Meet Karolinska Institutet´s new president: Anders Hamsten

To all intents and purposes the issue has been settled for more than a month, ever since the Consultative College and the KI University Board recommended him for the post, which he will be assuming in the new year.

"I´ve not felt worried about the outcome, but it´s nice to know that the decision´s been taken," he says. "Some preparations have to wait until all the formalities are over."

Why did you want to become the president of KI?

"I think that KI´s in a very exiting situation at the moment. On the one hand it´s doing really well and has seen much positive development in the past few years. On the other hand we´re faced with new, major challenges that I can´t wait to get my teeth into. I believe my background as a researcher and clinician will help me to take on these challenges - together with very many others, of course."

What challenges are you referring to?

"There are three key issues, to my mind. The first is to strengthen KI as an internationally pre-eminent research institution. We are dominant in Sweden, but our goal should be to grow even stronger internationally. To achieve this, we have to make KI more attractive to young researchers by establishing a more clearly defined and predictable career structure. This is something we currently lack, even for the really promising researchers. We also need to be more attractive when trying to recruit overseas."

How can KI be more competitive?

"Through the sum of everything we offer: a competitive research environment, strong infrastructure, good access to the healthcare system and, not least of all, a healthy financial situation. The transfer of top researchers between universities is quite an investment these days."

And challenge number two?

"To strengthen our BSc and MSc programmes. We must have the same high ambitions for our education as we do for our research. It´s important for KI to attract the most dynamic, enthusiastic and creative students. We need to continue to build a core of pedagogically excellent teachers who can drive the development of our teaching methods. A backbone of highly competent educationalists who provide structure and ensure quality and who, of course, bring in both younger and older teachers and researchers and place them in charge of parts of the syllabus. In particular, I think we need bring senior lecturers back into our BSc and MSc programmes - the leading professors who many students get a lot out of meeting, but who often don´t participate in education at this level these days."

The third challenge, according to Hamsten, is to develop the interaction between KI and the healthcare sector so that research and teaching don´t get trapped in the radical changes taking place in the healthcare system that are introducing more providers and causing new kinds of patient flows and the transfer of large groups of patients from hospitals to specialist centres.

It is difficult to see any clear boundaries between Hamsten´s view of affairs and those of the departing university management. It doesn´t seem as if any radical change of tack is in the air.

"No, I see no reason for any drastic change in direction for the present. On the other hand, we must understand that the work we´ll be doing on these three issues might one day necessitate major reforms. For example, our relationship with the healthcare sector will probably impel us to consider changing KI departmental organisation."

It´s not up to you to appoint your vice president. What kind of person is needed at that post, as a complement to your own abilities?

"I´m not certain that a vice president is meant to complement anything. Were facing such immense tasks that the most important thing is for the vice president to be able to stand in for the president in most circumstances. We should be very much exchangeable. But then, of course, it´s a plus if the president and vice president have complementary experiences and profiles. And I wouldn´t be happy in a single-sexed university management."

Do you get angry at work?

"Yes."

When?

Professor Hamsten reflects for a moment:

"When I come across hidden agendas and manipulative behaviour. It takes quite a lot to wind me up, but when I get angry, I get really angry!"

What are you like as a boss?

"First of all, I like being a manager. I like the job. I think I´m a listening, receptive and very hands-on manager, who delegates a lot."

This is a self-image that´s backed up by the people around him. In 1999-2007 he was head of the Department of Medicine in Solna, where he´s currently a divisional head. Colleagues of all ages describe him as quite laid-back and friendly, approachable and easy to deal with. He´s a gifted strategist and organiser, and good at juggling tasks and taking considered decisions. But while he´s someone who has great faith in the competencies of his colleagues, to whom he delegates considerable responsibility, he´s also someone who takes much of the burden of work himself - sometimes too much.

His ability to express himself is frequently mentioned.

"When Anders has made up his mind, he puts his opinions across in such a way that everyone is convinced afterwards that that was what they were thinking in the first place," says one.

"He´s verbally gifted, in both Swedish and English," says another. "Anders is not afraid to blue-pencil articles drafted by Brits."

A couple of sources bring up the contrast between Hamsten´s rather mellow manner, which can create quite a withdrawn - shy, even - impression, and his fearlessness as a manager when it comes to making unpleasant but unavoidable decisions.

"When it comes to the crunch he´s tough. Anders Hamsten can prioritise, and not everyone enjoys having to do that. KI´s budget doesn´t stretch to everything and he´ll be giving priority to whatever is needed to keep us on track as a world-leading university," another person says.

Many persons also comment that Professor Hamsten´s gravitas as an international researcher will help him obtain the support of the organisation for the decisions taken by the management.

As a scientist, Professor Hamsten has focused on coronary disease: how atherosclerosis of the coronary artery develops and how its progress can be influenced.

"You could say without too much exaggeration that I´ve been working with the same issues since I wrote my thesis in the 1980s, although with slightly different techniques," he says.

Today, much of his work involves cooperating with large international consortia to identify genes and biological mechanisms responsible for coronary disease.

"Over the past five years, we´ve managed to relate some 40 new gene regions in our DNA to the risk for myocardial infarction and angina. The next step is to understand how every single gene operates and the mechanistic link between our DNA and vascular change. It´s very exciting work."

Anders Hamsten was born in Älvsbyn, a village north of Piteå, and more than one person detect something of the northerner in his manner. But he was not actually raised there, as his family moved from Älvsbyn when he was three.

"My father was forest supervisor for Domänverket. It was a bit like being in the army. You had your first posting in the north and then moved gradually south as you climbed the career ladder. We lived for two or three years in each place. I´ve lived in Stockholm since my early teens, and the dialect I had to get rid of then was Dalacarlian, as our port of call just prior to that was Älvdalen, north of Mora."

Was it an obvious choice for you to continue studying?

"Yes, but the subject wasn´t. I was mostly interested in maths, physics and languages at school, and only started studying engineering physics at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH). But I wasnt happy there at all. I had to go back over the maths I´d already learnt at school and the environment was quite Nordic. I dropped out, studied a bit of French and history of art, and then applied to KI. And I´ve never looked back."

A week after the first interview, it´s time for a photo session. We accompany Professor Hamsten on a normal morning at the Centre for Molecular Medicine (CMM), and join a meeting with members of his research group. Rona Strawbridge, postdoc, has some new results and five people engage in an animated discussion in the Professor´s office: what relationships does this suggest? Why aren´t stronger gene effects seen at the vitamin D levels? How can we prove causality from our genetic data?

This is both the climax and hub of research, says Professor Hamsten: the pondering and the discussions with his little circle of colleagues. It is something he doesn´t want to give up, and so plans to continue with his research. His aim to start and end the day at the CMM.

His colleagues are sitting around the little coffee table in their slippers and training shoes. Anders Hamsten is wearing highly polished shoes, suit trousers and a shirt with cufflinks. On the floor is another pair of black shoes with shoe trees inserted into them. His correct, slightly conservatively British style has been mentioned by everyone we have been talking to.

"There´s an Englishman living in Anders Hamsten," explains one colleague. "A diplomat and a gentleman possessing a little of that understated British wit."

Maybe it´s his connections with British universities that have influenced him. He has been collaborating with Oxford for 15 years, and in the past five years, 20 per cent of his work has been based there.

Can your experiences from Oxford come in useful for your role as president here?

"I think there are things that KI can learn from Oxford, particularly their successful way of building their business, identifying prospective key individuals and recruiting them. And, just as importantly, how they make these people stay and become integrated into the Oxford scene. KI doesnt have the same exciting global complexion as Oxford - yet."