The deCODEme editorial team

Dr. Kristleifur Kristjansson, MD

• Specialty: Pediatrics and Molecular Genetics
• Director of Medical Affairs, deCODE Genetics

Kristleifur holds a medical degree (MD) from the University of Iceland. He did his pediatric training in the US at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, and subsequently a clinical and molecular genetics fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine, in Houston Texas. Kristleifur is one of the founders of deCODE Genetics in 1996, and has headed deCODE´s Medical Affairs and Clinical Communication department since. Kristleifur also holds a position in pediatric genetic counseling at the Landspitalinn National University Hospital, Reykjavik Iceland.

Dr. Patrick Sulem, MD, MPH

• Specialty: Genetic Epidemiology – Public Health
• Research Scientist, deCODE Genetics

Patrick received his Masters degree in Epidemiology and Public Health Medicine from the Paris Faculty of Medicine in 2000 and his medical degree (MD) in Toulouse, France in 2002. Patrick has been a genetic research scientist at deCODE Genetics in Iceland since 2002, his work mainly focusing on the genetic studies of cancers.

Dr. Brynjar Vidarsson, MD

• Specialty: Internal Medicine and Hematology
• Clinical Genetics Laboratory Director, deCODE Genetics

Brynjar received his medical degree (MD) from the University of Iceland in 1990. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics (UWHC) in Madison Wisconsin and subsequently a hematology fellowship also from the UWHC. Brynjar holds a clinical specialty and research position in hematology at the Landspitalinn National University Hospital in Reykjavik Iceland, as well as being an adjunct in internal medicine at the University of Iceland. Brynjar joined deCODE Genetics as clinical genetics laboratory director in 2007.

Agnar Helgason, PhD

• Senior Research Scientist in Biological Anthropology, deCODE Genetics, and
• Associate Research Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Iceland

Agnar completed his undergraduate training in anthropology at the University of Iceland in 1992, after which he obtained a research-based Masters degree in social anthropology in 1995 at the same institution. In 1996 Agnar graduated from the University of Cambridge with an MPhil in biological anthropology and with a DPhil (PhD) in the same subject from the University of Oxford in 2001. In 2000 he joined deCODE Genetics where he is currently a senior research scientist in biological anthropology and population genetics as well as being an associate research professor at the Department of Anthropology in the University of Iceland.

Agnar’s research areas include the genetic history of Icelanders and the Inuit, the use of genealogical data in population genetics, the identification of patterns of natural selection at loci associated with complex diseases and traits such as pigmentation, the impact of population structure on association studies, and statistical analyses of ancient DNA.

Unnur Thorsteinsdottir, PhD

• Vice President of Genetic Research, deCODE Genetics

Unnur received her Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in biology from the University of Iceland, and completed a PhD degree in genetics at the University of British Columbia in 1997. She was a postdoctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Experimental Hemato-Oncology and Gene Therapy Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montreal, and joined deCODE in 2000. Since 2003 she has led deCODE’s population genomics work, and has also pursued gene discovery work in various cancers.

Gyda Bjornsdottir, RN, MSc

• Research Scientist, Clinical Communication/Health Informatics, deCODE Genetics

Gyda received a Bachelor’s degree (BSc) in Nursing from the University of Iceland in 1993. Her clinical work subsequently focused on cardiac nursing, first at the cardiac unit of Landspitalinn University Hospital in Reykjavik, Iceland and later in the US as a registered nurse (RN) in the cardiac critical care unit (CCU) of University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison. In 1999, Gyda completed a Masters degree (MSc) from the University of Wisconsin, graduating as a clinical nurse specialist in cardiac nursing and cardiac rehabilitation with an industrial engineering minor, focusing on nursing informatics and human factors in technology design. Gyda has been a research scientist at deCODE Genetics since 2000, specializing in clinical data management, health informatics and clinical communication.

Adalbjorg Jonasdottir, BSc, MA

• Research Scientist, Project Leader – Population Genomics, deCODE Genetics

Adalbjorg is a Biomedical Scientist (BSc) from the Technical University of Iceland. She joined deCODE Genetics in 1996, and has held a research scientist position since. For several years, Adalbjorg was a member of deCODE´s multiple sclerosis research team, as well as running deCODE’s sequencing core facility. From 2002, she has worked on developing and implementing new methods and techniques, focusing on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping methods, tissue specific gene expression, and data analysis. Adalbjorg also has an MA degree in Icelandic language and literature from the University of Iceland.

G. Bragi Walters, BSc

• Research Scientist, Project Leader of Obesity Research, deCODE Genetics

Bragi holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in biology with an emphasis on human physiology and molecular genetics, from Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. He joined deCODE Genetics in Iceland in 1997, and has held a research scientist position since, focusing on various genetic research projects including cardiovascular, metabolic, eye and bone disease research as well as quantitative trait analysis and gene expression research. In 2007, Bragi became deCODE´s project leader for obesity research.

This content was last reviewed on February 18, 2010.