Dean Jacobsen

Dean Jacobsen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Science, specializing in Freshwater Biology. He serves as Head of Section overseeing approximately 18 employees and maintains an active research program with 153 research outputs including 122 journal articles, 7 book chapters, and various other scholarly contributions.

Dr. Jacobsen's research program centers on stream ecology, with particular emphasis on the function, spatial distribution, and temporal variability in diversity and composition of benthic macroinvertebrate communities. His work spans environmental and geographical gradients including altitude, temperature, and oxygen, with special focus on high alpine and glacier-fed freshwater ecosystems. His research integrates field studies across diverse geographical locations including Greenland, the Himalayas, Nepal, and tropical regions of Central and South America.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals consistent scholarly output with multiple high-impact papers published in 2023-2025 in journals such as Freshwater Biology, Aquatic Sciences, Inland Waters, Conservation Biology, and Science of the Total Environment. His work demonstrates strong thematic continuity in examining land use impacts on freshwater systems, particularly oil palm plantation effects, while expanding into emerging issues like microplastics in streams and climate change impacts on high-altitude aquatic ecosystems.

Dr. Jacobsen serves in several important professional roles including as coordinator for the GMBA (Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment) aquatic biodiversity group, member of the Scientific Advisory Board at Eurac Research's Institute for Alpine Ecology in Italy, and Associate Editor for the journal Inland Waters published by the SIL - Freshwater Biological Association. His research has been supported by prestigious funding bodies including the Carlsberg Foundation, Schlumberger Foundation, Innovation Fund Denmark, and FRB France.

As an educator, Dr. Jacobsen teaches across multiple levels including Basic Ecology, Field courses in Limnology, Biodiversity, Freshwater Macrofauna, Advanced Ecology, Freshwater Ecology, and Ecology and Management of Nature and Semi-nature Areas, demonstrating his commitment to training the next generation of freshwater ecologists through both theoretical instruction and field-based learning experiences.