Steen Thorbjørnsen earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Southern Denmark in 1998 with a specialization in operator algebras. His subsequent research has focused on classical and free probability theory and the interplay between these areas. In 2005 he joined Aarhus University as an associate professor, where he has since taught a wide range of courses in measure and integration theory, probability theory, functional analysis, and operator algebras.