Ole Petter Ottersen MD, PhD

Ole Petter Ottersen is the vice-chancellor (President) of Karolinska Institutet since August 2017. Prior to this, he was once the President of the University of Oslo (UiO), Director of Centre for Molecular Biology and Neuroscience, Dean of Research at UiO’s Faculty of Medicine and Head of the UiO’s Department of Anatomy, and had led the Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions and Nordic University collaboration. Ottersen headed one of UiO’s interdisciplinary initiatives (EMBIO) and the national program Functional Genomics in Norway (FUGE) funded by the Norwegian Research Council, coordinated two EU projects and one of the first three Nordic Centres of Excellence in Molecular Medicine, funded by NordForsk.

Ottersen is currently acting as Panel leader of Synergy Grants, European Research Council and chair the Scientific Council, Helsinki Institute of Life Science HiLife (2017- ), was founding Chair (2016-2017) of the Guild of Research Intensive Universities and chaired the Lancet-University of Oslo Commission on Global Governance for Health. Board member at the Oslo University Hospital (2012-2017) and chaired the Joint Council of the regional health authority and University of Oslo. He is also current Chair of the Kavli Prize Committee in Neuroscience and of the Thon Foundation Advisory Board. Board member of Wallenberg Consortium North (2002-2006), member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Lundbeck Foundation (2007-2013), and member of the board of Nordforsk (2013-2016) and Chief Editor of Neuroscience (2006-2009).