Mogens Støvring Hovmøller
Professor
Department of Agroecology of Aarhus University, Denmark
Biography
Mogens Støvring Hovmøller is Professor of Plant Pathology at Aarhus University and founder of the Global Rust Reference Center (GRRC). His research focuses on epidemiology, population genetics, and evolution of crop pathogens, particularly cereal rust fungi.
He studies how pathogen variants emerge, spread across continents, adapt to changing environments, and overcome crop resistance. By combining field surveillance, pathogen sampling, genetic analyses, and international monitoring networks, he investigates long-distance dispersal, virulence, host range, and factors driving wheat rust epidemics.
GRRC is an international hub for identifying and monitoring rust pathogen populations, diagnosing samples in containment facilities, and maintaining open-source data infrastructure on wheat disease surveillance and pathogen characteristics. Hovmøller’s collaborative work supports pathogen-informed breeding and deployment of rust-resistant varieties, strengthening sustainable food security.
