Benjamin Anderschou Holbech Jensen

Benjamin A. H. Jensen is a tenured Associate Professor in Nutritional Immunology at the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. He leads the Jensen Group which focuses on barrier (dys)function and investigates how dietary components, gut microbial community structures, and compartmentalized immunology interact to orchestrate chronic inflammation. His research has been published in top-tier journals including Nature, Nature Metabolism, Cell Metabolism, and GUT.

Dr. Jensen earned his PhD in Molecular Biomedicine from the University of Copenhagen in 2016, with a thesis titled "Insulin Resistance: A Fine-Tuned Interplay Between Diet, Intestinal Microbes and Immunity." Prior to this, he completed an MSc in Biochemistry with a major in Immunology (2013) and a Diploma of Engineering in Biotechnology (2012).

His research interests center on nutritional immunology, particularly host defense peptides (HDPs) and their influence on host-microbe mutualism in chronic inflammatory diseases. The Jensen Group develops experimental systems tailored to model human diseases with unmet medical needs, with a specific focus on the gut-liver, gut-lung, and gut-brain axes. His work emphasizes sound and reproducible research over high-impact publications, aiming to make discoveries that benefit society.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on the interactions between diet, gut microbiome, and host immunity in metabolic diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes. The research spans from basic molecular mechanisms to translational applications, with particular attention to how dietary components and host defense peptides influence disease progression and potential treatments.

• Emerging Excellence Investigator award, Novo Nordisk Foundation (2021)
• Nominated for 'Scientific Discovery of the Year' by Québec Science, Canada (2021)
• Featured as #BestofNatMetab2020 in Nature Metabolism (2021)
• Featured on the frontpage of Nature Metabolism (2020)
• Scientific advisor to the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), Europe, Probiotic Task Force (2022)

Dr. Jensen serves as main supervisor for 3 postdocs (1 industrial), 1 PhD student (with 3 additional as co-supervisor), and numerous master's and bachelor's students. He has co-invented two issued patents and founded Aesculus Bio ApS. His group collaborates with academic and industrial partners across multiple countries, reflecting his international research network. He has received significant grant funding including the prestigious Novo Nordisk Foundation Excellence Emerging Investigator Grant (2021) to establish his research group.

The Jensen Group operates at the intersection of nutritional science, immunology, and microbiome research, with a strong translational focus on developing novel approaches for chronic inflammatory diseases. Their work combines advanced experimental models with clinical insights to bridge the gap between basic science and therapeutic applications.