Current group members

Per-Olof Syrén (PI)

Per-Olof Syrén obtained his PhD in Biotechnology in 2011 from KTH. After a postdoctoral stay as an Alexander von Humboldt-fellow at the University of Stuttgart, Germany between 2011-2013 he came back to Sweden to build his own research group. Thanks to a Swedish Research Council (VR) Young Investor grant (less than 5% success rate), he could start building his own small and independent research group from scratch at Science for Life Laboratory in Stockholm. Since then he has developed his own line of research – “Chemistry for Life Sciences” – where chemistry meets biotechnology for applications in new-to-nature chemical synthesis and material science. In 2019 he was awarded the Gunnar Sundblad Research Foundation’s prestigious Skills Development Prize. The prize was awarded by His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden for Per-Olof’s pioneering work on Polymer Retrobiosynthesis for generation of unprecedented terpene-based polymers. He is the 2025 NovoNordisk Foundation Ascending Research leader in industrial biotechnology. Per-Olof is married and has three children. He is a big fan of the Stockholm-based soccer team AIK.

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Senior Researchers and postdocs

Ranjani Ganapathy

I am Ranjani Ganapathy from Tamil Nadu, India. I have done my Masters degree in Organic Chemistry at University of Madras, India and have completed my PhD in Organic Chemistry at University of Hyderabad, India in the year 2020. My PhD thesis mainly focused on the total synthesis of biologically active indole-based alkaloids using metal-catalysed/ metal-free cross-coupling/oxidative cross-coupling reactions. In March, 2021, I moved to Lund University, Sweden for a post doctoral research where I worked on the organocatalytic synthesis of bio-based BPA-free polycarbonates and isocyanate-free polyurethanes. In November, 2022, I have started my Post-doc in Prof. Per-Olof Syren’s group and I am currently working on the synthesis of monomers and polymers from bio-based resources via chemical/enzymatic synthesis and photocatalysis.

Marcus Moldenhauer

Hi, my name is Marcus and I’m from Berlin in Germany. I studied chemistry at Technische Universität Berlin and completed my PhD in the group of Prof. Thomas Friedrich at Technische Universität Berlin, in the department of biophysical chemistry. Thanks to a Feodor-Lynen fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, I’m currently conducting my postdoctoral research at KTH Stockholm.
My research explores the photoprotective mechanisms in cyanobacteria, with a particular focus on the Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP). I apply a range of techniques from biochemistry and spectroscopy to understand how OCP functions at a molecular level, contributing to the knowledge of photoprotection and potential future applications in biotechnology.

Shengwei Sun

Hi there, my name is Shengwei Sun and I come from China. I received my PhD degree in PET plastic degradation at Nanjing Agricultural University in 2023. During my PhD study, I developed a novel throughput screening method for enzymes from the soil metagenomic library and identified a unique PET-degrading enzyme with a BON domain-containing protein. Then I moved to Newcastle University and Northumbria University working as a research assistant in 2024. Currently, I am a postdoctoral researcher at KTH and working with Prof. Per-Olof Syrén on the enzymatic degradation of commonly used polyester plastics.

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PhD-students

Chiara Tantillo

Hello, my name is Chiara and I am from Palermo, Italy. After discovering a growing interest in enzymes, I decided to move to Trieste, where I graduated in December 2023 with a Master’s degree in Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry, with a curriculum strongly focused on enzymes. To gain experience in the field of plastics degradation/synthetic enzymes, I moved to the University of Life Sciences of Boku, Vienna, where I worked on a Master’s thesis project focused on the study of cutinases and lipases to obtain information on their ability to catalyse the synthetic pathway using different bio-based monomers to produce esters and polyesters. This experience strengthened my interest in the application of enzymes to the “plastics problem” and allowed me to discover an interest in polymeric materials science. In June 2024 I started my PhD in Syren’s group in the field of fibre and polymer science with a project on the enzymatic degradation of plastics.

David Sjönell

Hi! My name is David and I am a PhD-student in Per-Olof’s group at KTH. I work on polymer recycling using enzymes. For this purpose I am developing new-to-nature enzyme activities.

Erik Sundén

Hi, my name is Erik Sundén and I’m from Uppsala. In 2024 i graduated with a masters degree in organic chemistry from Uppsala University which also contained a healthy dose of computational chemistry. My thesis work was done at AstraZeneca Gothenburg where i did a mechanistic investigation of a photochemical palladium coupling, with applications in isotope labelling, using both experimental, spectroscopic and computational techniques. I joined the group at the start of 2025 and will work on biocatalytic cross-coupling and de novo enzyme design methodologies.

Katarzyna Zaczyk

Hej! I am Kasia and I am from Poland. Before starting my PhD in protein design in the Syrén group, I earned a Master of Science in Biotechnology from KTH and worked as a research engineer in the group. My research has consistently centered on proteins, although across different systems and applications. My master’s thesis was on protein engineering, where I performed mutational analysis of engineered binding proteins, while my current and previous work in the group has shifted towards enzymes. I am particularly interested in how evolutionary information and rational design can be integrated to develop robust biocatalysts for sustainable applications.

Pauline Granit

Hi! My name is Pauline and I’m from Stockholm. In June 2023 received my Master’s of Science in Engineering (Civilingenjör) in Biotechnology at KTH. During my master’s thesis I did site specific antibody-PNA conjugations for PNA-based radionuclide pretargeting. Throughout my studies I have become particularly interested in the intersection of biotechnology and organic chemistry. In October 2023 I started my PhD in the Syrén group where I will be focusing on photobiocatalysis using de novo designed enzymes.

Anna Schuppe

Hi! My name is Anna. My background is in Biochemistry and protein science. I have a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the Georg-August Universität Göttingen, Germany. As I was very interested in enzymes and wanted to learn more, I decided to move to Stockholm to obtain my M.Sc. from Stockholm University studying Biochemistry with specialization in protein chemistry. During my external degree project at KTH, I worked on my first enzyme engineering project. In October 2023, I joined the group for my PhD and will focus on CO2 valorization by enzymes.

Hello! My name is Elisabeth and I am from Sweden. In the summer of 2020, I finished my Master of Science in Molecular Biotechnology Engineering at Uppsala University. During my master’s, I found the potential of synthetic biology and enzymes to replace classic chemistry as a greener option very interesting. Autumn of 2020, I started my Ph.D. in wood-based biocatalysis with a polymer focus. In my project, I will develop methods for biocatalytic generation of complex molecular building blocks from renewable resources for the incorporation into biopolymers.

Victor Pricop

Hi, my name is Victor, and I am from Moldova. I have long been fascinated by
nature’s ability to catalyse biochemical reactions. This interest, combined with a
desire to seek alternatives for traditional chemical synthesis, led me to pursue a
Master’s in Chemical Biotechnology at the Technical University of Munich, where
I specialized in enzyme engineering. My thesis in the Professorship of
Electrobiotechnology focused on the rational design of oxidoreductases aimed at
unlocking affinity towards alternative cofactors. In May 2025, I began my
doctoral studies in Syren’s group, as a part of a Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions
Doctoral Network (MSCA-DN) project called ModBioTerp. I am working on the
design of terpene synthases using evolutionary and generative approaches.

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Diploma students