Career

Positions held 

Professor emeritus from 1.11.2014

Dean of the Faculty of Science of the University of Iceland from 1.7.2001 to 30.6.2007.

Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry of the Science Institute from its inauguration 2000 - 2008.

Chairman of the Department of Chemistry of the Science Institute from 6.9.1999 as well as head of Biochemistry Division.

Professor of biochemistry in the Faculty of Science from December 2004.

Docent (Associate professor) in biochemistry in the Faculty of Science of the University of Iceland from 1.1.1996 with a research base at the University of Iceland Science Institute, Department of Chemistry - Biochemistry Division.

Head of  Biochemistry Laboratory, later Department of Biochemistry, in the Medical Faculty from 1975 to 1995.

Appointed to a full-time position as docent (Associate professor) in biochemistry in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland from september 1974. 

Lecturer and later  docent (Associate professor) (part time 37%) in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland from september 1971.

Appointed clinical biochemist in the Department of Clinical Chemistry of the Landspitalinn - University Hospital in Reykjavik from September 1971. Held a part-time appointment there from 1975 to 1993. Chiefly responsible for various chemical analyses of clinical samples, in particular enzyme analyses and automation of analytical methods.  Also various tasks related to planning and improvement in instrumentation in the Department.


Other activities in Iceland
Occasional consultant to the Icelandic Heart Association from 1972 until the late eighties.
Taught courses in biochemistry and instrumentation for students of Medical Laboratory Technology at the Icelandic Technical College and at the University Hospital 1972 - 1982. Taught some courses for students of dentistry and paharmacy.

Activities abroad (sabbaticals)
Visiting researcher (gästforskare) at the Chemical Research Center, University of Lund, Sweden, Department of Pure and Applied Biochemistry for 8 months in 1983.
Study tour of universities, research institutes and biotechnology companies in New Zealand, spring term 1993.
Visiting Scholar in the University of Cambridge, England, Institute of Biotechnology, January - July 1997 and again March - June 1999.
Honorary Senior Research Associate at the Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College, London, spring term 2008.

International activities
Chairman og the conference Affinity 2009 in Reykjavik July 12-16 2009 (18th Affinity Conference under the auspices of the International Society for Molecular Recognition (ISMR)).
Council Member of ISMR from 2009.

 
Administrative activities

The Icelandic Biochemical Society: President (first) 1972 - 1974. 

Department of Biochemistry within the Medical Faculty (formerly Biochemistry laboratory): Founder and head 1975 - 1995.

Icelandic Association of University Teachers: Vice-president 1976 - 1978. President 1986 - 1988. 

Working group on the SI-system of units in the Hospitals in Reykjavik:
Member of this working group which prepared and implemented the conversion of all the hospitals in Reykjavik to the SI system of units in 1982.

University of Iceland Senate: 
Teaching staff representative for three periods:
 1. For 3 - 4 months in 1978.
 2. 1980 - 1982.
 3. 1993 - 1995. 

Faculty of Medicine Research Conferences:
Initiated regular conferences on research within the medical faculty. Took part in the running of the following conferences: 1 (1981), 2 (1982), 3 (1986), 4 (1988) and 5 (1990).

The University Senate Development Committee
Committee member 1988 - 1991.  The main activities of the committe during this period were the establishment and running of an Equipment Fund and Faculty Review exercises. 

University of Iceland Equipment Fund Committee
Committee member 1992. 

Activities concerning the design and erection of a building for the basic sciences in the Medical Faculty
Member of various committees concerned with this project and the subsequent running of the building from 1971 to 1995. 

Science Committee of the Faculty of Medicine
Member 1986 - 1991. Chairman 1989 - 1991.
This committee, established in 1986 had the following main responsibilities: 
• Staff promotions. 
• Adaptation of Senate staff promotion regulations for the medical faculty. 
• Review of applications for equipment grants.
• Review of applicants for post-doctoral positions. 
• The preparation and running of faculty research conferences. 
• The establishment of regulations concerning masters and doctoral training in the medical faculty.

Evaluation committees
Member of several evaluation committees for reviewing applicants for positions in the medical and science faculties.

The University Finance Committee
Member 1994 - 1996. During this period the major tasks of the committe were the following:
• The preparation of the University of Iceland annual application for a grant from the Althingi (parliament). The apportioning of funds to individual faculties.
• The development of a new financial model for teaching costs in the University of Iceland and a model for the cost of postgraduate training and research in the University.

Enzyme Engineering Conferences
Member of the Advisory Committee for the 6th (1981), 7th (1983) and 8th (1985) conference (run by the Engineering Foundation of New York).

European Union, Grants Evaluation
Member of a panel for the European Commission Directorate General XII - Science, Research and Development - set up to evaluate applications for grants from the Fifth Framework Programme- Key Action Cell Factory, Brussels, July 1999.

Chemistry Department of the University of Iceland Science Institute
Chairman from 6.9.1999 - . 

Biochemistry Department of the University of Iceland Science Institute
Chairman from 1.1.2000 - .

University of Iceland Science Institute
Member of steering committee from 6.9.1999 -

Dean of the Faculty of Science of the University of Iceland from  2001-2007.

Member of the following societies
 Icelandic Biochemical Society.
 The Biochemical Society (U.K.), 1969 - 1974.
 Icelandic Society for Pathology, 1972.
 Icelandic Society for Clinical Chemistry, Haematology and Clinical Physiology, 1978.
 New York Academy of Sciences, 1982.
 International Society for Clinical Enzymology, 1982.
 Icelandic Society for Microbiology
 Icelandic Chemical Society, 2000.
The International Society for Molecular Recognition.