Professor Ulf Magnusson

Current position and formalized commitments

Professor of Animal Reproduction at the Department of Clinical Sciences, SLU

Member of the Guiding group for the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock 2012- and leading the action Network on Antimicrobial resistance – LAMP 2017- 

Vice chair of the Partnership and Financing panel of the FAO/WOAH Global framework for control of Transboundry animal diseases (GF-TAD) 2023-

Chair of the The Board Committee for Research Issues at the Royal Swedish Academy for Forestry and Agriculture (KSLA), 2022-

Previous positions last 15 years:

Head of Division of Reproduction (20%), Department of Clinical Sciences, SLU 2021-2022 and 2011-2015. Vice dean for research and international cooperation (40%), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, SLU 2004-2009. Director (50%), Centre for Reproductive biology in Uppsala, SLU and Uppsala University, 1999-2005.

Education/Qualifications: 

DVM, Uppsala 1982; PhD, Uppsala, 1990 Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, SLU. Post doc-fellowship (Swedish Research Council for Forestry and Agriculture) at Department of Veterinary Immunology and Microbiology, University of Guelph, Canada 1992. Associate professor (Docent) in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, particularly Clinical Immunology, 1994. Diplomat of European College of Animal Reproduction, 2000.  Academic leadership programme, HSV 2004-05. Professor in Reproductive immunology, 2005. Professor in Animal Reproduction, 2008. Paternity leave: about one year in total in the 90’s

Honours and Awards:

Honorary doctor at the Estonian University of Life Science, Tartu, 2023. SLU's Gold medal of merit delivered by the university board for "..promoting SLU's broad expertise in animal husbandry and  in the One Health-field, nationally and internationally", 2021. The Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry's A.W. Bergsten prize for "promoting the importance of veterinary medicine and animal husbandry in fighting poverty and malnutrition in low income countries" 2019, delivered by her Royal Highness the Crown Princess. Fellow of the Royal Society of Sciences at Uppsala, 2015-. Honorary professor at Tajik Agrarian University, Dushanbe, 2010. Fellow of the Royal Academy of Science and Arts in Uppsala, 2007-. Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry 2006-. The Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry award for prominent PhD-thesis 1988-1990 delivered by his Majesty the King, Stockholm, 1991

UM has been teaching 4 and 5th years vet students in practical large animal obstetrics (including a 10 year period as course leader) and reproduction. Lecturing same topic. Supervising MSc-thesis work and MFS-students within the subjects "animal reproduction" and "One health". Co-creator of on-line courses on "One health/sustainable livestock" and "Effective and responsible use of antibiotics in livestock". 

Dr. Magnusson started his research career in the fielsd of clinicl immunology mainly related to infections in large animals' reproductive organs. Then UM moved into reproductive toxicology related to environmental pollution and endocrine disruptors. That work inculded  experimental studies in the domestic pigs and field studies in the wild mink .

During the last decades UMs research focus is on zoonotic diseases  in livestock as well as animal husbandry  practices that affects animal's reproductive performance. This work combines  microbiological/physiological data with human behavior/practises data. The latter do also apply for his recent work on antimicrobial resistance. These current research activities are mainly conducted in low-income countries. Some of UMs' research do also deal with food security and the UN Sustainable Development Goals in an overarching perspective. His research approach has been under the One Health umbrella including behavioural science aspects.

Dr. Magnusson  has been PI/coordinator for external grants (majority in direct competition) worth about 20 MEURO.

UM worked several years in the field of environmental reproductive toxicology, specifically on so called endocrine disrupting chemicals. One direction of this research was to develop the wild mink as a sentinel species for monitoring effects of and exposure by endocrine disrupting chemicals in the environment. ReproMink

Dr. Magnusson has extensive research and academic training cooperation with colleagues at universities in Asia and Africa over the years: In Tajikistan UM has been  cooperating with Tajik Agrarian University and Tajik Academy of Science. In Thailand with Chulalongkorn University and Khon Kaen University. In Vietnam with Cantho University, Nong Lam University and Hanoi University of Agriculture. In Cambodia with National Veterinary Research Institute, National Institute of Public Health and CelAgrid. In Uganda with Makerere University and in Ethiopia with Addis Ababa University.

