Research team

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Head of COPSAC

Klaus Bønnelykke

Director

Professor of Paediatrics, Senior Hospital Physician, MD

Head of Research Operations

Nilo Vahman

Senior Hospital Physician, MD, PhD

Stokholm Group

Jakob Stokholm

Professor

MD, PhD

The Stokholm group primarily investigates how environmental and microbial factors in infancy influence the development of immune-related and other pediatric conditions. A major emphasis is placed on the role of the microbiome, particularly gut, airway and skin, in shaping immune system maturation. The group has shown that early microbial imbalances are associated with increased risk of asthma, allergies and ADHD later in childhood. Advanced methods including longitudinal cohort analysis, multi-omics, and clinical phenotyping are central to their approach. Ultimately, the group seeks to enable prevention strategies by intervening during critical developmental windows.

Shiraz Shah

Senior researcher, MSc, PhD

Casper Sahl Poulsen

MSc, PhD

Urvish Trivedi

Senior Researcher, PhD

Ulrika Boulund

MSc, PhD

Michael Widdowson

Postdoc, MSc, PhD

Julie Nyholm Kyvsgaard

Postdoc, MD, PhD

Jay Jiang

Postdoc, MSc, PhD

Kaare Tranæs

PhD Student, MSc

Beatriz Gomes

PhD Student, MD

Marie Louise Jahn

PhD Student, MD

Chawes Group

Bo Chawes

Professor of Paediatrics,‌‌
MD, PhD, DMSc

Tingting Wang

Senior Researcher, MSc, PhD

Liang Chen

Postdoc, MSc, PhD

Ole Bæk

Postdoc, MD, PhD

Camilla Grube

PhD Student, MD

Elias Hammer úr Skúoy

PhD Student, MD

Kristin Evensen

PhD Student, MD

Laura Hesselberg

PhD Student, MD

Adam Holm-Weber

PhD Student, MD

Fanny Klara Karolina Kullberg

PhD Student, MD

Pernille Kragh Christiansen

Research Year, Medical Student

Emilie Ravn

Research Nurse

Marie Hauerslev

Postdoc, MD. PhD

Bønnelykke Group

Klaus Bønnelykke

Professor of Paediatrics,
Senior Hospital Physician, MD, PhD

Casper Pedersen

Senior Researcher, MSc, PhD

Anders Eliasen

Postdoc, MSc, PhD

Signe Kjeldgaard Jensen

Postdoc, MD, PhD

Tamo Sultan

Postdoc, MD

Arendt Rasmussen Group

Morten Arendt Rasmussen

Professor

MSc, PhD

In the functional metabolic group, we combine various methods for characterizing the metabolism at work and analyze those using machine learning. Specifically, we use daily monitoring of glucose using continuous glucose monitoring, accelerometers, and images of dietary intake to capture everyday metabolism. This combined with metabolomics evaluated post-prandial meal challenge, host genetics, and microbiome provides detailed personal metabolic information, which by the use of machine learning can be related to both early life as well as concurrent health.

Zhi Ye

MSc

Michael Forsmann

PhD Student, MSc

Zhuobing Peng

MSc

Michele Rossi

PhD Student, MSc

David Horner

Postdoc, MD, PhD

Schoos Group

Ann-Marie Malby Schoos

Associate professor

MD, PhD, DMSc

We have collected extensive longitudinal data on allergic sensitization in the COPSAC cohorts, including skin prick tests, specific IgE, and component-resolved diagnostics. In the Schoos Group, we use these data to refine and validate diagnostic tools and to improve interpretation of sensitization patterns across atopic diseases. Our research has expanded to include detailed atopic dermatitis phenotyping and hospital-based clinical studies, including randomized controlled trials, enabling translation of cohort-based insights into targeted interventions for children with allergic disease.

Sissel Vesterager Borge

PhD Student, MD

Amalie Klein-Petersen

PhD Student, MD

Rie Daugberg

PhD Student, MD

Thorsen Group

Jonathan Thorsen

Associate Professor, MD, PhD

Our research explores how infants are colonized with bacteria in early childhood and what that means for their immune system and disease risk, with a particular emphasis on the developing airway microbiome in childhood. We employ and adapt machine learning and advanced statistical tools to study the microbiome in relation to clinical endpoints and integrate these data with other ‘omics layers such as immune profiles, viruses, genes, and proteins. We use bioinformatic analysis of DNA sequence data to capture the diversity, nuance, and interactions among microbes in children.

Anton Kjellberg

PhD Student, MSc

Brustad Group

Nicklas Brustad

Associate Professor, MD, PhD

Luo Yang

Postdoc, MSc, PhD

Astrid Winther

PhD Student, MSc

Vinding Group

Rebecca Vinding

Associate Professor, MD, PhD

In the psychopathology group we explore early life factors (low grade inflammation, dietary supplementation in pregnancy, maternal diet, the microbiome) and its influence on neurological development, including cognition, behavior and psychopathology. We use data from The Copenhagen Prospective Study on Neuro-PSYCHiatric Development (COPSYCH) visit, where we comprehensively examined the mental health and brain structure of the COPSAC2010 cohort at 10 years of age and combine this with previous data.
Our goal is to identify potential preventive strategies for development of psychiatric disease but also to help clinicians to detect early signs of disease/difficulties.

In the childhood growth group we focus on identifying which early life factors can influence childhood growth patterns and thereby increase the risk of having obesity later in life. Our aim is to uncover possible risk factors which could help in the prevention of development of obesity and metabolic disease.

As an area of interest between the two groups is to study whether differences in cognition and behavior can lead to differences in growth patterns and risk of obesity in childhood and later life.

Maria Hernandez Lorca

Postdoc, MSc, PhD

Julie Rosenberg

Postdoc, MD, PhD

Epidemiology Group

Jonathan Groot

Senior Researcher, PhD

In the Epidemiology group, we focus on projects and collaborations in which we employ a range of epidemiological methods. We collaborate with other researchers at COPSAC on epidemiological methods and use of population-based cohort data and registry data. We primarily conduct research spanning from descriptive epidemiology with registry data to causal inference based on natural experiments.

Our main focus is on environmental exposures and immune-related diseases, with a special focus on respiratory health. Currently, the group is working on the Indoor Climate and Health in Bellahøj (ISB) project: a natural experiment looking at the impacts of apartment remodeling on respiratory health among residents in a multi-ethnic, economically diverse cohort. We collaborate closely with researchers at the Section of Social Medicine, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), as well as researchers at Aarhus University, Statens Serum Institute, Section of Environmental Health (UCPH) and Section of Epidemiology (UCPH).
More details on the ISB project can be found at: https://bornogastma.dk/indeklimaogsundhedpaabellahoej/.

The group addresses research questions on environmental exposures and health from a primary prevention perspective, with a preferential focus on including underrepresented populations in epidemiological research.

Sofie-Cecilie Holm

Research Coordinator, MSc

Leyla Farah

Student assistant

Aisha Al-Bayati

Student assistant

Zain Ahmed

Student assistant

Hani Mahmud

Student assistant

Tasnim Warde

Student assistant

The Clinic

Nilo Vahman

Head of COPSAC Clinic, Senior Hospital Physician, PhD

In the clinic group we aim to perfect clinical research with children and adolescents. With a combination of perfectionism, thoroughness, systematic approach, constant vigilance, playfulness, attentiveness and creativity we get hundreds of children through hours of clinical examinations, endless tests, sampling of biological material, interviews and follow up. We translate research ideas into practice and make sure that the data available is world class.