Elite Research Prize

Elite Research Prize was given to a pioneer researcher who aims to fight neurological diseases

Research should have a purpose and ideally create innovative solutions for the benefit of people. This is the driving force behind Professor Alexander Kai Büll’s research, whether he’s looking at neurological diseases or exploring his newfound interest in plant proteins.

Professor Alexander Kai Büll has been given the prestigious Elite Research Prize 2023. Photo: Bax Lindhardt

Tuesday 21 February 2023

Lene Sparsø

In 2019, Alexander Kai Büll joined DTU Bioengineering, where he was appointed professor. Since he arrived at DTU, he has received a range of impressive grants. Most recently, he was awarded the prestigious Elite Research Prize by the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science for his ground-breaking research into proteins, which are essential building blocks in humans and plants. His primary focus is on what happens when proteins don’t fulfill their intended function and instead cause neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

“My research started in quite a different field from biomedicine, but I knew I needed to work with something that benefits people. For me, proteins are some of the most fascinating and versatile things there are, and they’re relevant to everything,” says Alexander Kai Büll.

The cornerstones of Alexander Kai Büll’s research are innovation and the desire to experiment. He has a remarkable ability to develop new insights by combining different theories and methods. He has also received a Lundbeck Experiment grant, which will investigate how so-called DNA origami can transport drugs into the core of a diseased area, for example, in the brain, and release the medicine with great precision.

Alexander Kai Büll in conversation with Ph.d.-student Soumik Ray. Photo: Bax Lindhardt

From biomedicine to crops

Alexander Kai Büll’s innovative thinking has also led him into a new field of plant research. In 2021, he was invited to participate in SEEDFOOD, a large research project led by the University of Copenhagen. The project investigates how rapeseed crops can become an essential plant protein in the green food transition, which plays a significant role in creating sustainable climate solutions.

Since Alexander Kai Büll joined DTU in 2019, he has built a thriving research group. Under his mentorship, students and postdocs have received prestigious scholarships. He has raised more than DKK 40 million in external funding and started collaborations with several academic groups and companies. In a short time, he has managed to establish a broad, accessible, and unique biophysical research environment.

He describes his employment at DTU as coming full circle: “Copenhagen and the stories of Niels Bohr and H.C. Ørsted have always fascinated me. I studied for a short period at the Ecole Polytechnique in France, the university that inspired H.C. Ørsted to found what later became DTU. So for me, being a professor at DTU is a bit like coming full circle,” concludes Alexander Kai Büll.

Facts

Elite Research Prize

Every year, the Ministry of Education and Research awards five Elite Research Prizes and up to twenty Elite Research travel grants to some of the country's brightest and most talented researchers and research students.

The purpose of the award is to create awareness of excellent researchers and the results of the research. In addition, Elite Research must also highlight the researchers as role models to attract more young students to a research career.

The award is presented at the annual Elite Research award ceremony, attended by the Minister of Education and Research, the Royal Household, and representatives of the Danish research world.

Contact

Alexander Kai Büll Professor Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine alebu@dtu.dk