Anna Sjöström Douagi

Anna Sjöström Douagi was founder and CEO during the first five years when the Young Academy of Sweden was established as a platform for younger researchers to meet and act in society. Anna's commitment to promote science and research transferred to the young academy and is still an important part of the Academy’s activities. Under Sjöström Douagi's leadership, the constructive and dynamic spirit was established that permeates the Young Academy of Sweden to this day.

Anna Sjöström Douagi began her career aiming to become a musician, as transverse flutist. However, her passion for science grew and led her to study biochemistry at Stockholm University and the University of Copenhagen for her undergraduate studies. She then did her doctorate in immunology at Karolinska Institutet followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in the USA. Planning to continue her career in science after her first parental leave, in between she applied for a position as Research secretary at the Swedish Research Council (VR) with responsibility for international affairs and contact with the European Research Council, ERC, and EuroHORCs (European Heads of Research Councils). Here Anna discovered another drive of hers, to connect science and society, and she remained at the Swedish Research Council. There she met Gunnar Öquist, then Permanent Secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (RSAS), and they discussed how young researchers could be given better opportunities to contribute, meet among themselves across disciplinary boundaries, have transparent career paths and be have a voice to be able to share their perspective.

In 2010 Anna was commissioned to build a young academy. In May 2011, the first 22 members were elected and the Young Academy of Sweden was born. Anna linked Nobel Laureate Torsten Wiesel (Physiology or Medicine 1981) to the Young Academy of Sweden, whom she met working at VR. Wiesel, who had long been engaged in promoting young researchers in several contexts, was now appointed, together with Gunnar Öquist, Scientific patron and mentor for the young academy members.