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When Petrine Wellendorph arrives at the University of Copenhagen in the morning, she can choose between two offices: one belongs to her research group — Wellendorph Lab — which conducts research in neuropharmacology. The other belongs to the small biotech company Ceremedy, where some of the findings from her research are being tested in a commercial context. 

"In my research group, researchers have the opportunity to rotate between the research group and the company, so they can experience what it means to work in a biotech environment," says Petrine Wellendorph, and elaborates: 

"It works really well, because you get to try out the biotech environment, which is closer to the pharmaceutical industry, and where many people in my field will end up working." 

For her work in integrating academic and commercial research, as well as other good initiatives, Professor Petrine Wellendorph from the University of Copenhagen has just received the Lundbeck Foundation Scientific Enrichment Prize 2026. The prize is awarded to a researcher who has made a particular effort to foster diversity in their research group. 

Petrine Wellendorph has contributed to diversity by recruiting researchers with backgrounds as varied as chemistry, structural biology, biophysics and in vivo research — and several of the researchers in her group are international. 

In 2018, Petrine Wellendorph also established a small spin-out company, Ceremedy, based on her group's research. The company is located in the same building as her research group and shares laboratory facilities with it. Researchers also have the option of rotating between the research group and the company — for example by taking a leave of absence from a PhD to try working in the company. 

What has your experience been of combining academic and commercial research? 

"It works really well. It also helps break down some barriers, because as a university researcher, you get a close-up look at what it’s like to work in a biotech company. Some of my staff have stayed at the company, others have moved back and forth between university research and the company, and others have moved on somewhere else entirely. 

Several of the seven employees currently at Ceremedy come from my or my colleague's research group, which is also involved in the company. This has made it easy to exchange ideas and has strengthened collaboration in both directions. The proximity of the company to the university creates a good dynamic. Researchers get to explore what industry looks like, and the university benefits from being closer to industry. And Ceremedy benefits greatly from having many talented people at the university to discuss challenges with." 

How can a competitive research environment be combined with making room for diversity? 

"Of course we compete with others to be first with results or first to understand connections, but there should be no competition internally within the research group. By bringing different disciplines together, I think we raise our collective expertise so that together we can achieve far more. The fact that we are all different and each have our own role also reduces internal competition. 

It may well be that I could do better research if there was fierce competition in my group, but I don’t want that. We would rather publish in slightly less prestigious journals if it means the process has been enjoyable and constructive. 

I try to think long-term, because I can see that openness to diversity creates the best research environment. I am very open to the idea that my employees need different approaches to make it work for each of them. Some have young children and sleep poorly. Others are stressed because their postdoc grant is about to run out. That has to be handled differently for each person." 

"When we work together in the group, the hierarchy is very flat and we talk a great deal across levels. I like that, because it promotes the culture of openness that I want to foster. It requires me to be attentive and to accommodate the differences within the group. But externally I can still be the one who makes decisions and represent the group." 

How have your employees responded to you making room for differences?

"I feel that it has created a strong sense of trust within the group. My impression is that they are not afraid to come to me if something is weighing on them. They also come to me when they want to move on to another position and ask me to write a reference. We are quite transparent, and there is no secrecy." 

Where does your interest in diversity come from? 

"I have always been interested in bringing many disciplines and personalities together. I grew up on a farm in the countryside and am the first real academic in my family. Perhaps that is why I have always found it easy to talk to people from very different backgrounds, and I enjoy connecting many different disciplines. Communicating across fields gives me a great deal of energy. 

Early in my research career I became a member of The Young Academy of Denmark, which is an association of researchers from all branches of science. Through that, we started Videnskabsklubben (the Science Club), which offers children the opportunity to engage with science in their free time." 

How will you continue to work with diversity? 

"I have just received a larger grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, so there is now the opportunity to think a little bigger and in new ways again. New partners have come on board, which will also add more disciplines. And we will also have the opportunity to exchange students between Denmark and the USA. 

I also hope to inspire other research leaders to bring in more disciplines and not be afraid of having people in the group who know more than they do. Because that broadens you intellectually, and in that way you can also become more competitive."