Within a recent EU- JPIAMR -project "ReduceAMU", UM cooperates with colleagues at ETH in Switzerland, National Veterinary Institute in Norway, Uppsala University, Khon Kaen University in Thailand and ILRI in Vietnam. 

Over the years UM has through PhD-training activities established close cooperation with colleagues at the Estonian Institute of Veterinary medicine and Animal sciences in Tartu,  and the veterinary faculties/academies Jelgava, Latvia; Kaunas, Lithuania; Vitebsk, Belarus and St Petersburg, Russia. 

He is also engaged in various ad hoc animal health tasks for the FAO, OIE, World Bank and EC, and for FAO, WHO, WOAH and UNEP as senior advisor on AMR.

In Sweden UM, work with professionals at the Uppsala University, the National Veterinary Institute, the Swedsih Board of Agriculture,  the Swedish Animal Health Service, the Swedish Dairy Association and the Swedish Ministry of Agriculture.

Following his graduation as a veterinarian, UM worked some years in large animal practice and in meat inspection at various locations in Sweden. Then he came back to SLU and and took on PhD-studies on the immune response in the sow around parturition combined with teaching in large animal obstetrics and work at the SLU ambulatoric clinic. After his PhD he did a postdoc at University of Guelph on immunogenetics in pigs. Upon return to SLU, UM was given a position as assistant professor and earned the title "docent" (associate professor) after some years doing reaserach in the field of clinical immunology in farm animals. In parallel he was holding a position as director of postgraduate studies for the Veterinary Faculty, SLU. Then he became the first director for the Centre for Reproductive Biology in Uppsala, CRU. Where he among other things managed coordinate a successful grant application to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency involving some 10 senior scientist from 4 Swedish universities. The program - ReproSafe - ran for 5 years and dealt with environmental reproductive toxicology and reasulted in some 10 new PhDs in the field. Following the work as director of CRU, he took on the responsibilty as vicedean for research, research training and international cooperation in the new Faculty for Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science at SLU during two election periods, 6 years in total. He has also served 6 years in the examination committee for the European College of Animal Reproduction  (ECAR) including one year as chair.

Past management and evaluation commitments in brief

Leader for the Animal health- “Flagship” activities within the CGIAR research program program  “CRP Livestock”, 2017-2021; Programme director for the Sida-funded programme AgriFose 2030 (Agriculture for Food security – translating science into policy and development) 2015-19. Theme leader Urban and Periurban farming (30%), SLU Global, 2015-19. He served in  the Steering group for the CGIAR Antimicrobial Research Hub, 2019-21.

Member of the standing committee for the Association of Institutions for Tropical Veterinary Medicine AITVM   2007-2018 (President 2013-2016). Vice President of the European Society for Domestic Animal Reproduction  ESDAR – 2013-2018. Coordinator for an exchange programme with Estonian, Latvia and Lithuania in the field of animal reproduction, 1999-2005; Member of the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s Animal Health/Biosecurity Council 2005-10; Member of the Swedish Governments FAO-committee 2005-2011; Member of Sida/SAREC/FORSK reference group for the Swedish support to the CGIAR system 2006-2016;  Expert in the  Swedish Governments’ commission on Livestock Contagious Diseases, 2008-10; Expert in the  Swedish Governments’ commission on Global Antimicrobial Use and resistance in Livestock , 2020-22.  Coordinator for a Sida-funded programme on restructuring the Veterinary Services in Tajikistan, 2008-2010; Vice programme manager for the research initiative “Future Agriculture – livestock, crops and land-use” at SLU, 2009-2011 (2012- 2014 member of the steering group); Coordinator for a Sida-funded programme on postgraduate training exchange with Makerere University, Uganda, 2010-2015

