Rohit Mago

Dr. Rohit Mago is a Researcher and Team Leader of the Plant Pathogen Interactions group at CSIRO. He earned his MSc and PhD from the University of Delhi, India. His work focuses on combating cereal rusts, a global threat to grain crops, through research on host resistance mechanisms and identification of avirulence genes in fungal pathogens. He has developed molecular markers for rust resistance genes, contributing to disease resistance breeding programs.

• Specializes in Plant Pathology, Molecular Biology, and Genetic Resistance
• Key achievements include the first stem rust resistance gene in cereal rye (Nature Plants 2015, Science 2017) and uncovering the origin of the Ug99 wheat stem rust race (Nature Communications 2019)

Scientific Awards:

• Chiefs Award - Molecular Markers (2011--)
• Gene Stewardship Award (2013--)
• CSIRO Chairman's Medal (2017--)