Lone Simonsen

Lone Simonsen is a Professor of Population Health Sciences at Roskilde University's Department of Science and Environment, leading the PandemiX Center for Interdisciplinary Study of Pandemic Signatures. She holds a PhD in Population Genetics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and has held senior roles at the CDC, NIH, WHO, and University of Copenhagen. Her research integrates historical epidemiology, mathematical modeling, and global health policy to address pandemic preparedness across centuries.

Education:

• PhD in Population Genetics (1992), University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Postdoc in Microbial Ecology (1992), NIH
• Masters in Biology/Chemistry (1985), Roskilde University

Research Focus:

• Historical and contemporary pandemic patterns (influenza, smallpox, Ebola)
• Modeling disease spread dynamics (SARS-CoV-2, RSV, HIV)
• Vaccine impact evaluation (influenza, pneumococcus)
• Interdisciplinary methods bridging history, mathematics, and biology

Awards & Leadership:

• Recipient of the 2023 Fritz Kauffmann Prize
• DNRF-funded PandemiX Center Director since 2023
• Former WHO lead on global influenza response (2009)

Key Projects:

• NORDEMICS: Pathogens and Nordic Societies (NordForsk, 2021–2025)
• Carlsberg PandemiX: Historical pandemic studies (2020–2024)
• CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service Diploma (1994)

Labs/Teams: Leads interdisciplinary teams combining epidemiologists, historians, and mathematicians at the PandemiX Center and Roskilde University's Mathematics and Physics division (IMFUFA).