In memoriam: Ulrich auf dem Keller
Ulrich auf dem Keller, a leader in wound healing research and mass spectrometry-based proteomics technology, died September 1, 2023 at the age of 49.

Born on April 5, 1974 and raised in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany, auf dem Keller received his undergraduate diploma in biochemistry in 2000. He then joined ETH, Zurich in the biology department under the mentorship of Pfizer Academic Award winner Sabine Werner where he identified Nrf2 as a key player in the cellular stress response and studied Nrf-mediated gene expression in keratinocytes in the prevention of skin tumors. He obtained his Ph.D. in 2005.
auf dem Keller moved to the Centre for Blood Research, Vancouver, Canada, in 2006 to join Christopher Overall’s lab where he quantified changes in the proteome and analyzed the nature of protein amino termini analysis (N-terminome) using iTRAQ-TAILS technology and showed that loss of a single protease could perturb the proteolytic signaling network and enhance inflammation.
In 2009, auf dem Keller started an independent lab in ETH, Zurich as a senior scientist and group leader. He exploited the capability of iTRAQ-TAILS to exploring the substrate degradome of matrix metalloproteinase and translated his research to address complex proteolytic activities in healing impairments. In 2017, he moved to the section of protein science and biotherapeutics at Technical University of Denmark Bioengineering in Lyngby as a professor. He continued there until his death, exploring the quantitative proteomics approach in complex biological matrices.
auf dem Keller had more than 150 publications with 6,587 citations to date. He received a Herbert Tabor Young Investigator Award in 2011 from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology for his studies of proteolytic events in the skin.
Colleagues remember auf dem Keller as a stellar scientist and a fantastic mentor and friend. He was instrumental in the overall growth of his department and his students. He spoke Latin and ancient Greek, had an interest in classical music and was an outstanding viola player.
He is survived by his wife and two children.
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.
Learn moreGet the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in People
People highlights or most popular articles

Teach, learn & transform biochemistry education
Meet the co-chairs of the 2025 ASBMB meeting on reimagining undergraduate education in the molecular life sciences to be held July 24–27, 2025 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Ahmed named Goldwater Scholar
She will receive up to $7,500 for tuition, fees, books and room and board each year until she graduates.

In memoriam: Norman Meadow
He was a professor of biochemistry at Johns Hopkins University, who studied the bacterial phosphotransferase system and was an ASBMB member for more than 30 years.

Meet Lan Huang
Molecular & Cellular Proteomics associate editor uses crosslinking mass spec to study protein–protein interactions to find novel therapeutics.

Meet Shannon Reilly
The JLR junior associate editor discusses the role of adipocytes in obesity at Weill Cornell Medical School.

Meet Donita Brady
Donita Brady is an associate professor of cancer biology and an associate editor of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, who studies metalloallostery in cancer.