NEWS This year, five young researchers were appointed Wallenberg Academy Fellows at Umeå University. Erik Domellöf, Aleksandra Foltynowicz-Matyba, Andrea Puhar, Nasim Sabouri and David Seekell. The award includes a fund of between SEK 5–9 million each as the largest private investment in young researchers in Sweden.
Wallenberg Academy Fellows is a programme supporting some of Sweden’s – and the world’s – most promising, young researchers in medicine, natural sciences, engineering sciences, social sciences and humanities. The five-year grant gives the young researchers higher competitiveness among Swedish research.
“I would like to congratulate the five prominent researchers who now become Wallenberg Academy Fellows at Umeå University. Thanks to this long-term funding, they can now concentrate on their research and the really challenging issues therein,” says Lena Gustafsson, Vice-Chancellor of Umeå University.
In total, 29 researchers this year have been appointed Wallenberg Academy Fellows, a career programme financed by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. Having five of these researchers active at Umeå University is a record since the programme was launched in 2012. The awardees are also active within widely differing fields – anything from social sciences to natural sciences and medicine.
“This is proof of the width of our strong research and that our university is a research environment where young researchers can achieve success. Furthermore, Erik Domellöf is the only social scientist being appointed across the nation,” says Marianne Sommarin, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of research.
After the end of the first period, the researchers will get the opportunity to apply for a further five years of funding.
Erik Domellöf: How do children develop the ability to plan their movements?
Being able to control their arms and hands in a planned manner is fundamental to children’s lives, such as when they play with other children, learn to write or play sports. Wallenberg Academy Fellow Erik Domellöf will study how children’s motor planning develops and how children with disabilities can be helped to train this ability.Read more
Aleksandra Foltynowicz-Matyba: More efficient laser-based gas detector
Laser light can be used to measure the level of a particular gas in the atmosphere, for example, but existing technology is limited to one or only a few gases at a time. Wallenberg Academy Fellow Aleksandra Foltynowicz-Matyba will develop a new form of laser-based detector that can measure different gases simultaneously and with high precision.Read more
Andrea Puhar: Understanding the relation between inflammation, infection and extracellular ATP
Inflammation protects organisms after an infection or damage, where the reaction is triggered when damaged cells release danger signals. However, inflammation is not always positive – for example for patients suffering from cancer, atherosclerosis or allergies the progression of disease is rather worsened. Wallenberg Academy Fellow Andrea Puhar studies the mechanisms controlling the presence and response to the danger signal ATP and its effect on cells and bacteria.Read more
Nasim Sabouri: What is the function of four-stranded DNA in cells and viruses?
The DNA molecule is known for its helix shape, with two strands that wind around each other. However, DNA also occurs in other configurations, including four-stranded DNA. Wallenberg Academy Fellow Nasim Sabouri will investigate its function and the possibility to develop pharmaceuticals against four-stranded DNA in HIV and papillomavirus, for example.Read more
David Seekell: Are forest lakes on the verge of ecosystem collapse?
When environmental degradation causes an ecosystem to pass a tipping point, the damage is difficult or impossible to repair. This has adverse consequences for human well-being including desertification, toxic algae blooms, and fisheries collapses. Wallenberg Academy Fellow David Seekell will investigate tipping points in forest lakes. How much change is too much?Read more
Press photos of all Umeå University award recipientsFoto: Markus Marcetic © Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse/Kungl. Vetenskapsakademien
The programme was established by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation in close cooperation with five royal academies and 16 Swedish universities. The universities nominate researchers for the programme, the academies evaluate the candidates and present the most promising researchers to the Wallenberg Foundation, which then makes the final selection. After this, the universities take long-term responsibility for the selected researchers’ activities.
Read more about all new Wallenberg Academy Fellows
Lena Gustafsson,Vice-Chancellor of Umeå UniversityPhone: +46 73-079 42 91
Email: lena.gustafsson@umu.se
Marianne Sommarin,Deputy Vice-Chancellor for research of Umeå UniversityPhone: +46 70-662 38 74
Email: marianne.sommarin@umu.se
Editor: Anna Lawrence