About the PFAS Center

What is the PFAS Center?

The PFAS Center is a national research and knowledge center that works on protecting human health and the environment from the harmful effects of PFAS – a group of chemical substances that are extremely resistant to degradation and therefore referred to as “forever chemicals.” PFAS are found in many everyday products such as dental floss and non-stick frying pans, and have also been detected in food, drinking water, and nature.

The Center was established as part of the Danish PFAS Action Plan and is a collaboration between four universities: the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), University of Copenhagen (KU), Aarhus University (AU), and University of Southern Denmark (SDU). It is led by Professor Anders Baun from DTU Sustain and is supported by a grant from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency.

The PFAS Center purpose is to:

• Generate new knowledge about PFAS and their impact on health and the environment
• Develop solutions to prevent, mitigate, and remediate PFAS contamination
• Advise authorities and policymakers on PFAS management
• Inform the public about PFAS and promote knowledge sharing

The Center operates without physical walls – as a network of researchers and experts – and conducts activities within the fields of environment, food, and health, although it is formally based at DTU. In 2025, nine research projects have been launched, investigating topics such as:

• PFAS in soil, groundwater, and drinking water
• Tools for assessing PFAS alternatives in the green transition
• PFAS in waste and food
• The effects of PFAS on human health

The PFAS Center ensures that future efforts in Denmark are based on solid research and evidence, and that both authorities and businesses receive the necessary support to make safe and sustainable decisions.

PFAS Center leadership

The leadership of the PFAS Center consists of eight researchers from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), University of Copenhagen (KU), Aarhus University (AU), and University of Southern Denmark (SDU). The group represents a broad range of academic expertise in related fields, forming a strong and qualified foundation for leading PFAS research. The leadership is supported by a dedicated secretariat that ensures daily coordination and progress.

Below is an introduction to each member of the leadership group and their respective research areas.

Anders Baun, Professor

Technical University of Denmark, DTU Sustain

Anders Baun is director of the Danish PFAS Center and professor in risk assessment of chemicals and advanced materials at DTU Sustain where he is head of the section for Environmental Contamination and Chemicals. He is an ERC grantee and internationally recognized research leader in environmental risk assessment of nanomaterials with extensive experience in safe-and-sustainable-by-design approaches. He has +30 years of experience in ecotoxicological testing and risk assessment of chemicals, emerging contaminants, and complex environmental mixtures. He works at the interface between science and regulation and frequently acts as scientific advisor for national and international authorities and organizations. In 2022 he shifted his research to environmental PFAS contamination focused on limit values, safe-and-sustainable substitution, as well as PFAS uses and releases from technologies for the green transition. In 2023-2024 he chaired the Danish Government’s PFAS Knowledge Task Force which included the other members of the PFAS center leadership group.

Anne Marie Vinggaard, Professor

Technical University of Denmark, DTU Food

Anne Marie Vinggaard is a professor in molecular toxicology at DTU Food and a European Registered Toxicologist. AMV is an internationally recognized research leader in hazard assessment and risk assessment of environmental chemicals. AMV has +25 years of experience in risk assessment of chemicals, emerging contaminants, and complex environmental mixtures. She is currently coordinator of the Green Deal project, PANORAMIX, focusing on complex chemical mixtures. AMV has a documented record in toxicological research on PFAS and is currently involved in risk assessment of PFAS under the PARC program. Moreover, she has for several years been advising national authorities on PFAS issues such as food contamination.

Bjarne W. Strobel, Associate Professor and Head of Section

University of Copenhagen, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (PLEN)

Bjarne W. Strobel is associate professor in environmental chemistry and head of section of Environmental Chemistry and Physics at UCPH. Specific focus on occurrence and fate of persistent mobile organic compounds (PMOC) in plant, soil and water incl suspended particles and colloids in soil porewater and stream water, and methods for sampling small volumes, extraction, sample pre-treatment and conservation combined with advanced UPLC-MS/MS. Has +25 years of experience in the field and experience in collaboration with environmental authorities and consulting companies. Initiated research on PFAS three years ago, e.g. involved in PFAS projects with the Danish EPA and Region of South-Denmark. Co-supervisor for a PhD on PFAS cleaning technology at contaminated sites, and several MSc projects.

