Rasmus Pihl awarded Novo Nordisk Scholarship
Rasmus Pihl has been awarded a Novo Nordisk Scholarship, giving him financial support during his thesis project, which is carried out under the supervision of Professor Poul Nissen and Research Fellow Hanne Poulsen, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. The purpose of the scholarship is to allow selected, talented students to devote full time to their MSc thesis. Rasmus is studying for a Master of Science in Engineering specialising in chemistry and biotechnology.
The goal of Rasmus Pihl's project is to insert fluorescent amino acids at specific positions in the molecular pump, the Na, K - ATPase, which is a protein located in the cell membrane and facilitates ion transport through critical processes such as the maintenance of the membrane potential, as well as secondary transport. Despite the fundamental role played by this enzyme, parts of its mechanism are still unknown. By manipulating the cells' own machinery to incorporate a fluorescent amino acid, it becomes possible to perform tests such as single molecule fluorescence, which could shed light on the exact cycle of the ATPase in action.
At the moment, Rasmus Pihl is a guest student at Princeton University. With the help of the academic staff at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, he managed to organise a study abroad at Princeton University under the supervision of Professor Tom Muir.
This stay is funded by Queen Margrethe II's travel grant that Rasmus has been awarded because he received extraordinarily high marks as a Bachelor’s degree student and has continued to do so in his Master’s programme. In addition to his academic work, Pihl has made a major contribution to the study environment at Science and Technology through his work as a tutor and his student job in the study and career guidance service.
More information
Master student Rasmus Pihl
Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark
rasmuspihl@msn.com