How a Guitarist Became a Drug Delivery Pioneer

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“Perfect is the enemy of good. How do we get there?”

Örn Almarsson traces the early experiences that shaped his approach to science, from growing up in Iceland and Denmark to playing electric guitar and discovering a deeper curiosity about chemistry.

He describes his first research opportunity at the University of Iceland, an early industry project in Copenhagen, and the mentors who pushed him toward bioorganic chemistry. The conversation follows his move to UC Santa Barbara, his work with Tom Bruice and Alex Klibanov, and the networking connection that led to Merck.

Key Topics Covered:

Growing up in Iceland and Denmark
Electric guitar and playing in bands
The influence of family in pharmaceuticals
Studying chemistry at the University of Iceland
First research experience with lipids
Haraldsson as an early mentor
Early exposure to industry
Practical and applied science
Choosing graduate school in the United States
Bioorganic chemistry at UC Santa Barbara
Mentorship and solving overlooked problems
Networking and finding a role at Merck

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Find our guest, Örn Almarsson, at these links:

Website: https://www.axelyf.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/orn-almarsson

Find our host, Jon Chee, at these links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee/

Learn more about Excedr:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/

Website: https://www.excedr.com

Intro & Outro Songs Created by OkKyojin, OkKyojin:

https://flow.page/kyojin

Resources & Articles:

NCBI Molecular Biology reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21054/

UC Santa Barbara Department of Chemistry: https://www.chem.ucsb.edu/

MIT Department of Chemistry: https://chemistry.mit.edu/

University of Iceland: https://english.hi.is/

Merck: https://www.merck.com/

Companies, Universities, & People Mentioned:

University of Iceland: https://english.hi.is/

Novo: https://www.novonordisk.com/

Novozymes: https://www.novonesis.com/

UC Santa Barbara: https://www.chem.ucsb.edu/

MIT: https://www.mit.edu/

Merck: https://www.merck.com/

Transform Pharmaceuticals: https://www.transformpharma.com/

Alkermes: https://www.alkermes.com/

Lyndra Therapeutics: https://www.lyndra.com/

Moderna: https://www.modernatx.com/

Johnson & Johnson: https://www.jnj.com/

Berklee School of Music: https://www.berklee.edu/

UChicago: https://www.uchicago.edu/

Timestamps:

00:06 Intro

03:06 Growing Up in Iceland and Denmark

05:05 Electric Guitar, Bands, and the Pull of Science

08:40 A Family Connection to Pharmaceuticals

09:33 Choosing Chemistry at the University of Iceland

11:06 Haraldsson and the First Lipid Research Experience

12:40 An Early Introduction to Industry

14:03 Why Practical Science Mattered

14:46 Finding a Graduate Program in the United States

16:11 Tom Bruice and the Foundations of Bioorganic Chemistry

18:13 Inside a Demanding Chemistry Lab

19:38 Music, Visibility, and Academic Witness Protection

21:12 From Santa Barbara to an MIT Postdoc

22:53 Networking, Mentorship, and the Path to Merck

24:37 Outro