John Jensen, Vice Head of Department and Senior Researcher

Aarhus University, Department of Ecoscience

John Jensen, PhD, is an experienced ecotoxicologist and risk assessor with experience from most types of chemicals, e.g. heavy metals, human and veterinary drugs, organic pollutants including PFAS. He is an expert on risk assessment of chemicals in the environment and has in this context for several years been involved in numerous national and international projects as researcher and advisor/consultant in issues such as risk and hazard characterization of anthropogenic substances, ecological risk assessment of sewage sludge and contaminated sites. Furthermore, he has been part of the team monitoring and publishing the results from the Danish monitoring programs for heavy metals in soil.

Poul L. Bjerg, Professor

Technical University of Denmark, DTU Sustain

Poul L. Bjerg professor in contaminant hydrogeology at DTU Sustain with specific focus on risk assessment and remediation technologies for contaminated soil, groundwater and surface water. He is an internationally recognized research leader in transport and fate of persistent organic chemicals in the environment. He has +30 years of experience in the field and substantial experience in collaboration with environmental authorities and consulting companies in Denmark and abroad. Recently, he has initiated research on PFAS, and he is currently involved in PFAS projects with the Danish EPA and the Capital Region of Denmark. He acts as co-supervisor for several PhD students and Post docs studying PFAS transport and fate at contaminated sites.

Katrin Vorkamp, Professor

Aarhus University, Department of Environmental Science

Katrin Vorkamp is a professor in Environmental Chemistry at Aarhus University and an adjunct professor at the University of Saskatchewan (Canada). Her research focusses on harmful chemicals in the environment and our exposure to these contaminants. It is based on state-of-the-art analytical chemistry targeting the identification of emerging chemicals and time trend monitoring in Denmark (NOVANA) and the Arctic. PFAS has been a central topic of her research and monitoring activities since the early 2000s. Following a leading role in the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU), she is now the co-leader for Environmental Monitoring in the Horizon Europe Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC) with PFAS as a priority group. She also has leading roles in other Horizon Europe projects (e.g. InChildHealth, ArcSolution) focusing on PFAS. Her work also involves advisory projects and tasks for the Danish authorities.

Tina Kold Jensen, Professor

University of Southern Denmark, Institute of Public Health, Department of Pharmacology, Clinical Farmacy and Environmental Medicine

Tina Kold Jensen has extensive experience in coordinating research projects, cohort studies among both children and adults and have obtained several national and international grants and have served as coordinator, PI and work package leader on EU, NIH subcontracts and National Research Council grants. She is the research leader in the Odense Child Cohort, in which more than 100 articles have been published and 25 PhD students are involved. She has several ongoing projects about PFAS in fire fighters, surfers and case-control studies of breast and kidney cancer patients. In addition, she has received an advanced ERC grant in 2024 about health effects of PFAS exposure.

Xenia Trier, Associate Professor

University of Copenhagen, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences

Xenia Trier is an associate professor in Environmental Analytical Chemistry at University of Copenhagen. Her research focuses on analytical chemistry supporting the risk governance of chemical pollutants, in environmental media, biota, products and humans. She is very experienced in working at the science-policy interface, ensuring alignment of monitoring strategies and regulation, for e.g. mixtures and groups of persistent substances, early warning systems and indicators. She has an extensive global PFAS network and has since 2013 assisted the US Green Science Policy Institute in coordinating researchers and authorities globally on PFAS. As a member of the Global PFAS Science Panel she is active in developing conceptual science-policy approaches, setting priorities for research and risk governance on PFAS, and organize science-policy meetings. She has also served as expert for the EU RAC/SEAC meetings on the universal PFAS restriction proposal.