Helle Jakobe Martens

Helle Jakobe Martens serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management at the University of Copenhagen, specifically within the Forest and Bioressources division. With a Cand.Hort and PhD, she maintains an active research profile with 78 research outputs and 29 professional activities documented in recent years.

Her research focuses on plant anatomy and its integration with diverse applications including wood and fiber products, food and feed structures, and enzymatically degraded plant material. Key research areas include plant vascular biology (hydraulic conductivity in tree species, phloem loading mechanisms, and graft union formation in fruit trees), visualization of nano-sized structures, and development of methods for studying nanoparticle uptake and transport in plants. Her technical expertise spans confocal, fluorescence, light, and electron microscopy, laser capture microdissection, immunohistology, and image analysis.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong interdisciplinary approach connecting plant science with nanotechnology, microbiology, and biochemistry. Her work spans fundamental plant biology to applied research in wood science, bioimaging, and nutritional enhancement. The 2025 publications on peat polysaccharides and wood decay under anoxia demonstrate her continued focus on plant material structure-function relationships, while her 2024 review on polyploidy in trees addresses critical climate adaptation questions.

Professional activities show significant engagement with the academic community through conference organization (including the Bioimaging Workshop Copenhagen in 2007), lectures (such as at Dansk Biologiolympiade in 2020), committee service (including PhD Assessment Committees), and international collaboration (including work with Unidad de Fruticultura, CITA-DGA in Spain). Her research has garnered substantial attention with multiple publications receiving dozens of Mendeley readers and social media mentions.