In this, the year of his retirement, he was selected as the recipient of the 2025 Anders Jahre Award for Medical Research, the largest and most prestigious Nordic Prize in biomedical research awarded to a scientist working in one of the Nordic countries in any area of basic, translational or clinical biomedical research. Although awarded to a scientist active at a Nordic research institution, Jacobsen emphasises that the prize largely reflects the research his team and collaborators has pursued at the WIMM and RDM.
Professor Jacobsen has made sustained and outstanding contributions to the WIMM, and RDM. His research has achieved a remarkable level of impact through publications – and he influenced, supported and mentored many early- and mid-career researchers.
- Professor Keith Channon, Head of the Radcliffe Department of Medicine
The Jacobsen Lab has identified novel lineage commitment/restriction steps and blood lineage pathways and unravelled previously unrecognised hematopoietic stem cell heterogeneity in normal haematopoiesis. They have also identified and characterised distinct and rare candidate cancer stem cells and their therapeutic resistance in chronic myeloid malignancies.
Their work has paved the way for novel therapeutic strategies towards regenerative haematopoiesis and targeting of leukemic stem cells.
Sten Eirik says: 'My years in Oxford and at the WIMM have been very rewarding, professionally as well as personally. I am extremely grateful for the many essential contributions from outstanding mentors, lab members, and collaborators who I have had the privilege of working closely with during my many years in Oxford.'
Sten Eirik, who is a native of Norway, continues his research as a Professor at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.