Curriculum Vitae

Henning Jacob Jessen was born the 22^nd of December 1978 in Hamburg, Germany. In 2005 Henning received his Diploma in Chemistry from the University of Hamburg working on intrinsically fluorescent nucleotides in the group of Professor Chris Meier.

Henning received his docotoral degree (summa cum laude) in 2008 in the same group. The thesis dealt with the development of antivirally active nucleoside diphosphate prodrugs. With these new tools it became possible to transport highly charged nucleotides across cellular membranes.  

From 2008-2011 Henning joined the group of Professor Karl Gademann as a DFG-fellow at the EPF Lausanne and later at the University of Basel, Switzerland.  During this time he conducted the total synthesis of several different pyridone alkaloids and investigated their neuritogenic potential in cell models.

In 2011 Henning joined the OCI at the University of Zuerich as a Liebig Stipend of the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie (FCI), starting his Habilitation under the supervision of Professor Jay Siegel. He has recently been awarded with an Ambizione grant of the SNF.

Awards

2012 : Ambizione Grant, Schweizer Nationalfonds (SNF)

2011 : Liebig Stipend, Fonds der Chemischen Industrie (FCI)

2010 : Klaus Grohe Award in Medicinal Chemistry (Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker; GDCh)

2009 : DFG Stipend (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)

2008 : Dissertationspreis Universität Hamburg (Best doctoral thesis in 2008 in Chemistry)

2007 : First prize – Graduate Student, International Conference on Antiviral Research

2006 : Second prize – Graduate Student, International Conference on Antiviral Research