NEWS The Wallenberg Scholarship is a new programme with the purpose of supporting and stimulating some of the most successful researchers at Swedish universities. Ten talented researchers have each been granted 15 million kronor over a period of five years to develop and intensify their respective project areas.
"It feels wonderful and very surprising," says an elated Lars Nyberg. "I knew I was nominated, but the competition is tough so I was definitely not expecting this."
Umeå University’s vice-chancellor Göran Sandberg is equally pleased:
I am proud and overjoyed. Lars is one of most multi-disciplined researchers. He collaborates in various projects with researchers from all scientific fields: medicine, political science, natural science, humanities and researchers in teacher education. He is a symbol of interdisciplinary researcher.
Lars Nyberg is a professor of medical neuroscience with a focus on studies of the human brain with functional imaging techniques. He has also held a professorship in psychology. With the help of magnetic cameras, known as fMRI technology, he can literally see the brain working. Lars concentrates on memory research, and one of the research projects he is involved in is the large Betula study. The project’s objective is to study how memory functions change during adult life to determine risk factors for dementia and early signs of dementia.
In 2006 the research area "Population Studies – Ageing and Living Conditions" was named an area of excellence at Umeå University. In addition, a Linnaeus grant of SEK 80 million over a period of 10 years was awarded. The Betula project is included in this research area. The Betula project and the Centre for Population Studies became internationally recognised in 2005 when the Swedish Research Council chose it as one of Sweden's ten "Strong Research Environments." With this endorsement, more long-term research is now underway in the areas of, e.g., public health, mortality and migration.
Lars Nyberg had previously been appointed as the coordinator for one of the four Nordic research and innovation areas, with a focus on the cognitive control of attention, perception, language, memory and emotions.
In 2007 he was awarded the Göran Gustafsson Prize, considered to be the most coveted and prestigious award among young Swedish researchers. In 2008 he was named as member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Although Lars Nyberg is accustomed to receiving awards and major grants, he felt especially proud to be named a Wallenberg Scholar by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.
"I am absolutely astonished and it’s an appropriation of such magnitude that we need to consider how to apply this money in the best way, which I have for good reason not done yet," says professor Nyberg. "But I will certainly use a large proportion of the grant to recruit more researchers and expand the operations."
A large percentage of the funding will most likely be applied to the new magnet camera being installed underneath the Central Hall at Norrlands University Hospital in Umeå.
"We will be utilising the camera 40 hours per week for research purposes," he continues. "It is an invaluable resource for our research and the Wallenberg Foundation has also been involved in its financing."
Lars Nyberg can be reached via mobile phone: +46 (0)70- 609 27 75
High-resolution image available at:
http://www8.presskontakt.umu.se/pressbilder/Lars_Nyberg_8064.jpg
Read more about Lars Nyberg:
http://www.medfak.umu.se/english/show_interview/?contentId=14616
Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation:
http://www.wallenberg.com/kaw/in_english/default.aspx
