Søren Bak

Søren Bak is a Professor in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Science. He leads the Molecular Evolution Research Group and serves as the Section Leader for Plant Biochemistry. His academic journey began with a Cand. scient. from the University of Copenhagen in 1993, followed by a PhD from KVL (now part of the University of Copenhagen) in 1997. After serving as a Visiting Scientist at the University of Arizona (1998-2000), he progressed from Assistant to Associate Professor at KVL (2000-2005) before becoming a Professor at the University of Copenhagen.

His research focuses on plant specialized metabolism, particularly the molecular evolution of biochemical innovations in plants. Key research areas include:

• Plant defense mechanisms and specialized compounds
• Saponins as potential bio-pesticides for sustainable agriculture (EcoSap project)
• Environmental impact of plant metabolites (SapFate project)
• Integration of biotechnology with anthropology and law for sustainable agriculture (BioPlantPro project)
• Metabolomics and molecular evolution of plant specialized metabolism

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on plant specialized metabolism, particularly saponins and other defense compounds. His work bridges fundamental biochemistry with practical applications in sustainable agriculture and biotechnology. The research spans from molecular-level investigations of enzyme function and metabolic pathways to broader ecological and environmental implications.

As an academic leader, he has served as Studyleader for the BSc Biotechnology education (2008-2012) and Head of the Plant Biochemistry section (2015-2023). He currently chairs the Natural Sciences council of the Independent Research Fund Denmark (2024), having served as Vice Chairman (2023) and council member (2019-2024).

His teaching portfolio includes courses in bioinformatics and advanced plant biology, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach that combines classical biochemistry with modern omics technologies and computational methods.