Group members

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

Athanasios Papangelis

Nassos’ PhD project was 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.

PhD students

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.

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.

Katrine Schultz-Knudsen

Katrine is working with pharmacology, and she is investigating whether it is possible to counter fibrotic diseases through targeting of certain GPCRs, such as GPR84 and dopamine receptors 1 and 2. She received her MSc. degree in biochemistry from the University of Copenhagen in 2018 and has worked with clinical development at Lundbeck for a few years before joining the Ulven group. In her spare time, Katrine enjoys playing badminton, going horseback riding and travelling.

Lasse Brokmose Poulsen

Lasse received his MSc degree in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Copenhagen in 2021, where he worked on synthesizing ligands for covalent modulation of the CaMKIIα kinase. He joined the Ulven group in 2022 and is currently working on the development of ligands targeting selected GPCRs for treatment of fibrosis. In his spare time, Lasse enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Master 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.

Rebecca Dalsgaard Hansen

Rebecca is working on synthesis of ligands for the free fatty acid receptor FFA2. She is from Denmark and a MSc student in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Copenhagen.