Karin Jensen

Karin Jensen is a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), leading the Pain and Brain Imaging Research Group. She holds roles such as Deputy Head of the Neuro Division and Board Member of the Strategic Research Area Neuro (StratNeuro). Her expertise bridges clinical psychology and neuroscience, focusing on pain perception, placebo/nocebo effects, and chronic pain mechanisms.

Education:

• PhD in Clinical Neuroscience (Karolinska Institutet, 2009)
• MSc in Clinical Psychology (Uppsala University, 2005)
• Postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School (2010–2013)

Research Interests: Her work explores cognitive mechanisms and brain pathways underlying pain modulation, placebo effects, and long-term pain conditions. Key areas include neural correlates of pain inhibition, self-injury behavior, and predicting chronic pain development using brain imaging and genetic data.

Grants & Awards:

• Swedish Research Council grants for studies on pain prediction and brain-immune interactions (2020–2027)
• Pro Futura Fellow, Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (since 2019)

Lab & Collaborations: The Pain Neuroimaging Lab uses fMRI, genetics, and experimental pain testing. Notable collaborations include the ENIGMA-Chronic Pain initiative and Harvard Medical School's Program in Placebo Studies.