Verena Untiet

Verena Untiet is an Assistant Professor and group leader at the Center for Translational Neuromedicine within the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. Her research focuses on how astrocytes influence brain function and neuronal activity through modulation of ion concentrations, with particular emphasis on chloride homeostasis.

Dr. Untiet's research program investigates astrocytes as primary homeostatic cells in the central nervous system, with groundbreaking work demonstrating their role as dynamic reservoirs for chloride ions that significantly modulate inhibitory neurotransmission. She discovered that astrocytic intracellular chloride concentration is brain state-dependent, maintaining high and stable levels during sleep while exhibiting dynamic fluctuations during wakefulness. These chloride dynamics directly influence the excitation/inhibition balance in both healthy and diseased brains, with implications for understanding sleep architecture, epilepsy, and other neurological conditions.

Analysis of Dr. Untiet's publication record reveals a consistent research trajectory centered on astrocyte-mediated ion homeostasis, particularly chloride dynamics. Her work bridges fundamental neurophysiology with translational applications, utilizing advanced imaging techniques like fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy and genetically encoded bioluminescent oxygen indicators. Recent publications demonstrate increasing methodological sophistication and expanding scope, with significant recognition as evidenced by media coverage of her Science paper on oxygen imaging, which was picked up by 126 news outlets and shared by 578 X users.

• No specific scientific awards are explicitly mentioned in the available information

As an academic mentor, Dr. Untiet supervises graduate students including Emma, who successfully defended her Master's thesis in April 2025 after just six months of productive research. Her research group maintains active collaborations with leading neuroscience institutions worldwide, reflected in her extensive co-authorship network with prominent scientists including Maiken Nedergaard, Alexei Verkhratsky, and Hajime Hirase.

Dr. Untiet leads a dynamic research laboratory at the Center for Translational Neuromedicine, where her team investigates the implications of modulating astrocytic chloride on brain function. The lab actively participates in international scientific discourse, organizing seminars like the NAD//MEMBRANES//NEURO event in Aarhus and attending major conferences including the Symposium on Astrocytes in Brain Function and Disease at the Nobel Forum in Stockholm.