Per Juel Hansen

Per Juel Hansen is a Full Professor in the Marine Biological Section of the Department of Biology at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Science. His research focuses on marine plankton physiology and ecology, with particular emphasis on harmful algal blooms, mixotrophy, and the effects of environmental changes on plankton communities. He leads the Hansen Lab and serves as Section Head of the Marine Biological Section (2021-present, previously 2013-2015).

Professor Hansen's research interests center on two main areas: 1) Toxic algae associated with fish kills, where he collaborates with natural product chemists and fish physiologists to discover new algal toxins and understand their mechanisms; and 2) Mixotrophy, studying organisms that can both photosynthesize and consume prey. His work examines the functional biology and physiology of these unique plankton organisms, including 'algae' that eat and 'animals' that utilize stolen chloroplasts. Recent research has investigated the effects of both acidification (low pH) from fossil fuel use and alkalinification (elevated pH) during algal blooms on plankton organisms.

His current research projects include MarineBasisDisko (a marine monitoring program in Disko Bay, Greenland, 2022-2024) and HABTOX (studying toxin production in marine bloom-forming microalgae, 2023-2026). Analysis of his recent publications shows strong focus on harmful algal blooms, particularly Prymnesium parvum and Karlodinium armiger, with research spanning toxin production mechanisms, environmental triggers for blooms, and ecological impacts in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions.

• Seymour Hutner Price (2007)
• Arthur E. Schwarting Award (2017)

Professor Hansen has an extensive record of research supervision and funding acquisition. He has supervised 40 Master's students, 19 PhD students, and 12 postdocs throughout his career, with 14 Master's and 8 PhD candidates produced between 2010 and present. His research has been supported by substantial external funding, including 2.89 million DKK for HABTOX (2023-2026), 2.5 million DKK for MarineBasisDisko (2022-2024), and numerous other national and international grants totaling over 40 million DKK in the last two decades. He has served as PI on more than 12 national grants and 4 international grants, including EU projects.

The Hansen Lab currently includes PhD students Anna Karoline Junker Olesen and Clémence Boucher (co-supervised), along with B.Sc. students Emil Clemen Højenvang and Katrine Maria Larsen. His research group is part of the University of Copenhagen's Marine Biological Section located in Helsingør, with strong connections to the Greenland Environmental Monitoring programme (GEM) through the MarineBasisDisko project. Professor Hansen maintains extensive international collaborations across Europe, North America, and Asia, particularly through projects like HABFISH/SAFEFISH and EU-ITN MixITiN.