Jon Lundstrøm receives this year’s Doctoral Thesis Award
Jon Lundstrøm’s research explores how glycans function. By combining computational models, experiments, and AI, he has developed new ways to understand how these complex carbohydrates interact with other biomolecules. For his work, he has been awarded the 2025 Thesis Award from the Faculty of Science and Technology.
Congratulations! How does it feel to receive this year's thesis award?
I am happy and proud to have been selected for this award! A PhD is a long and challenging journey, so receiving this recognition for four years of hard work feels great. I am very thankful for all the support and contributions from colleagues and collaborators over the years that have made this research possible.
What is your thesis about?
Glycans, or complex carbohydrates, represent a third class of biological sequences alongside nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and proteins. Unlike nucleic acids or proteins, which are built according to a genetic template, glycans are assembled in a highly dynamic and non-templated manner. By attaching to and modifying other biomolecules, such as proteins and lipids, glycans play central roles in many aspects of biology,from infections and cancer to immune homeostasis and development.
The studies included in my thesis combine computational and experimental approaches to investigate various aspects of glycans. With a particular focus on how glycans interact with their surrounding environment, we have performed classical experimental investigations of a previously uncharacterized glycan-binding protein, that we named Cucumis melo agglutinin 1 (CMA1). Moreover, we have developed new deep learning methods for predicting glycan-protein interactions. Finally, we also explore fundamental mechanisms of glycosylation within the cell, revealing that the process of glycosylation may be far more extensive than previously thought, opening many future directions of exciting research.
How can your research benefit society?
Glycans play essential roles across many aspects of biology, yet in many cases, we still lack a full understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind their diverse functions. Moreover, glycans remain technically challenging to study. Through our work, we address these knowledge gaps, with the ultimate goal of driving real-world impact by advancing diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
What are you doing now?
I remain employed in Daniel Bojar’s research group, where I am currently completing and wrapping up PhD-related projects.
Award motivation
The 2025 award is given to Jon Lundstrøm for his PhD thesis “Glycans at the Core: Computational-Experimental Investigations of Complex Carbohydrates”. The thesis dives into the structure and function of glycoconjugates, the “dark matter” of cell biology. Glycoconjugates are molecules consisting of a carbohydrate moiety linked to proteins or lipids. They display extraordinary complexity, vastly exceeding that of nucleic acids and proteins. Analytical methods are currently insufficient to fully explore the structural space of glycoconjugates. Moreover, their functions still mostly remain hidden. The enormous diversity of glycoconjugates is an unsolved enigma: why do organisms need such a tremendous number of different molecules – and indeed, do they really? Glycoconjugates have been shown to have a function in immunity (e.g. blood groups), defense against pathogens, and cell-cell adhesion, but many of their roles may well be uncovered.
In his thesis, Jon Lundstrøm combines computational and artificial-intelligence approaches for structural classification of glycans with experimental cell and molecular biology. His work comprises development of glycan visualization software and a deep learning-based method for protein-glycan binding prediction. It also presents advances in cell biology based on experimental methods from molecular biology to analytical chemistry. It deserves mentioning that Jon Lundstrøm has shown an exceptional productivity during his PhD period. Beside the high-quality papers that are included in his thesis, he has published five peer-reviewed scientific articles as first author – an unusual feat.
His PhD thesis is written in a lucid style, with clear explanations of basic concepts. It shows the connections to many more complex issues, and reflects the versatility of his PhD work. It was presented in a highly pedagogical way with professional-level illustrations during his thesis defense, which was highly appreciated by the audience and thesis committee.
Jon Lundstrøm is a worthy recipient of the PhD thesis award.
The award is given for successful and innovative research presented in a well-written doctoral thesis. The author receives a diploma and an award. The award ceremony will be held on November 6.