Bent Petersen

Bent Petersen serves as a Senior Researcher at the Section for Hologenomics within the Globe Institute at the University of Copenhagen. With over 13 years of professional experience in Bioinformatics, he is a key member of the Computational Biodiscovery group where he applies machine learning techniques to projects focused on deciphering the medicinal potential of the Rainforest. His primary expertise lies in genomics and metagenomics with extensive work involving Next Generation Sequencing data analysis.

His educational background includes:

• PhD in Bioinformatics from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), with dissertation on "Prediction of protein structural features by use of artificial neural networks" (2011)
• Master's degree in Biotechnology from DTU, with thesis on "Prediction of local structural elements by use of artificial neural networks" (2007)

Petersen's research interests span multiple cutting-edge fields including bioinformatics, genomics, metagenomics, machine learning applications in biology, and the study of host-microbiota interactions. His work bridges computational approaches with biological discovery, particularly in areas related to rainforest biology, phage therapy, and agricultural microbiome research. He actively collaborates with scientific groups worldwide to expand research portfolios in NGS, phage biology, rainforest biology, supercomputing, and machine learning applications.

With 76 research outputs including journal articles, letters, and preprints, Petersen's publication record shows a strong focus on genomic analyses across diverse biological systems - from African hunting dogs and Galápagos plants to agricultural systems and microbial communities. His recent work demonstrates particular interest in host-microbiota interactions, phage therapy applications, and the genomic basis of plant domestication and adaptation.

Petersen has significant teaching experience, having previously served as Head of Studies at DTU. He is recognized for his excellent educational skills and has conducted international mobile workshops in NGS, metagenomics, and bioinformatics across Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, India, Malaysia, and the Faroe Islands. His external positions include Adjunct Lecturer and Deputy Director at the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology, as well as Editorial Board Member for Scientific Reports since 2017.

He is actively involved in research collaborations worldwide and serves as a member of the Chairmanship of the Biological Corps for external examiners (Censorkorpset) since 2019. His ORCID identifier is 0000-0002-2472-8317, and his research has been referenced across multiple platforms including news outlets, social media, and academic readership services.