Steffen B. Petersen

Dr. Steffen B. Petersen obtained a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry (��NMR studies of Nucleic Acids��) from University of Copenhagen in 1981. He then moved to State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he worked as a Post doc in Nobel laureate Professor Paul C. Lauterburs laboratory. He developed several new techniques in the area of MRI (including Synchornized 3D imaging of a beating heart and Lung Imaging using Fluorine Containing Compounds). He was appointed senior research scientist at the Medical Faculty at University of Copenhagen. In 1983 he joined the Danish biotech company Novo, the worlds largest producer of industrial enzymes as well as a major producer of insulin. He was appointed Director of Protein Engineering. In 1990 he accepted a position as director of the MR Center in Trondheim. The center was a part of the non-profit research park, SINTEF in Norway. In 1997 he moved to Aalborg University, Denmark where he was the key person responsible for the establishment of the Department of Biotechnology. He was appointed head of the new department in 1999. The staff of the department grew from 15 in 1999 to close to 100 in 2001. He was appointed full professor of Biostructure and Protein Engineering in 2001. In 2003 he moved his research group to Nanotechnology where the research staff was expanded and adopted a new name: Nanobiotechnology Research Group. The group is very well equipped with a range of biophysical research tools, such as molecular modelling, gnetic engineering and advanced spectrophotometers (Steady State Fluorescence, CD, FT-IR, DSC, ITC, Dynamic and Static Light Scatter, Time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy , Total Internal Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Singlet oxygen time resolved spectroscopy. In 2006 we finished a laboratory for Ultrafast Spectroscopy which houses an advanced femto second laser system. The system allows for pico second timeresolved fluorescence measurements as well as for 2-color pump probe femto second resolved excited state studies.

Dr Steffen B. Petersens research interests are focussed on understanding in depth the interaction between photons and biomolecules using a wide range of biophysical techniques, including bioinformatics. The ultimate goal is being able to modulate biomolecular function using photons. He and Teresa Neves Petersen recently has unravelling one such process, where UV photons has been used to open disulfide bridges in Proteins.

Dr Steffen B. Petersen has published more than 110 papers in international refereed journals and 20 book chapters. He has edited 3 books and he is on the editorial board of several journals as well as the book series Annual Review of Biotechnology (ed in chief R. El Gewely). He is serving or has served as a reviewer for several research councils world wide (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Singapore, United Kingdom