Jessica Alm

I am Strategic Process Leader at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC) and Expert Coordinator for Laboratory and Diagnostic Preparedness at the Centre for Health Crises at Karolinska Institutet. In parallel, I serve as Scientific Lead for the SciLifeLab Pandemic Laboratory Preparedness (PLP) program.

My professional profile lies at the intersection of research, research infrastructure and preparedness. I work with strategic development and collaboration to translate scientific expertise, laboratory capacity and research infrastructure into sustainable national preparedness and operational capability. A central part of my work is developing structures for collaboration between academia, public authorities, healthcare, and other national and international stakeholders.

Laboratory and pandemic preparedness

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been involved in building and developing Sweden’s laboratory and pandemic preparedness. During the pandemic, I held a leading role in establishing and operating the National Pandemic Centre (NPC) at KI, from establishing large-scale PCR diagnostics large-scale PCR diagnostics as part of Sweden’s national COVID-19 testing efforts, and the development of one of the country’s largest sequencing platforms for whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2. The operation evolved from an academic research laboratory into a large-scale diagnostic and sequencing facility, including automated laboratory workflows, quality systems, digital infrastructure and national sample logistics.

Today, I continue to work with these questions at both strategic and operational levels. As Expert Coordinator at the Centre for Health Crises, I focus on laboratory and diagnostic preparedness and on how academic resources, infrastructure and expertise can contribute to society’s capacity to prepare for and respond to future health crises.

As Scientific Lead for the SciLifeLab Pandemic Laboratory Preparedness (PLP) program, I contribute to the strategic development of a national network for laboratory preparedness. The program brings together scientific expertise, technologies, infrastructures, biobanks and data resources to strengthen Sweden’s capacity to rapidly mobilize scientific resources in response to pandemics and other biological threats. This work also includes international collaboration, including through the European partnership BE READY. I am also a member of the Swedish Research Council’s reference group for the National Research Programme on Viruses and Pandemics.

Research infrastructure and biobanking

Another central part of my work is the development of research infrastructure and biobank resources for research and preparedness. I am responsible for the work related to the national COVID-19 sample collection established at NPC during the pandemic, comprising samples from all Swedish healthcare regions. The work focuses on ensuring the long-term accessibility of this resource for research, with Biobank Sweden and the Swedish Pathogens Portal, while also developing models for how biobanks and other research infrastructures can contribute to Sweden’s preparedness for future crises.

Defence medicine and security

I also have experience in strategic development within defence-related medicine. From 2024 to 2026, I served as Strategic Process Leader for Defence-Related Medicine at KI, with focus on developing KI’s collaboration with the Swedish Armed Forces and strengthening the university’s capacity to contribute to research and knowledge development in this field.

I am Sweden’s national representative to the NATO Science & Technology Organization (STO) Human Systems, Performance and Medicine (HPM) Panel. This role involves international research collaboration and knowledge development in military medicine and human performance. I am also a member of the Editorial Board of BMJ Military Health.

Scientific background

I hold an MSc in Cell Biology from Åbo Akademi University and a PhD in Orthopaedics and Traumatology from the University of Turku. My scientific background is interdisciplinary and includes translational research in areas such as bone and stem cell biology, regenerative medicine, autoimmune diseases, molecular diagnostics and infection biology. My research career has included several international research appointments, including at Harvard Medical School and Boston University, as well as in different research groups at Karolinska Institutet.

My combined experience in academic research, large-scale laboratory operations and strategic preparedness has progressively shaped my work towards a central question: how research, scientific expertise and research infrastructure can be translated into operational capability – both in everyday settings and when society is faced with a crisis.