Born in 1954 in Jesenice - Slovenia, Professor Danijel Kikelj graduated in pharmacy (1978) and took his master degree (1983) from the University of Ljubljana. His doctoral studies were undertaken in pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, where he received his doctor degree (Dr.rer.nat.) in 1988. Since 1988 he has been working at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, from 1990 to 1995 as assistant professor, from 1995 to 2000 as associate professor and from 2000 onwards as full professor of medicinal chemistry. In 1992 he returned for 1 year to the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Heidelberg where he was a C-3 professor of pharmaceutical chemistry. From 1999 till 2003 he was a vice-dean for education at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana. Since 1999 he has been the head of a research group and the head of the research programme Medicinal chemistry at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana. He has participated in EU projects of the 6th Framework Programme (INTAFAR – Inhibition of New Targets for Fighting Antibiotic Resistance) and 7th Framework Programme (MAREX - Exploring Marine Resources for Bioactive Compounds: From Discovery to Sustainable Production and Industrial Applications). The main areas of his research are medicinal chemistry, including the design and synthesis of peptidomimetics, structure based design of antithrombotic and antibacterial bioactive compounds and design and synthesis of pharmaceutical leads based on marine bioactive compounds. Together with his coworkers he has published over 150 scientific papers, mainly in international peer reviewed journals, has been was awarded several international patents and has authored three monographs in the series Houben-Weyl Methods of organic chemistry and Science of synthesis: Houben-Weyl methods of molecular transformations. He was recipient of the national Zois award for important scientific achievements in 2005 and in 2006 he was a nominee for the European Inventor of the Year award in the category of new EU member states. At undergraduate level Professor Kikelj teaches Pharmaceutical chemistry II, Drug design and synthesis, Chirality in drug research, Instrumental pharmaceutical analysis and Analysis of drugs. At postgraduate level he teaches Molecular basis of medicinal chemistry, Drug design, Drug synthesis and Synthesis and analysis of chiral drugs. He is a member of the Slovenian Pharmaceutical Society, Slovenian Chemical Society and European Peptide Society and member of editorial boards of journals Current Medicinal Chemistry, Arkivoc, Acta Pharmaceutica and Acta Chimica Slovenica. |