2023- Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland
2021-2023 Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland
2018-2021 Post-doc at Steingrimsson Lab, University of Iceland
2017-2018 Post-doc at Jonas Nilsson Lab, Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research
2013-2017 Ph.D in Medical Science, University of Gothenburg/Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research
2007-2010 M.Sc in Biomedial Science, University of Iceland
2004-2007 B.Sc in Molecular Biology, University of Iceland
Berglind is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland. She completed her BSc in Molecular Biology (2007) and MSc in Biomedical Sciences (2010) at the University of Iceland. Her Master’s research focused on the 8p12–p11 genomic region in breast tumors and was conducted at Landspítali – The National University Hospital of Iceland under the supervision of Dr. Inga Reynisdóttir and Clinical Professor Rósa Björk Barkardóttir.
She received her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Gothenburg (2013–2017), where she worked at the Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research under Professor Jonas Nilsson. Her doctoral research focused on developing novel therapeutic strategies for melanoma, including preclinical studies of new anti-cancer compounds.
In 2019, Berglind was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the University of Iceland and joined the research group of Professor Eiríkur Steingrímsson at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Her current research focuses on melanoma, particularly early tumor development and interactions between melanoma cells and the immune system. She also studies cell-free DNA (cfDNA and ctDNA) as biomarkers for cancer, with the aim of improving early detection, identifying recurrence at an early stage, and monitoring treatment response. Her work is driven by the goal of developing sensitive, real-time approaches to track disease progression and support more precise clinical decision-making.
Her research is funded by the Icelandic Centre for Research (Rannís), the Icelandic Cancer Society, Göngum Saman, and the University of Iceland Research Fund for Early Career Researchers.
In our research, we focus on cell-free DNA and circulating tumor DNA and how these biomarkers can be used in cancer care, particularly for early detection, minimal residual disease, and treatment monitoring. Our aim is to develop sensitive methods that allow us to track disease in real time and support more precise clinical decisions.
A central part of our work is studying cell-free DNA from BRCA2 mutation carriers. By applying approaches such as digital PCR, Nanopore sequencing and Illumina sequencing, we aim to understand how haploinsufficiency affects the characteristics of cell-free DNA in carriers.
Current and former students in the lab:
Teitur Sævarsson, MS and PhD student
Tinna Björg Gunnarsdóttir, MS student
Kamilla Sól Viktorsdóttir, MS student
Þór Birgisson, MS student
Gissur Máni Ísleifsson, MS student