Ann-Marie Schoos, Xiang Zheng, Sigrún Schmidt and Hans Christian Ring
18 November 2025
Announcing the LEO Foundation Dr Abildgaard Fellowships for 2025: Four researchers are awarded DKK 12 million each to complete a new 5-year project within skin research.
Original ideas need support to become groundbreaking research. The LEO Foundation Dr Abildgaard Fellowships help promising young skin researchers advance and devote time and resources to the realization of an original research plan.
This year’s Fellows were selected for the program through a rigorous review process, combining external peer review with personal interviews. This approach ensures an evaluation of each project’s scientific excellence, and at the same time assesses the applicants’ ambition, leadership potential, and plans for building a strong research group.
The 2025 Fellows and their projects are:
Ann-Marie Schoos: “Unraveling the Gut-Skin-Epigenome Axis: A Multi-Omics Approach to Early-Life Atopic Dermatitis”
Xiang Zheng: “Multiplexed Imaging-Powered Deep Visual Proteomics for Precision Dermatology”
Sigrún Schmidt: “Leveraging Real-World Data for Dermato-Epidemiological Research of Bullous Pemphigoid and Lichen Planus in Denmark”
Hans Christian Ring: “The Unraveling of the Cutaneous Microbiome in the Pathogenesis of Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Potential Treatment Option”
Each Dr Abildgaard Fellow receives DKK 12 million over 5 years to establish a research group for their project at a Danish host institution.
Anne-Marie Engel, Chief Scientific Officer at the LEO Foundation, says about the 2025 Dr Abildgaard Fellows:
“Seen together, their projects offer a glimpse into the future of skin research. Rooted in dermatology their projects connect to the fields of pediatrics, epidemiology, and microbiology. There is a variety in their academic grounding and scientific approaches, but the four new Fellows share important qualities: They all try out innovative methodologies and collaborate broadly with other institutions and colleagues with different skillsets than their own. They have already demonstrated great potential in their careers so far, and through this program, we believe that they are given the opportunity to significantly impact their respective skin research communities – ultimately to the benefit of patients living with skin diseases.”
Meet the Fellows and explore their stories here: