Torleif Härds CV

Professional preparation

• 1980 – 1983: BSc (civ ing) in Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.
• 1983 – 1986: PhD (TeknD) in Physical Chemistry, Chalmers University of Technology. Thesis advisor: Prof. Bengt Nordén.
• 1986 – 1988: Postdoc at University of California at San Diego supported by a fellowship from the Swedish Natural Sciences Research Council (NFR).
• 1990: Docent, Molecular Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet (KI), Stockholm, Sweden.

Academic Appointments

• 1988 – 1991: Assistant Professor, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Position (forskarassistent) in biophysical chemistry funded by NFR. One year (1989 – 1990) at the Dept. of Chemistry, University of Utrecht, the Netherlands.
• 1991 – 1996: Associate Professor, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Position (rådsforskare) funded by NFR.
• 1995 – 2004: Professor of Structural Biochemistry, Department of Biotechnology, the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden (position assumed in 1996; leave of absence 2003 – 2004).
• 2003 – 2009: Professor of Structural Biology, Department of Medical Biochemistry, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Associated with the Swedish NMR Centre at the University of Gothenburg.
• 2009 – present: Professor of Structural Molecular Biology, Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden.
• 2016 – present: Dean of the Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences (NJ) at SLU, Uppsala, Sweden.

Honours and commissions of trust (selected)

• The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (Kungl Vetenskapsakademien, KVA): Elected to Class IV (Chemistry), 2008. Vice chairman of Class IV, 2011 – 2015; elected chairman 2022 –2024. Chairman of the Swedish National Committee for Chemistry, 2011-2015. Academy Board (akademistyrelsen), 2015 – 2021.
• The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU): NL faculty board (fakultetsnämnd) 2010 – 2012 (alternate member 2010 ­– 2011, regular member 2012). Dean (dekan) of the NJ faculty (since 2016-01-01).
• Swedish Engineering Research Council (TFR): Board of Directors (styrelse), 1999 – 2000.
• Royal Institute of Technology (KTH): Commissions of trust at the Department of Biotechnology (institutionsstyrelse, ledningsgrupp) and as member of the Faculty Forum (fakultetskollegium), 1996 – 2003.
• Reviewer (10 times) for appointment of full professors in the areas of biophysics, biochemistry and structural biology (Sweden and Denmark) or tenure track positions (US). Grant proposal reviewer for the Wellcome Trust (UK), the Helmholtz Foundation (Germany), the Norweigan Research Council and the NIH (US).
• Swedish Research Council (VR): Chairman of the evaluation committee for biochemistry and biophysics (now biochemistry and biotechnology), 2004 – 2009.
• Member of ‘Faculty of 1000, Biology’ since 2008.
• John Ericson Medal (Chalmers) 1984; Hugo Theorell Award (Swedish Biophysical Society) 1992; Arrhenius Award (Swedish Chemical Society) 2006.

Publications and research

Scientific production includes ca. 120 original research articles and 10 review articles and book chapters. Research articles include publications in Science (1), Nature journals (5), PNAS (6), PloS Biology (1), Angew. Chem. (2) and J. Am. Chem. Soc. (4). Hirsch h-index = 50, number of citations > 8000 (Google Scholar; Aug. 2021).

Present research concerns studies of protein self-assembly into nanofibers and of how naturally occuring protein nanofibers can be developed into environmentally friendly and biochemically functional materials.

Graduate student supervision

Main responsible supervisor of 13 graduated PhD students and two students with a Swedish licentiate degree.

Other

Co-founder (2011) and member of the Board of Directors (2011-2019) of the biotechnology enterprise Alzinova AB, Gothenburg, Sweden. Alzinova is listed on the Nasdaq First North stock exchange.