How does the Nobel Assembly decide who deserves one of the world’s most prestigious scientific awards? In this talk, Professor Sten Grillner share insights from his long-standing work with the Nobel Assembly and the Committee at Karolinska Institutet, including his time as Deputy Chair and Chair.
Grillner will discuss how Nobel Prize laureates in Physiology or Medicine are identified and selected and which criteria are the most important – illustrated with some high-lights, mostly from the field of Neuroscience.
Speaker
Professor Sten Grillner is a Swedish neurophysiologist and Distinguished Professor at Karolinska Institutet, where he was Director of the Nobel Institute for Neurophysiology. He is internationally recognised for his research on the neural circuits underlying motor behaviour, particularly how the spinal cord controls rhythmic movements such as locomotion.
Professor Grillner also been engaged in the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He served as a member, Deputy Chair and Chair of both the Nobel committee and the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, which awards the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, from 1988 to 2008. He is a member of several leading scientific academies, including the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the US National Academy of Sciences.
His scientific achievements include the 2008 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience, awarded for his pioneering work on the neural networks that control behaviour.
NOBEL CALLING
STOCKHOLM
5–12 October
About the programme
Date
8 October 2026
Time
13:00–14:00
Location
Digital Futures hub, Osquars Backe 5, floor 2 at KTH main campus
Language
English
Admission
Free admission, pre-registration required
Contact: Sofia Tatsis
