Ernir Snorrason

Background

Ernir was the son of Snorri Jónsson, a merchant, and Björg G. Kristjánsdóttir, a housewife. He grew up in Reykjavik, graduating in psychology in 1971 from the University of Strasbourg.

Career

He received a licence for general medical practice in Iceland in 1988, in Norway in 1993, and license as a specialist in psychiatry in 1994. Ernir worked in Iceland, France and Norway, as a doctor, teacher, and running his own medical practice in the Domus Medica in Iceland. Ernir produced a number of scholarly articles and patents.

Ernir was also an occasional novellist and poet.

His last novel, which was partly about the 2008-2011 Icelandic financial crisis, unusually was published not only after his death but actually on the day of his funeral (May 8, 2012). He was keen on horse-breeding.

Achievements

• Ernir founded the development company Taugagreiningar hf. Was a co-founder of deCODE genetics in 1994. And founded the British drug-discovery company Hunter-Fleming in 1999, sitting on its board as director of development.