Jenny Dankelman obtained her degree in Mathematics, with a specialisation in System and Control Engineering at the University of Groningen. Her Ph.D. degree in the dynamics of coronary circulation was obtained at the Man-Machine Systems Group, Delft University of Technology. She continued her research at the Man-Machine Systems group and in 2001 she became a professor in Minimally Invasive Technology. In 2007 she became head of the Minimally Invasive Surgery and Interventional Techniques (MISIT) group. Between 2010 and 2014 she was head of the Department of Biomechanical Engineering of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at TU Delft. In 2013 she became a Medical Delta professor.

At MISIT, Professor Dankelman aims to improve minimally invasive surgery, flexible endoscopy, needle, and endovascular interventions. She is cooperating with surgeons of several university hospitals, e.g. Leiden University Medical Center, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, Reinier de Graaf Gasthuis Delft, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam. Recently a number of projects started to develop affordable and high-quality (minimally invasive) surgical instruments for low and middle-income countries.