Primary fields of research

• Studies of alleviation of biotic and abiotic stress through biological control and induced resistance. Research range from identification of effective agents to testing the mechanisms of alleviation of stress.
• Studies of resistance in plants against important fungal pathogens, particularly studies of infection biology and host defence responses and influence of infection on host physiology. Mode of action in disease repression by biological control agents.
• Microscopy of all types; gene expression studies; biochemical assays for reactive oxygen species, antioxidants and enzymes; diagnostics of fungi; statistical analyses of research data.
• Focus on temperate cereals as well as tropical crops. For the latter collaboration partners include Can Tho University, Vietnam; University of Mysore and CFTRI, Mysore, India; and Makerere University, Uganda.

Teaching

• Diagnosis of Diseases of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants (NPLB15007U)
• Grundkursus i plantebeskyttelse (NPLB18000U)
• Plant Pathology: Crop Diseases and Food Security (NPLB21000U)
• Tema: Plantevidenskab (LPLB10328U)
• Advanced Crop Production (NPLK16001U)
• Pesticide Use, Mode of Action and Ecotoxicology (NPLK14006U)
• Plant Ecophysiology in a Changing Climate (NPLK20000U)
• Plant Infection and Disease Management (NPLK14008U)
• Tropical Crop Production (LPLK10367U)
• Supervised 20 BSc-, 40 MSc- and 12 PhD-students as well as 2 post docs

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Academic degrees

• M.Sc. in Agriculture (cand. agro.) from The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University 1988
• Ph.D. in plant pathology from The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University 1992. Minor subject in plant anatomy

Positions held

• 1988-1989: Scientific employee at Statens Planteavlsforsøg, Planteværnscentret, Institut for Ukrudtsbekæmpelse, Flakkebjerg
• 1989-1992: PhD student at The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (KVL)
• 1992-1997: Assistant research professor
• 1998-        : Associate research professor/associate professor at Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology (KVL/KU-LIFE/KU-SCIENCE)

Research project participation

• Systemic acquired resistance - an ecofriendly strategy for managing diseases in rice and pearl millet’. Danida-ENRECA (2001-2004)
• ‘Induced resistance in maize as a control measure against Southern leaf blight caused by Bipolaris maydis’. Danida (2003-2005)
• ‘Understanding the role of ROS in defence and pathogenesis in the wheat-S. tritici interaction. How does the pathogen manipulate the host for successful infection?’ SJVF (2005-2008)
• ‘Integrated disease and nutrient management in rice production systems’. Danida (2007-2011).
• ‘Fusarium disease resistance - toxins and feed quality’. Direktoratet FødevareErhverv and Plant Biotech Denmark (2007-2010)
• Grant for buying a light microscope and the chemical Brilliant SYBR Green QPCR Master Mix from Landbrugets Kornforædlingsfond.
• Grant for buying various equipment from Landbrugets Kornforædlingsfond.
• ‘Saving a precious crop: sustainable management of the black Sigatoka disease of banana’. Danida (2010-2013)
• ‘Proteomic and phosphoproteomic approaches to understand the wheat-Septoria tritici interaction’. FTP (2011-2014)
• ‘Indo-Danish biotechnological network to prevent post-harvest losses in agricultural commodities’ (2012)
• H2020-MSCA-ITN-2015 Marie Curie ITN Training Network ‘BESTPASS: Boosting plant-Endophyte STability, compatibility and Performance Across ScaleS’ (2015-2019).
• H2020-MSCA-ITN-2015 Marie Curie ITN Training Network ‘CEREALPATH - training in innovative and integrated control of cereal diseases’ (2015-2019).
• The GUDP-project Improving disease control and sustainable production of Kalanchoe by the use of Endospore-forming Soil Bacteria (2016-2019).
• Microbial biocontrol agents in IPM strategies - reducing pesticide use in wheat and lowering the risk of fungicide resistance (2017-2021).
• Combining above- and belowground biological control agents for improved pest control in strawberry tunnel production’, financed by Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark, Environmental Protection Agency (2020-2022).

Others

• Referee for more than 50 international scientific journals.
• Associate Editor of European Journal of Plant Pathology since 2004.
• Member of 20 PhD assessment committees (Denmark, Germany, India, Ireland, Sweden).
• Reviewer for international research proposals (EU, France, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland).
• Member of interview panel for various academic positions.
• Member of lokalt samarbejdsudvalg for Department of Plant Biology (2003-2012, deputy chairman 2004-2010).
• Member of the Standing Committee of the University of Copenhagen for India Action Plan (2012-2015).
• Management Committee substitute for Denmark in the COST action FA1103: Endophytes in Biotechnology and Agriculture (http://www.endophytes.eu/, 2011-2015).
• Member of the board for ”Generalmajor J.F.Classens legat, Frøken Ellen Backe og Margaret Munn Tovborg Fonden” (2019-2022).

Awards

Merit award for researchers who have contributed significantly to development of Can Tho University, Vietnam, to mark the 50^th anniversary of University  (2016)

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