Andrew Bent

Andrew Bent is a Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he holds appointments in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. He is internationally recognized for his molecular dissection of plant disease resistance, with emphasis on soybean cyst nematode and Arabidopsis immunity.

Education

• B.A., Oberlin College
• Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Research Overview

Professor Bent’s laboratory focuses on three major themes:

• Molecular basis of soybean resistance to soybean cyst nematode (SCN), dissecting the multi-copy Rhg1 locus and its unique α-SNAP/NSF mechanisms.
• Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation signaling in plant immunity and DNA-damage responses during pathogen attack.
• Structure–function studies of leucine-rich repeat (LRR) proteins, including the flagellin receptor FLS2 and engineering of novel recognition specificities.

His group uses a combination of forward and reverse genetics, high-resolution genomics, biochemical assays, and synthetic biology approaches, translating fundamental discoveries into practical resistance traits for soybean and other crops. Recent work has revealed how copy-number variation at Rhg1 underpins durable nematode resistance without yield penalties, and how pathogen-triggered host DNA damage is countered by plant immune signaling.

Awards & Honors

• Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• Fellow, American Phytopathological Society (APS)
• APS Noel Keen Award for sustained research excellence in molecular plant pathology

Teaching & Mentoring

Professor Bent teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on plant pathology, plant–microbe interactions, and plant disease resistance. He mentors a vibrant group of graduate students and post-doctoral researchers and is actively engaged in training the next generation of plant scientists.

Laboratory & Affiliations

His laboratory is located in 886 Russell Laboratories, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706. He is affiliated with the Wisconsin Crop Innovation Center for fee-for-service plant transformation and collaborates broadly across departments and international institutions.