Head of Mission for a Sida-funded mission (field and desk) to Central Asia assessing Livestock Health and Production, 3 weeks 2005-2006. Monitoring (field and desk) of an ILRI-project on pig marketing in Northern Vietnam on behalf of EC and Sida/SAREC, March 2007. Member of the FAO Consultative Group for the Real Time Evaluation (RTE) of FAO's Work on the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, 2006-2008 and its review panel 2009-2010; Evaluator (field and desk study) for Sida of a project regarding a Pan-African academic network on agricultural science, 2 weeks 2008. Evaluator (field and desk) for FAO about the vet education in Azerbadjan 2 weeks, 2009. Head of mission for a Sida-funded mission (field and desk) to Bosnia Hercegovina assessing Brucellosis-emergency, one week, 2009-10.  Team-leader for an international evaluation of higher animal science education programmes in Lithuania, two weeks 2014. Evaluator (field and desk) for FAO about the vet education in Tajikistan 2 weeks, 2014. Evaluator of the Animal health program at icipe in Kenya, one week 2017. Member of an team evaluating Life science research at Helsinki University, Finland - responsible for Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, 3 weeks 2019. Strategic reviewer of the AMR MPTF  (UNDP) (2 weeks in 2023). Consultant and Senior advisor for FAO and WHO on antimicrobial resistance in a One health context (part time 2023).

Currently Dr. Magnusson is the main supervisor for 1 PhD Student and has served as main supervisor for the following PhDs (year of exam indicated); Dr. Gunilla Ström-Hallenberg 2018; Dr. Elisabeth Lindahl-Rajala, 2016; Dr. Kristina Osbjer, 2016; Dr. Ola Thomson, 2016; Dr. Sara Persson, 2013; Dr. Johanna Lindahl, 2012; Dr. Yaohong Zhu, 2007, Dr. Karl Ljungvall, 2006; Dr. Ingrid Österlund, 2003; Dr. Sofia Boqvist 2002.

In addition he has been and is serving as assistant supervisor for several PhD-students at various universities and has been the main supervisor for some 20 vet students exam work/MSc theses.

Over the years UM has arranged some 15 PhD-courses/summer schools in Sweden, Europe and Asia on animal reproduction and infectious diseases as well as on reproductive toxicology.

 Original papers 

(150+ papers by UM in PUB MED are founde here!).

Selected Other reports since 2007

Magnusson U, Brunström B, Lindqvist NG, Dencker L, Norrgren L, Örberg J: Reproductive Toxicology in Environmental Research, Final report from the ReproSafe programme Swedish Environmental Protection Agency Report, Report no 5729, June 2007. 

Lundström J, Albihn A, Gustafson G, Bertilsson J, Rydhmer L and Magnusson U 2009. The farm animals in a changing environment – challenges and knowledge gaps. Overview of the Swedish Animal Management’s dependence on and effects on climate and environment. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, SLU and the National Veterinary Institute, ISBN978-91-86197-08-7.

Magnusson U, Andersson-Djurfeldt A, Håkansson T, Hårsmar M, MacDermott J, Nyberg G, Stenström M, Vrede K, Wredle E, Bengtsson J. 2012. Critical research issues for future sub-Saharan African agriculture. (SLU). Uppsala. ISBN 978-91-576-9090-6. 

Magnusson U and Follis Bergman K., editors (2014). Urban and periurban agriculture for food security in low-income countries - challenges and knowledge gaps  (ISBN: 978-91-576-9229-0 ) 

Magnusson U (2016): Sustainable global livestock development for food security and nutrion including roles for Sweden. Ministry of Enterprises and Innovation, Swedish FAO committee, Stockholm

Magnusson, U., Sternberg, S., Eklund, G., Rozstalnyy, A. 2019. Prudent and efficient use of antimicrobials in pigs and poultry. FAO Animal Production and Health Manual No. 23. Rome. FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/CA6729EN

Rushton J, Uggla A and Magnusson U (2017). Animal health in development – its role for poverty reduction and human welfare Report 2017:3 to The Swedish Government´s expert group for Aid studies ISBN: 978-91-88143-26-6

FAO (2020). Editors: Magnusson U and Eklund G: Tackling antimicrobial use and resistance in dairy cattle -Lessons learned in Sweden. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb2201en

Magnusson U. and Landin H. (2021). How to use antibiotics effectively and responsibly in dairy production.......Budpest, FAO

Magusson U. (2021) How to use antibiotics effectively and responsibly in poultry production...Budapest, FAO.

Magnusson U. (2021) How to use antibiotics effectively and responsibly in pig production.....Budapets, FAO

Magnusson, U., Boqvist, S., Doyle, R. and Robinson, T. 2022. Animal health and welfare for sustainable livestock systems. Rome, Italy: Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock ISBN 978-91-576-9996-1