Jörn Klein

Jörn Klein is Professor of microbiology, epidemiology and infection control at the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN). Since 2015 he has led the country’s sole master’s programme in infection control and serves on the state infection-control committee and the expert council for infectious medicine of the South-Eastern Health Service.

Education

• Medical biology, University of Tromsø
• PhD in infectious-disease epidemiology, University of Copenhagen
• Post-doctoral fellowship in medical microbiology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

Research focus
Professor Klein’s work sits at the intersection of clinical microbiology and population-level epidemiology. His investigations span the emergence and spread of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, the dynamics of zoonotic spill-over within the One Health framework, and real-time surveillance of respiratory viruses including SARS-CoV-2. He is particularly engaged in translating laboratory findings into evidence-based infection-prevention policies.

A central theme in his research is the global threat of antibiotic resistance—so-called “superbugs”—and the socio-ecological drivers that accelerate resistance evolution and dissemination. His studies combine molecular typing, genomic epidemiology and mathematical modelling to inform stewardship programmes and public-health interventions.

Advisory roles & grants

• Programme leader, EU-funded COVID-19 research consortium (Norwegian component)
• Adviser to the European Commission on infection control and AMR strategy
• Member, Norwegian State Infection Control Committee
• Former member, South-Eastern Health Service Expert Council for Infectious Medicine, Infection Control and Immunology

Professor Klein is based at Campus Porsgrunn (room K-140) and is available for public lectures on topics ranging from pandemic preparedness to combating misinformation in vaccinology.