Obituary for Peter Roepstorff

Peter was deeply committed to research and education and, throughout his career, held numerous positions of trust and advisory roles at SDU as well as in Danish and international organisations within protein and mass spectrometry research. Among many honours, he received the Novo Nordisk Prize, the Kaj Linderstrøm-Lang Gold Medal, the VILLUM annual grant, the Thomson Medal, the Bijvoet Medal, two honorary doctorates, and he was awarded the Order of the Dannebrog for his contributions.

He participated actively in the Galathea 3 expedition in 2006–2007 and was a valued visiting researcher and lecturer at universities in China and Brazil, which he visited many times, including after reaching retirement age.

Peter Roepstorff was appointed to the Department of Molecular Biology at SDU (then Odense University) in 1974. Trained as a chemical engineer, he was fascinated by analytical measurement methods for determining the molecular structure of proteins. He was the first in Denmark to apply what was then an exotic and advanced mass spectrometry technology to determine amino acid sequences in proteins and to identify the chemical modifications that regulate protein activity in cells. During the 1980s,

Peter Roepstorff established himself as an international authority in protein research using mass spectrometry. He travelled the world to attend scientific conferences and lecture on the fascinating properties of proteins. At the same time, his research group at SDU – the Protein Research Group – grew, guided by a set of values that included openness, collaboration, and curiosity, and by the ambition to be internationally leading in protein research. Peter insisted on an international outlook and attracted many international students and researchers to Odense, helping to define the Protein Research Group’s interdisciplinary and multicultural profile. Moreover, Peter Roepstorff very early recognised the potential of collaboration with industry in protein research and in the development of bioanalytical technologies.

Peter Roepstorff was an inspiring and visionary leader. Throughout his career, he educated a large number of MSc graduates, PhD students, and early-career researchers who today hold positions around the globe in biotechnology, drug development, and protein research. This extensive network of SDU alumni remains active and continues to benefit our younger students and newly graduated researchers.

Peter Roepstorff realised – among very few protein researchers – the importance of mass spectrometry and established the technology at SDU already in the 1970s. Today, Denmark is probably the country in the world with the highest number of mass spectrometers per capita, as the method is central to all cell biology and pharmaceutical research on proteins and other biomolecules. Mass spectrometry laboratories are now found at every university and in all major biotechnology companies across most of the world.

Peter Roepstorff retired from research in 2018 but continued to visit the laboratory at SDU regularly, most recently in connection with the Protein Research Group’s 50th anniversary symposium in 2024 (CelebrateMS) and the Nordic Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics in Odense in September 2025. The Protein Research Group at SDU continues its work with more than 50 researchers, staff, and students, and with an internationally recognised mass spectrometry laboratory that educates new generations of scientists. We carry forward Peter’s values, visions, and curiosity in the exploration of life’s molecular secrets.

May the memory of Peter Roepstorff be honoured.

Jakob Møller Jensen
Head of Department
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology