Professor Peter Marhavý earned his B.S. (2006) and M.S. (2008) in molecular biology from Comenius University’s Faculty of Natural Sciences in Bratislava, specializing in Acetobacter identification. He completed his Ph.D. in Professor Eva Benková’s lab at the VIB Department of Plant Systems Biology, Ghent University, where he investigated how plant hormones shape root development. After receiving his Ph.D. in 2012, he continued as a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Benková’s group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria). He later joined Professor Niko Geldner’s lab in 2015 to study the mechanisms governing CASP localization and how internal and external signals shape CASP distribution to coordinate multicellular tissue organization. In 2020, he established an independent research group at SLU–UPCS in Umeå, and in 2025 he was promoted to docent (Aassociate Pprofessor). 

Professor Marhavý has dedicated his research to how plants detect, communicate, and recover from damage under environmental and biotic stress. His group focuses on the earliest molecular events — within seconds of injury, particularly in the roots, where tissues interface with dense microbial communities in the soil. Current projects investigate how plants recognize tissue damage, transmit associated stress signals within and between plants, and recruit beneficial microbes to reinforce defense. The lab also examines the chemical and mechanical cues that attract or repel pests, such as plant-parasitic nematodes. Overall, this fundamental work aims to reveal the mechanisms that underpin rapid plant defense and to inform strategies that enhance crop resilience in the face of climate change and agricultural pressures.