Søren Husted

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RESEARCH PROFILE:  My research is focusing on the functional role of trace elements in plants, including physiological and biochemical studies of manganese (Mn), zinc (Mn), iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) in plants. In the research group we have developed an advances and diverse ICP-MS based technolgy platform to study the chemical speciation of trace elements in plant tissue, with a special focus on linking chemical speciation with human bioavailability of Fe and Zn in plant based foods. Recently, we have initiated work on food authentication, where we develop multi-elemental and isotopic fingerprinting tools to determine the geographical origin and agricultural mangement form used during plant cultivation.

Recently my research group has implemented the first Danish facilities for Laser Ablation (LA) and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) which allows quantitative analysis and bio-imaging of trace elements in plant solid samples. In recent years my research group has extensively used chemometric data analysis techniques to perform data mining of large and complex data matrices.

EDITORIAL: Reviewer for several international journals, including: Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectroscopy (JAAS), Metallomics, The Analyst, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Chemical Communications, Plant Physiology, Nature, Physiologia Plantarum, Annals of Botany, New Phytologist, Plant and Soil, Soil Use and Management, Reviewer for the Norwegian, Austrian and German Research Academies.

PROJECT LEADERSHIP: Currently I have the project/WP leadership of the following major research projects:

1. EU FP7-KBBE-2013 FoodIntegrity – Analysing food authenticity In Europe
2. EU ERA-NET (FP7) project: “Authentic Food - Developing Fast Spectroscopic Methodologies for Analysing the Authenticity of Plants Based Foods”, which includes 16 partners from 11 EU countries.
3. Nutriefficient – Exploring the mechanism of Mn efficiency in plants. Funded by the Strategic Research Council (DSF).
4. Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films (DGT) technique to analyse plant available phosphorus (Ministry of Food and Agriculture).
5. “OrgTrace - Bioavailability and Health Effects of Trace Elements and Bioactive Components in Organic Agricultural Systems” a major 5-year multidisciplinary project funded by The Directorate for Food, Fisheries and Agri Business; (Terminated 2012).

FUNDING: Current funding is provided by Danish Agency for Technology and Innovation; EU FP6-7, DANIDA/HarvestPlus, The Ministry of Food, Fisheries and Agriculture; The Carlsberg Fundation, The Cereral Breeding Foundation, Yara and several other private research foundations.

AWARDS: 2012: Received the Brinck Award (Fabrikant Brichs Legat) for Excellence in Science. 2012: Best Science Communicator of Year, Department of Environmental and Plant Sciences, KU. 2005: Top-3 Best Paper Award  in Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry (2004), 378: 171-182.

TEACHING: Involved in teaching at undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels. Primary Lecturer in nutritional physiology at Bachelor level and in Applied Plant Nutrition and Analytical Chemistry at Master level. Since 1997, supervised numerous B.Sc, M. Sc. and Ph.D projects. Nominated with the Best Teacher of the Year Award “The Golden Bull” in 1999 and 2001 at KU-LIFE.

INNOVATION:

2006:  Started the university based private spin-off company: NutriNostica ApS, marketing spectroscopic equipment for analysis of latent Mn deficiency in plants.

2010: Winner of Innovation competition (Agro Business Park) with the project: Phospho-sense.

PUBLICATIONS: To this date 79 ISI publications with peer-review have been published in international journals with an h-factor of 29. One patent filed 25/9 2013. In addition a substantial number of proceedings, book chapters, popular articles and interviews have been published/presented in the media.

In 2011-12, Søren Husted was as cited more than 30 times in newspapers, radio and TV (Infomedia).

Co-Author of the book: Husted S, de Neergaard A and Pape R (2012). Mad til Milliarder (Food for Billions). A Textbook, now sold in more than 7500 copies for Danish high school students, on the links between plant science and global food security. Recently, adopted by Gyldendal.

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