Researcher profile Maria Kjellsson: “Our success is built on teamwork”

In spring 2025, Maria Kjellsson made history as the first teacher at our Faculty of Pharmacy to receive Uppsala University’s Independent Distinguished Teaching Award. The accolade highlighted her work in fostering inclusion and participation, and when Deputy Vice-Chancellor Coco Norén read the citation to a notably surprised awardee, it was clear how highly students regard Maria as an “inspiring mentor and role model, not least through her inclusive approach.”

“My commitment to inclusion began the day I realised how much student information was only available in Swedish. I could not understand how international course participants, who in addition to the challenges every student faces, would navigate Sweden’s in many ways unique academic culture, and for many it simply became too difficult. Receiving the Distinguished Teaching Award is a tremendous honour, but to me it is equally important that it gives me a platform to highlight this urgent issue,” says Maria Kjellsson, Professor of Pharmacokinetics.

Today, the situation is very different. Key information is translated into the languages needed. Exchange students receive introductions to Swedish academic culture and what is expected of them. An increasing number of teachers take the “First Aid for Mental Health” course, providing tools to detect and manage mental health crises. According to Maria, this has lowered the threshold for students to overcome cultural hurdles and Nordic autumn darkness. At the same time, she stresses that these advances would not be possible without teamwork.

“For me, our Faculty is an environment that radiates energy, where all these incredibly skilled teachers work together to drive development forward and create a positive and inspiring spiral. Our Faculty management fosters a curious climate with room for open discussions, allowing us to quickly and efficiently focus on constructive approaches to current challenges. In my view, this is reflected in our students, who, instead of giving up, turn to us for support when they need it.”

Maria Kjellsson was in the first student group admitted to Uppsala University’s newly launched Master of Science programme in Chemical Engineering. Here, she first encountered pharmacokinetics, a research field focusing on how drugs are absorbed, distributed, metabolised, and excreted in the body over time. After completing her degree project in the UK with an emphasis on modelling, Maria was recruited to the Faculty of Pharmacy’s research group in Pharmacometrics, a discipline that at the turn of the millennium was still regarded as peripheral, but whose economic and scientific significance today is estimated at astronomical levels.

“Today, we are likely the largest academic research environment in the field of Pharmacometrics. Here, a wide range of skills come together to develop mathematical and statistical models of relevance to researchers, industry, healthcare, and authorities. That both the American and European regulatory agencies reference our results contributes to wider reach, and being part of such a unique environment naturally adds great value to our individual projects as well.”

At the center of Maria’s research are innovative methods to calculate the effects of different health interventions, aiming to reduce the risk of secondary diseases caused by conditions such as type 2 diabetes. Using clinical data, she is currently outlining the blueprint for a digital twin, designed to give individual users real-time feedback on how lowered blood pressure, weight loss, or improved blood lipids might improve their overall health. In parallel, Maria is analysing results from a clinical study of a dosing table designed to improve treatment for children with tuberculosis.

“I can only conclude that I am fortunate to have a job filled with extraordinary days. Whether it is students experiencing the moment when everything falls into place, amazing colleagues who bring positive energy, or myself suddenly opening a scientific door, I always leave the Biomedical Centre with a big shiny smile.”

text: Magnus Alsne, photo: Mikael Wallerstedt