Eirikur Steingrimsson, PhD, is a professor at the University of Iceland. His laboratory is interested in transcription regulation in melanocyte development and melanoma and focuses on the role of the MITF, the master regulator of melanocytes and an important factor in melanoma. The laboratory uses mouse and cell models and various molecular biology techniques to anwer questions about how this transcription factor mediates its effects and how its activity is regulated.

Work from his lab has shed light on the structure-function relationship of MITF by determining the crystal structure of MITF bound to DNA, by characterizing target genes and how the effects of MITF are mediated. Eirikur is an EMBO member and has served various functions including as vice-chair of EMBC and as chair of EMBL council.