# Christian Frøkjær-Jensen

Christian Frøkjær-Jensen is a Danish bioengineer and Associate Professor of Bioscience at [King Abdullah University of Science and Technology](https://www.edgepedia.org/king-abdullah-university-of-science-and-technology) (KAUST), where he has been a faculty member since 2017 and leads the Synthetic Genome Biology Lab.<sup>[1](https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/study/faculty/christian-jensen)</sup> He is known for work on genome engineering and epigenetic gene regulation in the roundworm *Caenorhabditis elegans*, including the discovery of non-coding DNA elements that protect genes from stochastic silencing.<sup>[1](https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/study/faculty/christian-jensen)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2016.05.072)</sup> His connection to the [Howard Hughes Medical Institute](https://www.edgepedia.org/howard-hughes-medical-institute) (HHMI) is as former research staff in an HHMI investigator's laboratory at the [University of Utah](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-utah) (2013–2016), not an HHMI investigator appointment.<sup>[3](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3178-0906)</sup>

| Key facts | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current position | Associate Professor of Bioscience, KAUST, faculty since 2017<sup>[1](https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/study/faculty/christian-jensen)</sup> |
| Field | Genome engineering and epigenetic gene regulation in *C. elegans*<sup>[1](https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/study/faculty/christian-jensen)</sup> |
| HHMI role | Research Specialist I (Biology), University of Utah, Sept 2013 to June 2016<sup>[3](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3178-0906)</sup> |
| Training | MSc Biophysics (Copenhagen, 2002); MSc Neuroscience (Oregon, 2004); PhD Biomedical Science (Copenhagen, 2008)<sup>[1](https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/study/faculty/christian-jensen)</sup> |
| Landmark paper | 2016 *Cell* paper on non-coding DNA preventing stochastic gene silencing, 137 citations<sup>[2](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2016.05.072)</sup> |
| Fellowships | Lundbeck Foundation (2008–2011) and Carlsberg Foundation (2011–2013) post-doctoral fellowships<sup>[1](https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/study/faculty/christian-jensen)</sup> |

## Education and career path

**Training across two countries.** Frøkjær-Jensen earned an MSc in [Biophysics](https://www.edgepedia.org/biophysics) from the [University of Copenhagen](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-copenhagen) in 2002 and an MSc in [Neuroscience](https://www.edgepedia.org/neuroscience) from the University of Oregon in 2004, before completing a PhD in Biomedical Science at the University of Copenhagen in 2008.<sup>[1](https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/study/faculty/christian-jensen)</sup> ORCID dates the PhD from September 2004 to July 2008 and records a combined Lundbeck/Carlsberg postdoctoral fellowship in biology running from 2008 to 2012.<sup>[3](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3178-0906)</sup>

**Postdoctoral years.** After his PhD he was a postdoctoral researcher with Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator Erik M. Jorgensen at the University of Utah, supported by Lundbeck (2008–2011) and Carlsberg Foundation (2011–2013) fellowships.<sup>[1](https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/study/faculty/christian-jensen)</sup> His own website describes the reagents he developed during this period and credits a collaboration with Søren Peter Olesen's laboratory at the University of Copenhagen.<sup>[4](https://wormbuilder.org/old/?page_id=260)</sup> He then became a visiting instructor (a postdoctoral rank) in [Andrew Fire](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrew-fire)'s laboratory at Stanford University.<sup>[1](https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/study/faculty/christian-jensen)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://wormbuilder.org/old/?page_id=260)</sup>

**HHMI employment.** ORCID records a position as Research Specialist I (Biology) with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Utah from 1 September 2013 to 1 June 2016.<sup>[3](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3178-0906)</sup> His LinkedIn profile describes this role as a research specialist, an advanced postdoctoral fellow, on a collaboration between the Jorgensen (HHMI, Utah) and Fire (Stanford) laboratories, with the first year at Utah and the last two years at Stanford.<sup>[6](https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-fr%C3%B8kj%C3%A6r-jensen-7503b44)</sup> The employment ended in 2016, so Wikidata's entry listing HHMI as employer reflects a past position rather than a current appointment, and no source describes him as an HHMI investigator.<sup>[3](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3178-0906)</sup>

