Brian Steffenson

Brian Steffenson is a Professor and Lieberman-Okinow Endowed Chair of Cereal Disease Resistance at the University of Minnesota, affiliated with the Department of Plant Pathology. He is Co-Director of the Stakman-Borlaug Center and leads the Steffenson Lab, focusing on disease resistance in cereal crops such as wheat, barley, oat, and rye.

• Research Interests: Disease resistance genetics, molecular diversity in plant pathogens, wild cereal progenitors' genetic diversity, and host-parasite interactions.

Publications and Trends highlight his work on stem rust resistance genes (e.g., Sr59), Fusarium head blight in wheat, oat crown rust dynamics, and the role of NLR proteins in plant immunity. His studies often bridge genetic mapping with practical breeding strategies.

Labs and Teams: Steffenson Lab contributes to the Stakman-Borlaug Center's mission, collaborating internationally on pathogen evolution, genomic resources, and crop resilience.