Group
Principal investigator
Pétur Orri Heiðarsson, PhD
Associate professor of Biochemistry, University of Copenhagen
Professor of Biochemistry, University of Iceland
Postdoc: Biophysics, University of Zürich, Switzerland/University of Cambridge, UK/University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Education: PhD Biophysics, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; BSc/MSc Biochemistry, University of Iceland, Iceland.
Technical staff
Aida Curovic
Education: University College Copenhagen, Denmark.
Postdoctoral researchers
Shrutarshi Mitra, PhD
Education: PhD Chemistry, Tohoku University, Japan; MSc Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, India; BSc Chemistry, Calcutta University, India.
Project: Conformational dynamics of pioneer factor Ascl1
Sveinn Bjarnason, PhD
Education: PhD/BSc/MSc Biochemistry, University of Iceland, Iceland.
Project: Pioneer factor Sox2 studied with NMR and smFRET.
Upasana Mallimadugula, PhD
Education: PhD Biophysics, Washington University in St. Louis, USA; MSc in Physics, Pondicherry University, India.
Project: Ensemble dynamics and kinetics of pluripotency transcription factors.
PhD students
Jens Nicolai Vilstrup Decker, MSc
Education: BSc/MSc Biochemistry, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Project: Pluripotency pioneer factors NANOG and Sox2 studied with NMR and single-molecule spectroscopy.
Magnús Arnar Rúnarsson, MSc
Education: BSc/MSc Biochemistry, University of Iceland, Iceland.
Project: Pioneer factors in phase separated condensates.
Sigríður Stefanía Hlynsdóttir, MSc
Education: BSc Biochemistry/MSc Medical Life Sciences, University of Iceland, Iceland.
Project: Pioneer factor Pu1 conformational dynamics studied with smFRET.
MSc students
Astrid Meyling Jacobsen, BSc
Education: BSc Biochemistry, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Project: Designing protein binders and chromatin constructs to decipher pioneer transcription factors
Ásdís Hrefna V. Laufeyjardóttir, BSc
Education: BSc Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Iceland, Iceland.
Project: Sox2 in phase separated condensates
Signe Thiesson Tornhøj, BSc
Education: BSc Biochemistry, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Project: Investigating the molecular properties of the C-terminal IDR of Oct4 by single-molecule FRET
BSc students
Laura Christine Kryger Vejrup
Project: The role of tryptophan repeat motifs in the interaction of transcription factors Nanog and Sox2
Thorbjørn Sørensen-Grumløse
Project: Role of conserved residues in the disordered linker of pioneer factor Oct4 for conformational dynamics and nucleosome binding
Research assistants
Former lab members
Mikkel Guido Peluffo Johansen– BSc student, 2025
Mahtab Hafizi– PhD student, 2021-2025
Mads Ruben Gøtzsche-Larsen– MSc student, 2025
Frida Højer Nielsen- BSc student, 2025
Mariya Petrova Monova- BSc/MSc student, 2022-2025
Magnús Arnar Rúnarsson- BSc/MSc student, 2022-2025
Kristinn Ragnar Óskarsson- Postdoctoral researcher, 2021-2024
Kateryna Nitsenko- Postdoctoral researcher, 2021-2024
Hafrún Hákonardóttir- BSc student, summer 2024
Kjartan Skarphéðinsson- BSc/MSc student, 2022-2024
Kinga Sofia Demény- BSc/MSc student, 2021-2024
Berglind Bjarnadóttir- Research assistant, 2024
Andrea Guala- Research assistant, 2023
Niclas Ritter- Erasmus exchange student, Fall 2023
Matthías Már Valdimarsson- BSc/MSc student 2021-2023
Ester Borgarsdóttir – BSc project student, Spring 2023
Elísa Sól Oddgeirsdóttir – BSc project student, Spring 2023
Hanna Bjerring Kastrup – BSc project student at the University of Copenhagen, Autumn 2022
Laura Hamann – BSc project student at the University of Copenhagen, Autumn 2022
Dagur Þórarinsson – Bsc project and summer student 2021-2022
Atli Freyr Marteinsson – Research assistant, 2021-2022
Sarah Frederiksen Ruidiaz – Research assistant, 2020-2021
Hrafnhildur Una Þórðardóttir– BSc project student, Autumn 2020
Einar Halldórsson– BSc project student, spring 2020
Dagur Fróði Kristjánsson– BSc project and summer student, 2020