Jens Juul Holst is a professor at the Department of Biomedical Sciences and at the same time affiliated with the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research. Jens Juul Holst's research concentrates on appetite regulation and hormones that regulate metabolism (digestion).

Jens is head of a research group that focuses on obesity and type 2 diabetes, especially with the aim of mapping hormonal disorders and the possibilities of treatment based on hormones. He has also taken part in developing a wide range of drugs used in treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Jens is co-founder of start-ups, including Antag Therapeutics and Bainan Biotech. BMI collaborate with Antag Therapeutics and Bainan Biotech on a variety of research projects with the aim of generating new knowledge that can be used in the prevention and treatment of diseases.

Education

1978: Doctor of Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

1970: Master in Medical Sciences, Graduation from Medical School, University of Copenhagen.

Current Positions

2010 –: Senior Group Leader, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen

1996 –: Full Professor of Medical Physiology (today Biomedical Sciences), UCPH

1996 –: Member of the Royal Danish Academy of Science and Letters.

1993 –: Member of the Danish Academy for Natural Sciences

Previous Positions

2010 – 2020: Scientific Director/Senior Group Leader, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, section for Translational Metabolic Physiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen

2007 – 2018: Vice chairman Dept. Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen

1991 – 1996: Research professor by appointment of the Danish Medical Research Council

1989 – 1996: Professor of physiology, Dept. Medical Physiology, University of Copenhagen

1978 – 1989: Associate professor, Dept. Medical Physiology, University of Copenhagen

1977 – 1978: Assistant professor, Dept. Medical Physiology C, University of Copenhagen

1976 – 1977: Senior research fellow, Dept. Clinical Chemistry, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen.

1975 – 1976: Research fellow, Dept. Clinical Chemistry, Bispebjerg Hospital

1972 – 1988: Surgeon at the Emergency Ward, Bispebjerg Hospital

1971 – 1975: Research assistant, Dept. Surgery A, Bispebjerg Hospital

1970 – 1972: Training in surgery, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen

Awards and honors

2023: Novo Nordisk Foundation Lecture Prize (DKK 600,000)

2022: David Murdock Lecture, Invited by Mayo Clinic at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm

2021: Banting Medal for Scientific Achievement Award (ADA)

2021: Canada Gairdner International Award, Gairdner Foundation

2020: The Warren Alpert Foundation Prize, Harvard Medical School

2017: The UCPH Innovation Prize, project Gut Hormone as Drug Targets

2017: The Harrington Prize for Innovation in Medicine, ASCI

2015: The Eric K. Fernströms Nordiska Pris (SEK 1 mio)

2013: The Anders Jahre Senior Medical Prize (NOK 1 mio)

2013: The Marie and August Krogh Award

2012: The European Medal of the Society for Endocrinology.

2010: The Bagger-Sørensen Award (DKK 500,000)

2009: The KFJ prize of the Faculty of Health Sciences (UCPH)

2009: The Knud Lundbæk award and lecture of the Scandinavian Society for the Study of Diabetes

2005: The “Claude Bernard lecture and award”, EASD (EUR 15,000)

2002: The "Paul Langerhans Medal" of the German Diabetes Association.

1992: The Novo Nordisk Award for Medical Research (DKK 125,000)

1990: The Odd Fellow award for medical research (DKK 200,000)

1984: The Anders Jahre Medical Prize to young medical scientists

Teaching experience

37 years at pregraduate and postgraduate courses. Guest lectures through 31 years at Universities and pharmaceutical industries in the Scandinavia, Europe, Canada, USA and Asia, currently >30 presentations per year. 2018, visiting Professor at the Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, China. Supervisor for more than 100 dr. med. and PhD students.

Research administration

Head of a laboratory with a scientific production of 30-70 papers/year for the last 30 years.

Vice-chairman of the Biotechnology center for Signal Peptides (1995-2002). Chairman of the research cluster for Endocrinology and Metabolism at the Health Sciences Faculty, University of Copenhagen, (2004->). Scientific Director, the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (2010-2020), henceforth group leader. 

Bibliometrics

More than 2000 publications (WoS, February 2023), about 1656 in PubMed, + book chapters and review articles. Web of Science: H-Index 155 (February 2023), > 99,982 citations >85,855 without self-citation. Google Scholar: H-Index 196 (February 2023), > 162,578 citations. According to PubMed 93 new titles for 2022 and 2023.