Celsius-Linnaeus Lectures 2026: Quantum sensors and genetic mutations
This year's Celsius-Linnaeus Lectures on 19 February will focus on quantum sensors and mutations in germ cells. Photo: Getty Images.
This year's Celsius-Linnaeus Lectures to be held on 19 February will focus on nature's most fundamental building blocks — from how mutations arise in the human genome to quantum sensors that measure signals at the atomic level. Through their research, evolutionary geneticist Molly Przeworski and physicist Fedor Jelezko have increased our understanding of the smallest and most complex of systems.
Every year, the Faculty of Science and Technology at Uppsala University holds two lectures in memory of Anders Celsius and Carl Linnaeus. The lecturers chosen are scientists whose world-leading research on hot topics has attracted a lot of attention in the research community and is of great general interest.
Fedor Jelezko, Professor of Experimental Physics at Ulm University in Germany. Photo: Private.
The 2026 Celsius lecturer is Fedor Jelezko, Professor of Experimental Physics at Ulm University in Germany. His research concerns how nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in diamonds – where a carbon atom has been replaced by a nitrogen atom and a near-neighbour site in the lattice structure has been left vacant – can be used to measure extremely weak magnetic fields and temperature variations at the nanoscale. These properties make NV centres promising tools in areas such as biomedical imaging and various quantum platforms.
Diamond-based quantum sensors
Fedor Jelezko’s host is Tapati Sarkar, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
What is it that makes the diamond-based quantum tools that Fedor Jelezko researches so exciting?
“Quantum technology has potential applications in areas such as quantum communication and quantum computers. But we think that the area that is closest to becoming a reality in the near future is quantum sensors. By quantum sensors, we mean devices that use quantum states, the principles of superposition and entanglement, and quantum matter and quantum phenomena to detect, for example, very weak magnetic fields, with high precision. And this is what Fedor Jelezko works with.”
Is there anything else that you're curious about and hope he will talk about?
“One thing I would like to hear him talk about is interdisciplinary research and collaboration. Quantum technology requires expertise in physics, materials science, computer science, and biology. It’s important that we don’t remain in our silos and instead work together, with others. I would like to know his views on how we can get the next generation of students to be open to working across discipline boundaries.
“Another thing is sustainability. Regardless of the field, it’s now important to ask ourselves whether what we are doing is sustainable. In the past, we didn’t see it as particularly important, but now we must. So, I also want to ask him whether he thinks that – even at this early stage of quantum technology – we should be thinking about which materials are sustainable, how long the life of the technology could be, and so on.”
How mutations arise
The 2026 Linnaeus Lecturer is Molly Przeworski, Professor of Biological Sciences and Systems Biology at Columbia University, USA. Her lecture will focus on how and why human germ cells develop mutations — and why these increase with age, particularly in men. According to Molly Przeworski's research findings, DNA damage may play a much greater role in the development of germ cell mutations than scientists previously believed.
Molly Przeworski, Professor of Biological Sciences and Systems Biology at Columbia University, USA. Photo: Private.
Molly Przeworski’s host is Göran Arnqvist, Professor of Animal Ecology at the Department of Ecology and Genetics.
What has Molly Przeworski shown in her research?
“She has increased our understanding of the genetic processes that create genetic variation. And she has also made very important contributions that help us understand variation in the genetic code. And in particular, she has shed important light on processes such as recombination, but also natural selection.”
“Her lecture will focus on factors linked to germline mutations that increase specifically among men with age. In the past, the explanation for this has been related to how sperm develop in the testicles, where there are stem cells. But in her Linnaeus Lecture, Molly Przeworski will propose a somewhat different explanation for this, which I am looking forward to hearing about.”
Is there anything else you hope you might get to ask Molly Przeworski?
“I’m interested in hearing what she thinks about the significance of epistasis (a genetic phenomenon where one gene affects the effect of another gene), and the fact that there are so many different genetic elements that can interact with each other in our genome. The latter makes this a very challenging area.”
Anneli Björkman
2026 Celsius-Linnaeus Lectures
Date: 19 February, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
This year's Celsius-Linnaeus Lectures will be held at the Evolutionary Biology Centre in the morning (Linnaeus Lecture) and at the Ångström Laboratory in the afternoon (Celsius Lecture). The lectures are open to all interested parties, and no prior registration is required. The lectures will also be filmed. Each of the lectures will be followed by a symposium that includes lectures by other researchers and a panel discussion.