Group leaders
Trond Ulven
Trond is professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Copenhagen. He received his dr. ing. degree from the Norwegian University of Technology and Science in 1999. Thereafter, he was postdoc at the Scripps Research Institute before joining the Danish startup company 7TM Pharma in 2001. In 2005, he moved to the University of Southern Denmark to establish his independent academic research group. His research interests include medicinal chemistry, drug discovery and development of synthetic methods with potential use in these areas. In January 2018, he joined the University of Copenhagen.
Elisabeth Rexen Ulven
Elisabeth is associate professor in medicinal chemistry at the University of Copenhagen and funded by the Lundbeck Foundation. She leads a project directed towards development of tool compounds for carboxylate-sensing G protein-coupled receptors, a collaboration with the University of Glasgow. This includes the free fatty acid receptors FFA1 and FFA2, and the succinate receptor SUCNR1 as well as development of novel fluorescent tool compounds. She received her PhD from the University of Southern Denmark in 2012.
Postdocs
Palash Dutta
Palash is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen. He received his master degree from IIT-Kharagpur and PhD from IICT-Hyderabad. Presently he is working on the synthesis of sphingomyelins and their metabolites for investigating the biological basis of age-related cognitive decline and dementia in elderly individuals. Apart from research Palash plays badminton.
PhD students
Athanasios Papangelis
Nassos’ PhD project is focused on elucidating the roles of the free fatty acid receptors FFA1 and FFA4 in the CNS, including development of brain penetrant specific FFA1 and FFA4 modulators and tools to evaluate the exposure of the brain to dietary fatty acid. He received his MSc degree in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Copenhagen in 2017. In his spare time Nassos likes running at night and playing tennis.
Mads Mandrup Kaspersen
Mads’ PhD project is within the FFARMED project and involves synthesis of fatty acid derivatives and development of ligands for the receptor GPR84. He has his MSc degree from the University of Southern Denmark.
Loukas Ieremias
Loukas’ PhD project is focused on free fatty acid receptors in inflammatory diseases. He received his MSc degree in medicinal chemistry from the University of Copenhagen in 2018. In his spare time Loukas likes to do bouldering and go for a run.
Alice Valentini
Alice’s PhD project is focused on the development of tool compounds for investigating the free fatty acid receptors FFA1 and FFA2. She received her MSc degree in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Techniques from the University of Padova in 2018. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and going to the theater.
Marija Ciba
Marija’s PhD project is focused on development of tool compounds for the succinate receptor SUCNR1. She is from Latvia and received her MSc degree in medicinal chemistry from the University of Southern Denmark in 2019. In her spare time Marija plays the piano and sings in a choir.
Reseach assistants
Asmita Manandhar
Asmita is working on synthesis of ligands for GPR84. She is from Nepal and has a MSc degree in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Copenhagen. In her sparetime Asmita likes to do cooking and reading.
Master students
Christian Villholth
Christian is working on synthesis of ligands for the short-chain free fatty acid receptor FFA2. He is from Norway and a MSc student in Pharmacy at the University of Copenhagen. In his spare time Christian likes to spend time with his friends and go to the gym.
Kaustubh Ravindra Bhuskute
Kaustabh is working on synthesis of ligands for GPR183. He is from India and a MSc student in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Copenhagen. In his spare time Kaustubh plays table tennis and is a cricket enthusiast.
Christianna Vrettou
Christianna is working on synthesis of ligands for GPR84. She is from Greece and a MSc student in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Copenhagen. In her spare time, Christianna likes exercising, watching films, and spending time with friends.
Markus Orsi
Markus is working on AI-assisted design and synthesis of FFA2 ligands. He is doing his MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences at ETH Zürich and performing his thesis project as an exchange student at the University of Copenhagen. In his spare time Markus likes cooking, hiking and spending time with his friends.
Project students
Jakob Bjerregaard Jeppesen
Jakob is working on synthesis of ligands for the free fatty acid receptor FFA3. He is from Denmark and a MSc student in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Copenhagen.
