Institutional development · Research, innovation and assessment · Iceland
University of Iceland sets 19 November PhD defence on catecholamine-induced endothelial dysfunction
Arnar Ingi Vilhjálmsson will defend a thesis on how catecholamines affect blood vessel lining cells at the University of Iceland's Faculty of Medicine on 19 November, with opponents from Aarhus and London.
Why it matters: Arnar Ingi Vilhjálmsson's thesis at the University of Iceland's Faculty of Medicine goes before opponents from Aarhus University and Queen Mary University of London on 19 November.
The University of Iceland announced that Arnar Ingi Vilhjálmsson will defend his doctoral thesis in life and medical sciences at its Faculty of Medicine on Thursday 19 November 2026, from 09:00 in the ceremonial hall of the main building, with free admission.
The thesis is titled 'Catecholamine-Induced Endothelial Dysfunction' (in Icelandic, 'Áhrif katekólamína á æðaþelsfrumur'), and the university said the project aimed to identify phenotypic, genetic and metabolic changes in endothelial cells under sustained catecholamine stimulation and the role of the gene GRAMD1B and cholesterol in that adaptation.
The opponents are Joanna Kalucka, an associate professor at Aarhus University, and Paul Charles Evans, a professor at the William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, while Óttar Rolfsson was the supervisor.
According to the thesis abstract, dysfunctional blood vessel lining and raised catecholamine secretion often accompany acute critical illness and are linked to a higher likelihood of death.
Editor’s view
Scott James, Research and Innovation Editor
For the candidate and the Faculty of Medicine, the next step is the 19 November ceremony, chaired by vice-dean Stefán Þ. Sigurðsson, at which the two opponents from Aarhus University and Queen Mary University of London take part.
What to watch
- The doctoral defence takes place at the University of Iceland on 19 November 2026 from 09:00 to 12:00.
