Nanna Bjarnholt

Nanna Bjarnholt is an Associate Professor in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Science, where she leads the Plant Metabolic Plasticity Group. Her research focuses on plant specialized metabolites, particularly cyanogenic glycosides and glutathione transferase enzymes, using advanced mass spectrometry imaging and metabolomics techniques.

Dr. Bjarnholt earned her MSc in Environmental Chemistry (2003) and PhD in Plant Biochemistry (2007), both from the University of Copenhagen. After completing postdoctoral work at the Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology (2008-2014), she was appointed Associate Professor in 2014 and became a Research Group Leader in 2018.

Her research primarily investigates the physiological roles and catabolism of cyanogenic glycosides in plants like sorghum, Lotus japonicus, cassava, barley, and almond. A significant discovery from her work revealed that glutathione transferase enzymes (GSTs) catalyze a reductive cleavage reaction in a pathway for nitrogen recovery from cyanogenic glucosides. With funding from the VILLUM Foundation, her group focuses on uncovering additional GST functions in plant specialized metabolism. She has pioneered the application of mass spectrometry imaging to visualize metabolite distribution and enzymatic conversion in plant tissues.

Analysis of her recent publications shows a consistent focus on plant specialized metabolism, particularly cyanogenic compounds and glutathione transferases. Her work spans fundamental biochemistry to crop science applications, with increasing emphasis on mass spectrometry imaging techniques. Recent research has expanded to include Cannabis sativa metabolite distribution, sorghum transformation methods, and plant-pathogen interactions.

Dr. Bjarnholt has secured significant research funding, including a VILLUM Young Investigator grant (10 million DKK), a Semper Ardens grant from The Carlsberg Foundation (19 million DKK), and multiple other competitive grants totaling over 40 million DKK. Her research has resulted in 61 publications with substantial citations and international recognition.

She currently supervises 4 PhD students (with 6 completed) and 1 postdoc (with 2 past), teaching B.Sc. level courses in biochemistry, metabolomics, and Mass Spectrometry Imaging. Her international collaborations include researchers from Newcastle University, University of Illinois, University of Queensland, University of Lausanne, and others. Dr. Bjarnholt serves on the Copenhagen Plant Science Center scientific committee and the departmental research committee, demonstrating her leadership within the academic community.