Joshua Mark Brickman

Joshua Mark Brickman is a Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. He leads the Brickman Group at reNEW (Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine), a global research center focused on stem cell medicine. His laboratory, the Brickman Lab, is located at Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 København N, Denmark.

Professor Brickman earned his B.A. in Chemistry & Philosophy from the University of Vermont in 1985, followed by a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Harvard University in 1996. After completing his doctoral studies focusing on transcription, he pursued post-doctoral training in developmental biology, working with early mouse development and embryonic stem cells as models for understanding developmental processes.

Brickman's research focuses on understanding how transcription factors regulate cell fate choice in embryonic stem cells and early embryos. His group investigates transcriptional priming and commitment in stem cells, particularly in the specification of the endoderm lineage. They aim to understand how these priming events relate to stem and progenitor cell potency. The Brickman Group explores three main research themes: the molecular biology of enhancer function, transcription factors and metabolic influence in stem cell competence, and transcriptional regulation in the endoderm lineage. Their work has led to significant innovations including the development of human hypoblast stem cells, drugs for improved organ differentiation, and new approaches to IVF culture.

Professor Brickman's laboratory has received funding from prestigious sources including the European Research Council, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond, Lundbeck Foundation, and the BRIDGE - Translational Excellence Program. His research on FGF/ERK signaling has proposed a new paradigm for understanding transcription factor function as enablers of signaling response rather than determinants of transcription itself.

The Brickman Group consists of a diverse team of approximately 28 researchers including postdocs, PhD students, research assistants, and visiting scientists. Current members include Assistant Professor Molly Lowndes, Researcher Rita S. Monteiro, Postdocs Joji Marie Yap Teves and S M Nazmus Salehin, Master Students Hanna Kreilgaard McNamara and Sarah Sølling Brendstrup, and several others working collaboratively on various aspects of stem cell biology and developmental regulation.