Ago Rinken

Ago Rinken is a Professor of Bioorganic Chemistry and head of the Chair of Bioorganic Chemistry at the Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu's Faculty of Science and Technology. He has been serving in this full-time position since February 1, 2003, and previously served as head of the Institute of Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry from 2003-2007.

• Born: June 13, 1960
• Current Position: Professor of Bioorganic Chemistry at University of Tartu
• Researcher ID: AAG-7025-2020
• ORCID: 0000-0002-7238-749X

Rinken's research focuses on developing new systems and materials containing enzymes, receptors and other proteins for studying biochemical processes. His work specifically targets G protein coupled receptor complexes, their regulatory mechanisms, and connections with behavioral and pathological peculiarities of organisms. He has made significant contributions to developing new subtype-specific ligands and methods for studying signal transduction systems.

Rinken has received numerous scientific awards including the prestigious Benzelius Price from the Royal Swedish Science Society in 1996. He has served on editorial boards including Neurochemical Journal (Springer) since 2020 and has been an active member of the International Society for Neurochemistry.

• 2002 IUPHAR travel award
• 2001 ISN travel award
• 1996 Benzelius Price from the Royal Swedish Science Society
• 1994 IUPHAR travel award
• 1993 ISN travel award

Professor Rinken has held significant administrative roles including President of the European Society for Neurochemistry (2017-2019), Member of the Governing Council of the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies, and Chairman of the Estonian Society of Pharmacology (2015-2016). He has served on numerous international conference organizing committees and as a referee for major scientific journals and grant organizations.