Peep Palumaa

Peep Palumaa is a Full Professor at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology. He holds a Doctor of Science degree in Biochemistry and has extensive experience in academic leadership, including serving as President of the Estonian Biochemical Society (2011–2016) and as a Member of EMBO (2011–present). His research focuses on metal ion metabolism in neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s and Wilson’s diseases, with emphasis on copper and zinc interactions with amyloid proteins.

Education: Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Estonian Academy of Sciences (1986), M.Sc. in Bioorganic Chemistry from Tartu University (1982), and B.Sc. in Chemistry from Tartu University (1982). He completed postdoctoral training at the University of Zurich (1989–1990) and has held visiting professorships at institutions in Zurich and Münster.

Research interests include biochemistry of metalloproteins, amyloid peptide aggregation mechanisms, and translational drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases. Key contributions include development of MALDI-MS screening methods for Alzheimer’s inhibitors and studies on copper’s role in disease pathology.

Publications span over 120 peer-reviewed articles in journals like PNAS and ACS Chemical Neuroscience. Awards include the Estonian National Science Award (2011, 2024) and Tallinn Tech’s Scientist of the Year (2013). He has coordinated EU-funded projects on Alzheimer’s and led teams at TalTech’s Structural and Medical Metalloproteomics lab.