Laufey Thora Ámundadóttir ( Icelandic spelling: ''Laufey Þóra Ámundadóttir''; born 1962) is an Icelandic cell biologist and geneticist who researches

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

. She is a senior investigator in the laboratory of translational genomics at the

National Cancer Institute The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...

. She was head of the division of cancer genetics at

deCODE genetics deCODE genetics () is a biopharmaceutical company based in Reykjavík, Iceland. The company was founded in 1996 by Kári Stefánsson with the aim of using population genetics studies to identify variations in the human genome associated with c ...

from 1998 to 2007.

Life

Ámundadóttir received a Ph.D. in

cell biology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living an ...

in 1995 from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

. Her dissertation was titled ''The interaction of TGF lphawith C-MYC and NEU in mouse mammary and salivary gland tumorigenesis''. Robert B. Dickson was her doctoral advisor. She conducted her postdoctoral training in the department of genetics at

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

. She joined

deCODE Genetics deCODE genetics () is a biopharmaceutical company based in Reykjavík, Iceland. The company was founded in 1996 by Kári Stefánsson with the aim of using population genetics studies to identify variations in the human genome associated with c ...

in 1998 as head of the division of cancer genetics, where she led genome-wide linkage and association efforts in various cancers. Ámundadóttir joined the

(NCI) in 2007 and became a tenure-track investigator in the laboratory of translational genomics (LTG) in 2008. She was awarded scientific tenure by the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

(NIH) and appointed senior investigator in 2017. She leads genetic, genomic and molecular biology studies that collectively aim at better understanding inherited predisposition to

, and the molecular mechanisms that underlie risk.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amundadottir, Laufey Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Georgetown University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences alumni 21st-century women scientists Laufey Ámundadóttir Laufey Ámundadóttir Expatriate academics in the United States National Institutes of Health people Women geneticists Medical geneticists Cancer researchers Women medical researchers 21st-century biologists Cell biologists Laufey Ámundadóttir Women molecular biologists 21st-century American women civil servants 1962 births