Mariëtte Jackson (neè Bezuidenhout) was born in Rustenburg, North West province. She matriculated in 1996 from Jim Fouchè High School in Bloemfontein. She obtained her B.Sc (Genetics, Zoology and Human physiology) (2001), B.Sc Hons. (2003), M.Sc (2005) and Ph.D. (Genetics) (2008) from the University of the Free State. She started her career as a post doctoral fellow at the University of Pretoria working on a multi aspect project which involved the molecular cloning of rose cultivars. She was appointed as lecturer at the University of the Free State in 2010 in the field of plant molecular systematics. Since then she has been establishing this field of study in the Department Plant Sciences by teaching second, third year and honors level courses. She is currently focusing on the systematics of different groups and genera within the Asteraceae.

Jackson, M. and Joubert, L. 2015. The phylogenetics and taxonomy of Curio (Asteraceae). Paper delivered at the annual conference of the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB). Tshepise, Venda. 12-15 Jan 2015.

De Gouveia, N.A.M., Joubert, L. and Jackson, M. 2015. Sprawling Curios: Three species or one? Paper delivered at the annual conference of the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB). Tshepise, Venda. 12-15 Januariy 2015.

De Gouveia, N.A.M., Jackson, M. and Joubert, L. 2016. Leaf micromorphology and cystoliths of southern Africa Crabbea (Acanthaceae). Paper delivered at the annual conference of the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB), Bloemfontein, Free State. 10-13 January 2016.

Keet, J.H., Jackson, M., Cindi, D., Du Preez, P.J. and Visser, B. 2016.  Identification of naturalized and cultivated Berberis species in South Africa. Paper delivered at the annual conference of the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB), Bloemfontein, Free State. 10-13 January 2016.

De Gouveia, N.A.M., Jackson, M. and Joubert, L. 2017. Systematics of Crabbea (Acanthaceae). Paper delivered at the annual conference of the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB). Lagoon Beach hotel, Cape Town. 9-12 Jan 2017.

Sadler, R., Verboom, G.A., Manning, J., Parker, T., Jackson, M., van Zyl, J., Bergh, N.G. and Ellis, A.G. 2022. Phylogeny of the southern African marigolds: the daisy tribe Calenduleae. Paper delivered at the 47^th Annual conference of the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB) (virtual). 17-20 January.

Sedimo, G., Jackson, M., Bester, S.P. and Joubert, L. 2022. Taxonomic revision and molecular phylogenetic analysis of Nemesia species in the Free State. Paper delivered at the 47^th Annual conference of the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB) (virtual). 17-20 January.

Grobler, H., Jackson, M. and Joubert, L. 2022. Nectar spur development in Nemesia Vent. (Scrophulariaceae). Paper presented at the 47th Annual Conference of the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB). Hosted online by North West University, South Africa.

Grobler, H., Jackson, M. and Joubert, L. 2022. Nectar spur development in Nemesia (Scrophulariaceae). Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Microscopy Society of South Africa (MSSA). Johannesburg, South Africa.

Sedimo, G., Bester, S.P., Jackson, M. & Joubert, L. 2023. Morphometric analysis in Nemesia (Scrophulariaceae). Paper delivered at the South African Association of Botanists (SAAB) Postgraduate Symposium (online). 28 September 2023.

Sedimo, G., Joubert, L., Jackson, M. & Bester, S.P. 2023. Systematics and morphometrics in Nemesia (Scrophulariaceae). Paper delivered at the 48^th South African Association of Botanists (SAAB) Annual Conference, Polokwane, South Africa. 17-20 January 2023.

International conferences

Jackson, M. and Joubert, L. 2014. The Systematics of Garuleum (Asteraceae). Paper delivered at the Association for the Taxonomic Study of the Flora of Tropical Africa (AETFAT). University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. 13-17 Jan 2014.

Hlongwane, N.V., Jackson, M., Minnaar-Ontong, A. & Rothmann, L.A. 2023. Identification and prevalence of seedborne fungal pathogens associated with soybean. Paper delivered at the 12^th International Congress of Plant Pathology, Lyon, France. 20-25 August 2023.

Masisi, T.V., Mclaren, N.W., Jackson, M. & Rothmann, L.A. 2023. Identifying sorghum grain fungal colonisers, quantification of mycotoxins and development of weather-based predictive models for Fusarium graminearum. Poster presented at the 12^th International Congress of Plant Pathology, Lyon, France. 20-25 August 2023.

Research articles

Sadler, R., Parker, T. Verboom, GA, Ellis, A.G., Jackson, M., van Zyl. J., Manning, J. & Bergh, N.G. 2022. A molecular phylogeny of Calenduleae (Asteraceae) supports the transfer of Dimorphotheca polyptera DC. to Osteospermum L. South African Journal of Botany, 151: 234-245.

De Gouveia, N.A.M., Jackson, M. & Joubert, L. 2023. A taxonomic revision of Crabbea Harv. (Acanthaceae: Barlerieae) in South Africa. South African Journal of Botany 156: 115–130.

Jackson, M., Van Zyl, J., Frylinck, M. & Joubert, L. 2024. A molecular phylogeny of Garuleum (Calenduleae, Asteraceae) in southern Africa. Phytotaxa 644 (3): 220–228.

Plant molecular systematics with a focus on the genera of the family Asteraceae. Molecular data are used to construct the evolutionary history of a plant group and combined with the taxonomy of these plants; this can help to understand how plant lineages formed which contribute to the conservation of species in a changing environment. Phylogenetic analysis of genera currently under investigation are: Garuleum (Asteraceae) and Curio (Asteraceae). Other plant genera / families in which molecular phylogenetic work are being conducted are Nemesia (Scrophulariaceae), Nananthus (Aizoaceae), Boerhavia (Nyctaginaceae). 

Plant Molecular Systematics

Phylogenetic analysis

BLGY1643 (One practical)

BLGY2615 (25%)

BTNY2616 (33%)

BTNY3714 (50%)

BTND6804 (100%)