 2025, he delivered his inaugural lecture at Stellenbosch University titled "From pandemic to pandemic, and everything in between." He supervises PhD, MSc, and BSc students and contributes as a guest editor for scientific journals.