## Research and contributions

His research addresses how cells regulate endogenous gene expression while silencing foreign DNA, and how to make genetic engineering of *C. elegans* reproducible from standard parts.<sup>[4](https://wormbuilder.org/old/?page_id=260)</sup> His KAUST lab works on genome engineering, gene regulation, epigenetics, and synthetic biology, with emphases on three areas:

- **PATC elements.** Periodic A/T Clusters are non-coding DNA elements that protect genes from epigenetic silencing, the topic of his 2016 *Cell* paper.<sup>[1](https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/study/faculty/christian-jensen)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2016.05.072)</sup>
- **Editing tools.** CRISPR/Cas9 and transposon-based methods for editing the worm genome.<sup>[1](https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/study/faculty/christian-jensen)</sup>
- **piRNA reprogramming.** Redirecting the piRNA pathway to silence chosen genes across generations, the subject of a 2022 *Nature Methods* paper.<sup>[5](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-022-01397-3)</sup>

## Key publications

*An Abundant Class of Non-coding DNA Can Prevent Stochastic Gene Silencing in the C. elegans Germline* (Cell, 2016). Published on 1 July 2016 with co-corresponding authors [Erik M. Jørgensen](https://www.edgepedia.org/erik-m-jorgensen) (HHMI) and Andrew Fire (Stanford), the paper identified an abundant class of non-coding DNA that prevents stochastic gene silencing in the worm germline.

*Reprogramming the piRNA pathway* ([Nature Methods](https://www.edgepedia.org/nature-methods), 2022, doi:10.1038/s41592-021-01369-z). The paper showed that the piRNA pathway can be reprogrammed for multiplexed, transgenerational gene silencing in *C. elegans*, turning a genome-defense system into a programmable regulatory tool. *Nature Methods* highlighted the work with a 2022 profile of Frøkjær-Jensen, "A bioengineer and world traveler with a systems approach to gene silencing" (volume 19, page 133).<sup>[5](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-022-01397-3)</sup>

A note on attribution: the 2016 case report "Disseminated BCG Infectious Disease and Hyperferritinemia in a Patient With a Novel NEMO Mutation" (PMID 27470647) is almost certainly by a different same-named Danish physician. The subject's complete publication record, spanning ORCID, the KAUST faculty page, and his own website, contains no immunology or clinical publications.<sup>[1](https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/study/faculty/christian-jensen)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3178-0906)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://wormbuilder.org/old/?page_id=260)</sup>

## Honours and recognition

His awards, listed on the KAUST faculty page, are a Lundbeck Foundation post-doctoral fellowship (2008–2011), Young Investigator of the Year at the Medical School, University of Copenhagen (2009), and a Carlsberg Foundation post-doctoral fellowship (2011–2013).<sup>[1](https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/study/faculty/christian-jensen)</sup> The 2022 *Nature Methods* profile marks recognition from his specialist field.<sup>[5](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-022-01397-3)</sup>

## Recent developments

Recent output extends the chromatin theme in new directions: a 2025 *Science Advances* paper on MORC-1 in CSR-1 germline gene licensing (doi:10.1126/sciadv.ado4170), a 2025 bioRxiv preprint on HP1 dimerization and H3K9me chromatin (doi:10.1101/2025.11.13.687974), and a 2026 bioRxiv preprint on mechanical chromatin insulators evolved from selfish genetic elements (doi:10.64898/2026.08.08.743475).<sup>[6](https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-fr%C3%B8kj%C3%A6r-jensen-7503b44)</sup>

## References

1. [Christian Froekjaer Jensen, Associate Professor, Bioscience, KAUST](https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/study/faculty/christian-jensen)
2. [An Abundant Class of Non-coding DNA Can Prevent Stochastic Gene Silencing in the C. elegans Germline, Cell 2016](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2016.05.072)
3. [Christian Frøkjær-Jensen (0000-0002-3178-0906), ORCID](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3178-0906)
4. [About me, wormbuilder.org](https://wormbuilder.org/old/?page_id=260)
5. [Christian Frøkjær-Jensen, Nature Methods 19, 133 (2022)](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-022-01397-3)
6. [Christian Frøkjær-Jensen, LinkedIn (self-reported)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-fr%C3%B8kj%C3%A6r-jensen-7503b44)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Biological foundations › Biologists and naturalists (biographies)*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license