معرفی
Jens Hjerling-Leffler is a Professor of Molecular Psychiatry at Karolinska Institutet, where he leads a research group within the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics. His laboratory focuses on the genetic and cellular mechanisms of postnatal and adolescent brain maturation, with particular emphasis on understanding psychiatric disorders. He has established himself as a leading researcher in neuronal diversity, circuit maturation, and the application of advanced molecular techniques to study brain function.
Dr. Hjerling-Leffler completed his PhD in 2006 at Karolinska Institutet, followed by postdoctoral training at NYU Langone Medical Center (2007-2011) and University College London (2006-2007). He was appointed Docent at Karolinska Institutet in 2023 and has served as a Principal Researcher (2022-2025) before becoming a full Professor in 2025.
- Developmental Biology
- Neurosciences
- Psychiatry
- Molecular Psychiatry
- Circuit maturation
- Neuronal diversity
His research group applies advanced mouse genetics, single-cell sequencing, electrophysiology, and modern molecular methods to investigate cellular changes during brain maturation and their implications for psychiatric disorders. A key focus is understanding why many neuropsychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder typically manifest in late teens to early twenties.
Analysis of Dr. Hjerling-Leffler's recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on integrating genomic approaches with cellular neuroscience. His work bridges molecular genetics, single-cell transcriptomics, and functional studies to identify cell type-specific mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders. Notably, his research connects genetic risk factors for mental illness with specific brain cell types and developmental processes.
- ERC Grant: Brain cell type-specific interactions and schizophrenia (2019-2024)
- Wallenberg Scholar grant
Dr. Hjerling-Leffler actively mentors PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, including Hayley French, Marla Herr, Milda Valiukonyte, and Gianluca Volkmer among others. His group has secured significant funding, including a major European Research Council grant investigating brain cell type-specific interactions in schizophrenia. The group collaborates extensively with international consortia studying psychiatric genetics and neuroscience.
The Hjerling-Leffler group maintains an active research program with multiple ongoing projects examining neural diversity, circuit maturation, and the genetic basis of psychiatric disorders. The laboratory employs cutting-edge techniques including single-cell RNA sequencing, advanced mouse genetics, and electrophysiology to probe the cellular mechanisms of brain development and function.
