This April, anyone with an interest in health and natural science research of the very highest calibre will have the opportunity to meet a Nobel Laureate when Professor Peter C. Agre visits Aarhus University via Zoom.

2021.03.24 | Sabina Bjerre Hansen

Nobel Laureate Peter C. Agre will begin with a presentation on his path to the Nobel Prize before taking questions from participants as he kicks off Health’s new initiative, The Nobel Laureate Talks, on 21 April. Photo: Keith Weller, JHM.

“A Life in Science: Challenges & Rewards”. This is the headline of Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Peter C. Agre’s virtual visit on 21 April 2021. His presentation will take stock of his academic career and experiences and offer good advice for ambitious junior researchers. 

The path to the Nobel Prize

Peter C. Agre received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2003 for his discovery of aquaporins – water channels that are proteins and transport water molecules through the cell membrane. It was a groundbreaking discovery, which has since paved the way for new opportunities to understand and develop new and more effective drugs for the treatment of serious renal, liver and cardiovascular diseases, where the regulation of the body's water and salt balance is disrupted.

Although that does not mean Peter C. Agre's visit is only of interest to researchers and others with insight into molecular biology and medicine. In fact, the event is aimed at all ambitious researchers and is open to everyone. The presentation covers motivation, challenges, career paths and ethics, among other topics. And why working in different academic environments – both nationally and internationally – is so crucial.

Registration for Health’s first Nobel Laureate Talk

See the programme for Health's Nobel Laureate Talk with Peter C. Agre on 21 April 2021 from 14:30 – 16:00 hrs in Health's calendar, and register directly for the event via Conference Manager. The deadline for registration is 15 April 2021.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

According to Cecilie Siggaard Jørgensen, PhD student and former chair of the PhD Association at Health, the event with Peter C. Agre is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a unique chance to soak up knowledge and inspiration.

"We all want to deliver important research that makes a difference and which we can be proud of. That being said, obviously not all PhD students have ambitions that include a Nobel Prize. But I'm sure that hearing Peter C. Agre’s tips about how to reach the top will be really interesting. And maybe even more importantly; how to deal with the path to the top," she says.

The PhD Association is co-organiser of Health's new series of lectures, The Nobel Laureate Talks, and Cecilie Siggaard Jørgensen hopes to hear more about the challenges Peter C. Agre encountered during his career and how he still finds the enthusiasm, desire and motivation to continue.

"He must also have had his own PhD students, so he’ll undoubtedly have some interesting stories and dilemmas to talk about," she says. 

More Nobel Laureates on the way

The visit of Peter C. Agre is the first in Health’s planned series of academic events under the theme Nobel Laureate Talks. In 1997, Health's own Jens Christian Skou received the Nobel Prize, and in his spirit, the faculty has the unique and ground-breaking health science research that leads to a Nobel Prize in focus. Health is therefore inviting different Nobel Laureates to share their knowledge with researchers, students and others with an interest in research – with Peter C. Agre as the first in the series.

Health's Nobel Laureate Talk with Peter C. Agre will be admitted and can subsequently be viewed or re-viewed via a link on the front page of the faculty's staff website. The admission is available until 1 May 2021.

Facts about Nobel Laureate Peter C. Agre

• born on 30 January 1949 in Northfield, Minneapolis, USA.
• graduated as a medical doctor in 1974 and later as a medical specialist in haematology.
• Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore and Director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Bloomberg School of Public Health.
• received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2003 together with Roderick MacKinnon.
• recognised in particular for his discoveries of aquaporin water channels.
• member of Health’s Advisory Board in the period 2012-2015.

Contact

Adviser Charlotte Skov Kristensen
Aarhus University, HE Administrative Centre – Dean’s Office
Mobile: (+45) 30 36 96 15
Email: csk@au.dk

PhD student Cecilie Siggaard Jørgensen
Aarhus University, Department of Clinical Medicine and DANDRITE
Mobile: (+45) 61 16 16 06
Email: cecilie.siggaard@clin.au.dk