Vello Tõugu

Vello Tõugu is an Adjunct Professor at the Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), School of Science, Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, where he has held faculty positions since 2005. Born on 8 June 1957, he is currently Vice-Dean for Academic Affairs (2022–) and chairs the TalTech Academic Ethics Committee (2024–). He previously directed the BSc programme in Applied Chemistry, Food and Gene Technology (2016-2022) and the MSc programme in Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology (2017-2022).

Education:

• Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, 1991 – Institute of Chemistry, Estonian Academy of Sciences
• M.Sc. (Diploma) in Chemistry/Teaching of Chemistry, 1980 – Tartu State University

Research focus: Biochemistry of neurodegeneration, metal-ion interactions with amyloidogenic peptides, fibrillization mechanisms of Alzheimer’s amyloid-β, and therapeutic modulation of copper/zinc metabolism. His work integrates protein chemistry, molecular toxicology and analytical mass-spectrometry to elucidate how metal dyshomeostasis drives protein aggregation and neuronal cell death.

Scientific awards:

• TalTech Programme Director of the Year 2019
• Listed among ‘100 Best Colleagues’ 2018
• Rector’s Letter of Thanks 2017
• Ministry of Education & Research Letter of Thanks 2012 (supervision of national prize-winning doctoral thesis)

Advising & grants: He has successfully supervised 11 PhD/Master’s theses and participates in large Estonian Research Agency projects (PRG1289, IUT19-8, ETF9318, etc.) totaling >€4 M, studying copper metabolism in Wilson and Alzheimer diseases.

Labs & teams: Member of the TalTech Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology board since 2017; long-term reviewer for >30 international journals; former academic secretary of the Estonian Biochemical Society (2005-2016).