Helgi obtained a BSc in Natural Sciences (Chemistry) in 2012 and a MSc in Medicinal Chemistry in 2017 from the Open University, while playing professional football in various countries and for the Icelandic national team. His Masters project focused on exploring computational chemistry methods for the early risk assessment of new fentanyl analogues, while working for the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction in Lisbon, Portugal.
Following three years of working in the production and quality control of PET radiopharmaceuticals in Reykjavik, Iceland, Helgi joined Prof. Aigbirhio’s group at MICL in 2022, working on the design and development of PET radiotracers for imaging oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. Following completion of an MPhil degree from Cambridge University in 2023, Helgi received a PhD fellowship award from the UK Multiple Sclerosis Society to continue working on developing novel PET radiotracers for use in MS research on emerging re-myelination therapies.
