My passion for science began as a young boy. My father was completing his PhD in Catalysis and I grew up with white coats on the back of dining chairs and bottles of inert chemicals and polymer catalysts on the table. I was taught to question where things came from and how things happened. I looked for answers everywhere, particularly about how the human body works. Through my formal education and postdoctoral training, I focused on the complex nature of sensory systems and how they could be fixed. My aim is to develop neuroprotective strategies for neurodegenerative diseases by studying the neurobiology of complex diseases and developing clinically translatable therapeutic strategies.

My lab uses the eye as a model of the central nervous system to elucidate early mechanisms of neurodegeneration. We utilize modern transcriptomic and molecular tools to delicately dissect pathways pertaining to early aging and neurodegenerative disease mechanisms and to identify potential therapeutic targets which we then test and verify in animal and cell models of neurodegeneration. We collaborate with basic scientists and research clinicians to develop discoveries into targeted therapeutics in the clinic. This includes active participation and leadership in Phase II and III clinical trials as well as commercial ventures based on our discoveries.

Current appointments:
2022 - Present: Lektor (Associate Professor) in Neurobiology, Dept. of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet
2019 - Present: Research Group Leader, St Erik Eye Hospital
2018 - Present: Research Group Leader - Glaucoma, Dept. of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet

Other appointments:
2022 - Present: Academic Coordinator for KI’s Collaborations with the United Kingdom
2021 - Present: Founder/CEO, Mim Neurosciences AB

Honorary appointments:
2024 - Present: Honorary Researcher, Centre for Eye Research Australia, Melbourne, Australia
2021 - Present: Honorary Professor, School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Cardiff University, Wales, UK

Education:
BSc. (Hons) Biomedical Sciences - Neuroscience, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Wales, UK (2009)
PhD Vision Sciences (Visual Neuroscience and Molecular Biology), School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Cardiff University, Wales, UK (2012)
Docent (Neuroscience), Karolinska Institutet (2021)

Awards:
- ARVO Foundation/Pfizer Ophthalmics Carl Camras Translational Research Award (2023)
- Alcon Research Institute Young Investigator Award (2021)
- Axel Hirsch Prize (2021)
- 2021 Shaffer Prize for Innovation (2021)
- Swedish Ophthalmologic Society Most Promising Researcher 2020
- Excellence in Neuroscience Research award (Karolinska Institutet) (2019)
- The Barbara and Joseph Cohen Young Investigator Award (2013)