Frederik van der Bom

Frederik van der Bom is a Tenure Track Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Section for Crop Sciences, at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Science. His research addresses what he describes as 'arguably the biggest challenge facing humanity'—sustainably using agricultural land to enhance global food security in the face of climate change.

Dr. van der Bom's research centers on Genotype × Environment × Management interactions as the fundamental basis of crop productivity. His work integrates laboratory, greenhouse, and field experimentation to advance understanding of crop productivity and nutrient cycling in soils. Key research areas include:

• Interactions between plant roots, soil nutrients, and abiotic factors (water, temperature) affecting crop resource use, yields, and yield stability
• The role of plant residues, rhizodeposition, and mineral/organic inputs in carbon and nutrient cycling
• Development of advanced methodologies for investigating plant-soil interactions in realistic field environments

His recent publications reveal a strong focus on root architecture, phosphorus dynamics, and nutrient acquisition in cereal crops, employing cutting-edge techniques like synchrotron-based 3D X-ray computed tomography. His research demonstrates how root system characteristics interact with environmental conditions to influence crop performance under resource constraints.

Dr. van der Bom has secured significant research funding including a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (RootOutP, 2022-2025), projects on carbon sequestration in crop mixtures (2022-2024), and a tenure-track start package from the Novo Nordisk Foundation (2023-2026).

He maintains external academic connections as an Honorary Fellow/Lecturer at the University of Queensland (2022-present), following previous positions there as a Research Fellow (2021-2022) and Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2018-2021). His work has received media attention through coverage in 'New research a key to nutrient management' (2022) and 'Northern research goes to the root of the matter' (2021), highlighting practical applications for farmers and agricultural systems.