Jan Ellenberg
Director, SciLifeLab
Director for SciLifeLab & Wallenberg National Program for Data-Driven Life Science
Jan Ellenberg took over as director of SciLifeLab, the national research center for molecular biosciences, in the summer of 2024. He also took up a position as professor of cell biology and biophysics at Karolinska Institutet and as affiliated professor at Stockholm University and KTH. His research focuses on cell division and organization of the cell nucleus. He has recently received support from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation to launch a new strategic research program at SciLifeLab to create a virtual human cell, Alpha Cell, using imaging-based molecular mapping and AI.
Jan Ellenberg was previously at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, where he conducted groundbreaking research in cell biology. In addition to studying how cells divide, he has developed new approaches to systematically map molecular components in living cells over time. To this end, he advanced new methods in image analysis and modelling based on live-cell microscopy. The latter is a form of microscopy where biological processes in cells and tissues are studied studied directly in living systems. The research has provided new insights into fundamental molecular processes in living cells.