International Advisory Group to strengthen Uppsala University’s development
Uppsala University now has an International Advisory Group whose role is to help the University develop. The group will provide strategic advice to the University Management. Photo: Anders Berndt, Uppsala University.
Uppsala University has established an International Advisory Group on the initiative of Vice-Chancellor Anders Hagfeldt. The group will provide strategic advice to the University Management on research, education, organisation and academic leadership. The first meeting was held in early October 2025.
Anders Hagfeldt, Vice-Chancellor Uppsala University. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt, Uppsala University.
“The group will help us to think along new lines and we will take its recommendations very seriously,” Hagfeldt says.
The Advisory Group will broaden the University’s perspectives and contribute knowledge and ideas from researchers around the world. The aim is to strengthen the University’s development and ensure a global outlook with a high level of ambition in research and education.
“This is an opportunity for us to open up and let in a group of high-profile international researchers with broad collective experience who can contribute to Uppsala University’s development.”
Broad experience from around the world
The Advisory Group consists of eight researchers from different parts of the world (see the fact box below). Together they have extensive experience of research excellence, top-level university leadership, interdisciplinarity, sustainability and entrepreneurship.
The group will meet twice a year – once in person and once online. Each meeting will consist of presentations and open discussions on specific themes.
The first meeting was held in conjunction with the University’s anniversary celebrations on 5–7 October 2025.
“I am really pleased. It feels good in every way, stimulating, fun and inspiring. We have put together a dream team,” says Hagfeldt with a smile.
Four themes in focus
Initially, the Advisory Group will concentrate on four main themes:
- Uppsala University’s new interdisciplinary initiative UUniFI (Uppsala University Future Institutes)
- The role of universities in a new geopolitical context
- The impact of AI on research and higher education
- The innovation landscape in higher education.
“In the Advisory Group, we will keep a special eye on UUniFI,” Hagfeldt reveals. “The initiative met with a very favourable reception at the group’s first meeting.”
UUniFI is a research initiative in which the University is sticking its neck out. It is intended to harness Uppsala University’s breadth and depth to tackle major, difficult societal challenges. The explicit focus on societal challenges could be perceived as risky but has great potential if successful. The advisors will provide perspectives on both success factors and challenges moving forward.
In the current geopolitical context, the role of universities and freedom of research have come into question in many parts of the world. This is an important issue for all higher education institutions. At the first meeting, the University Management received support for its current policy of maintaining academic contacts in times of political boycotts.
“The members of the Advisory Group emphasised the importance of maintaining academic contacts even with universities in politically boycotted countries,” says Hagfeldt. “Continued academic contacts enable us to contribute to positive change.”
Important to give something in return
The Vice-Chancellor emphasises that the relationship must also be rewarding for the members of the Advisory Group.
“Of course, these are busy people, so it’s a challenge to get them to prioritise the meetings. For this reason, we have to give them something in return.”
He also emphasises the importance of the whole University benefiting from the group’s work.
“This must not become a clique that lives a life of its own. The University Management will provide clear feedback to both the Advisory Group and the University’s employees on the measures we are implementing based on the group’s recommendations,” Hagfeldt concludes.
Anders Berndt
Facts about the International Advisory Group
Uppsala University’s International Advisory Group consists of eight members who have been appointed for three years.
Bertil Andersson is a biochemist and former President of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. During his time at NTU, he helped the university climb in the rankings and become a world-leading research university. He was formerly Vice-Chancellor of Linköping University and Chief Executive of the European Science Foundation. As a researcher, Andersson is known for his work on photosynthesis and plant biochemistry.
Helén Andersson Svahn is an alumna of Uppsala University and Professor of Nanobiotechnology at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Her research group develops micro- and nanofluidic systems for biomedical applications, such as single-use diagnostics and cell analysis. She works in both academia and business and is currently CEO of the start-up Picovitro AB and a board member of Mercedes-Benz. In 2003, she was selected as one of the MIT Technology Review 35 Innovators Under 35.
Meric Gertler is a Canadian researcher and university leader, until 2025 President of the University of Toronto. His research area is urban development and economics for innovation regions, where he studies how cities and regions can act as hubs for creativity and growth. As a university leader, he has driven strategies for increased globalisation, interdisciplinary education, innovation and interdisciplinarity. During his leadership at the University of Toronto, he has also been involved in public engagements and advising various boards, often in relation to urban development projects.
Liselotte Højgaard is Clinical Professor at the University of Copenhagen. In recent years, she has focused on links between clinical physiology and diagnostic methods and disease monitoring, with a particular interest in cardiovascular diseases and metabolic risks. Recently, her research team has initiated AI for clinical use. She has held several prominent positions, including chairing the European Medical Research Councils and the Horizon 2020 Medical Scientific Advisory Group. She has also chaired the Danish National Research Foundation and been a member of the board of directors of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. She is currently a member of the ERC Scientific Council.
Helge Jordheim is Professor of Cultural History at the University of Oslo and researches conceptual history, temporal theory, and media and cultural history. In recent years, his research has focused on understandings and experiences of time, in projects with a global historical and increasingly interdisciplinary scope. He has led several interdisciplinary research projects, and is currently the director of LIFETIMES, a platform for a number of research projects. In 2023, he was awarded the Gad Rausing Prize for Outstanding Humanities Research. He currently leads the Centre for Global Sustainability.
Lise Korsten is Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and Co-Director of the DSI/NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security. Her research focuses on food safety and quality in fresh produce, with a particular focus on sub-Saharan Africa. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from Ghent University in 2025 for her contributions to food security and sustainable food supply systems. Korsten has played a leading role in developing national food control strategies and is actively involved in international expert panels on food safety and microbiological risk. She is currently President of the African Academy of Sciences.
Svante Pääbo is a Swedish geneticist, alumnus of Uppsala University and Professor at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2022 for his ground-breaking discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution. Pääbo has established palaeogenetics as a field of research and his latest work concerns how genes from extinct relatives affect modern human biology.
Rafael Reif is an electrical engineer and academic leader, who was President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 2012 until the end of 2022. As President of MIT, he led the university’s focus on data science and artificial intelligence, innovation ecosystems and online learning. In October 2022, he received the Simon Ramo Founders Award from the US National Academy of Engineering for his leadership in higher education and technology