Michael Westberg has a bachelor's degree from this institute and obtained a master's degree in biophysical chemistry from the University of Chicago in 2013. He received his Ph.D. from Aarhus University in 2017 for his work on designing and characterising photoactive proteins. From 2018 to 2022, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, where he worked on developing new protein-based tools as well as potential drugs against SARS-CoV-2. Since returning to the institute as an assistant professor in July 2022, he has been working on establishing his research group and setting up protein laboratories.

In his new position, Michael will combine computational methods and laboratory experiments to design new types of photoactive and chemically regulated proteins that will serve as molecular tools. The projects, supported by two startup grants from the Villum Foundation and the Independent Research Fund Denmark, aim to shed new light on fundamental biophysics, enhance the understanding of biochemical signalling in cells, and contribute to the identification of new drug targets in the human body.

"My new position at the Department of Chemistry provides the foundation for building an interdisciplinary research group, and I look forward to continuing collaborations at the institute as well as across Aarhus University. Furthermore, it is a privilege to contribute to educating the next generation of molecular designers."

Michael is already well established at the institute as a part of our scientific staff.

Congratulations on your new position!

Contact

Assistant Professor Michael Westberg, Aarhus University, Department of Chemistry, westberg@chem.au.dk