Jan-Bernd Stukenborg

Short presentation

I currently hold the position of Senior Lecturer and Group Leader at the NORDFERTIL Research Lab, within the Department of Organismal Biology at Uppsala University, and am an affiliated researcher at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. Additionally, I serve as the Research Coordinator for NORDFERTIL (www.nordfertil.org). My research primarily focuses on fertility preservation techniques, with particular emphasis on in vitro differentiation methods, including innovative cell cultures.

Keywords

• fertility preservation techniques
• testis
• germ cells
• stem cells
• cell biology
• endocrinology

Biography

COURSES AND DEGREES

2001 – 2005: Biology, Westphalian Wilhelms University (WWU), Münster, Germany

2005: Diploma Thesis (Master Thesis; Biology), Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology (CeRA), WWU, Münster, Germany & University of Pittsburgh, USA

2005 – 2009: PhD studies (Biology), CeRA, WWU, Münster, Germany

DOCTORAL DEGREE

2009: PhD in Biology (Reproductive Biology), Thesis: “In vitro differentiation of male germ cells,” CeRA, WWU, Münster, Germany; supervised by Prof. Dr E. Liebau and Prof. Dr S. Schlatt

POSTDOCTORAL APPOINTMENTS

2009 – 2013: Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Paediatric Endocrinology Unit, Karolinska Institutet; supervised by Prof. Dr Olle Söder

DOCENT-LEVEL COMPETENCE

2016: Docent in Reproductive Biology, Karolinska Institutet

PRIOR POSITIONS

Jun. 2021 – Jun. 2025: Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Experimental Reproductive Biology and Medicine (permanent position; 100% research), Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet

Apr. 2019 – Jun. 2025: Group Leader, Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet

Jan. 2019 – May 2021: Senior Researcher in Reproductive Physiology (permanent position; 100% research), Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet

Mar. 2013 – Dec. 2018: Senior Research Specialist, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet

Research

Our research group focuses on germ cell differentiation both in vivo and in vitro, with a particular emphasis on fertility preservation techniques for children affected by gonadal dysfunctions. Central to our work is the investigation of testicular biology, including the behaviour of germ cells and their interaction with the somatic environment. We develop and apply advanced in vitro differentiation methods, employing novel cell culture systems that incorporate human and animal gonadal cells, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). This interdisciplinary research sits at the intersection of cell biology, stem cell science, and endocrinology, with the ultimate goal of understanding and restoring reproductive potential.