EASD Rising Star Fellowship 2025 goes to Jens Lund
Jens Lund, former DDA PhD Scholar and now Postdoctoral Fellow at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, received t...
Posted on September 24, 2025
The research is led by Professor Anand Hardikar (Western Sydney University, Australia) in collaboration with scientists from Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen.
The DRS improves T1D discrimination, the ability to distinguish type 1 from type 2 diabetes, correct misdiagnoses, and may predict individualised treatment responses. Over time, the tool could enable lifelong screening for T1D risk and support more personalised clinical decisions. The pipeline introduced in the study may also serve as a model for other diseases.
“This approach could change how we diagnose and manage type 1 diabetes. It brings us closer to an individualised care,” says Professor Hardikar.
Professor Hardikar has been a key part of Danish diabetes research for more than ten years. As a Visiting Professor—first with the Danish Diabetes Academy, and now with the Danish Diabetes and Endocrine Academy (DDEA)—he has helped shape national and international collaborations, and contributed significantly to the education of early-career researchers.
The current paper is an outcome of his engagement during 2019-2022. His current research through DDEA assesses the role of exogenous factors in food processing and metabolic disease.
His role as a Visiting Professor at Roskilde University and his long-standing collaboration with Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen have led to joint symposia with DDEA on topics such as RNA Mechanisms & Therapeutics in Metabolic Disease and Translating Biomarkers into Clinical Endocrinology. He also contributes actively to DDEA PhD courses, including this year’s flagship event, the DDEA PhD Summer School.
“Anand is a great example of the success we have had with our Visiting Professor Programme, where researchers from abroad come to Denmark and bring their expertise—engaging with and inspiring early-career researchers and opening the doors to their labs back home. Let this serve as a strong example of why you should consider applying to our Visiting Professor Programme this year,” says Tore Christiansen, Managing Director of DDEA.
The current call for grant applications to DDEA’s Visiting Professor Grant is open now and closes on 20 August 2025. The programme supports senior academics employed at a university outside of Denmark. Applications can be in any research field within diabetes, metabolism or endocrinology.
Reflecting on the decade-long collaboration, Anand says:
“The DDEA Visiting Researcher Programme has been a catalyst for meaningful scientific exchange and lasting connections. It opened doors to work with some truly brilliant Danish scientists—most notably my generous hosts, Professor Louise Torp Dalgaard and Professor Flemming Pociot. While I was usually the one travelling, the collaboration has always been a genuine two-way exchange. Honestly, even the 24-hour flights from Sydney to Copenhagen over the past ten years have been well worth it for the insights, partnerships, and shared discoveries we have had!”
🔗 Learn more and apply here: Visiting Researcher Grants 2025 | Danish Diabetes and Endocrine Academy
EAN: 5798 0022 30642
Reference: 1025 0006
CVR: 29 19 09 09
