Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede

Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede
Born (1968-08-31) August 31, 1968
Umeå, Sweden
CitizenshipSwedish and American
Alma materChalmers University of Technology
ChildrenSelma and Hilda
Scientific career
FieldsBiochemistry, Biophysics, Chemistry
InstitutionsCalifornia Institute of Technology, Tulane University, Rice University, Umeå University, Chalmers University
ThesisIntelligent nucleic acid interactions with peptide nucleic acids and in recombination proteins (1996)
Doctoral advisorBengt Nordén

Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede (maiden name Wittung) is a Swedish biophysical chemist, born in 1968, who is a professor of Chemistry at Rice University in Houston, Texas, USA. In 2019 she was named by International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry as a Distinguished Woman in Chemistry.

Education

She received her Master of Science Degree in Engineering from Chalmers University of Technology and a doctorate at the same institution in 1996 in biophysical chemistry under Bengt Nordén,[1] with a thesis entitled Intelligent nucleic acid interactions with peptide nucleic acids and in recombination proteins.[2]

Employment

After her Ph.D., she worked for twelve years in the United States at the California Institute of Technology, Beckman Institute in Pasadena, California (1997–98), Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana(1999-2003) and Rice University in Houston, Texas (2004-2008). In 2008, she returned to Sweden to a professor position at Umeå University. From 2015 to 2025 she was a professor at Chalmers University of Technology and was the head of the Chemical Biology division for the first 3 years.[3]

In July, 2025, she moved to Rice University in Houston, Texas, to become the Charles W. Duncan, Jr.-Welch Professor of Chemistry. Concurrently she received an Established Investigator Award as a CPRIT Scholar.[4]

She leads a research group that focuses on the biophysical properties of proteins; both metal-transporting proteins and proteins that fold incorrectly and clump together. The research is basic science, but has links to diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and cancer.[5]

In 2010, Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede was one of ten researchers in Sweden, appointed as a Wallenberg Scholar, receiving a grant awarded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation that she has renewed several times (most recently in 2024).[6] In 2017 she was elected a member of the council of Biophysical Society (BPS). It was the second time ever for a Swedish scientist; the first one was Arne Engström 1960–1963.[7]

In 2020, she became a member of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry Committee,[8] and since 2021 she is a council member for The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings.[1] In 2019 she started Genie at Chalmers, a 300 MSEK gender equality initiative funded by the Chalmers Foundation and led it for four years.[9]

Awards and honors

Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede has received a number of awards and prizes. These include:

Bibliography

Pernilla has published several hundred scientific peer-reviewed articles since her first in 1994 and numerous popular articles. Full list on her ORCID[20] or Scopus[21] sites.

Personal life

Wittung-Stafshede has two daughters, Selma and Hilda Stafshede. Pernilla has two sisters, Paulina and Petronella.

References

  1. ^ "Chalmers University of Technology | Chalmers". www.chalmers.se. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  2. ^ Wittung, Pernilla (1996). "Intelligent Nucleic Acid Interactions with Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA) and Recombination Enzyme RecA". publications.lib.chalmers.se. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  3. ^ "Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede new Head of Division of Chemical Biology". www.chalmers.se. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  4. ^ "State cancer agency awards $68 million in research grants to Texas institutions". Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. 19 February 2025. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
  5. ^ "Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede". www.rice.edu. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
  6. ^ "Wallenberg Scholars 2024". Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  7. ^ "Past Council". www.biophysics.org. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
  8. ^ Royen, Ulrika (2018-08-14). "The Nobel Committee for Chemistry". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  9. ^ Karlsson, Robert (2020-03-09). ""Many people at Chalmers want to engage in gender equality"". Chalmers tekniska högskola. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  10. ^ "National Fresenius Award". chemgroups.northwestern.edu. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  11. ^ "Fellows". Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Studies. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  12. ^ "List of recipients". Swedish Chemical Society. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  13. ^ "IUPAC Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering" (PDF).
  14. ^ Hasani, Ilire; Hoffmann, Robert. "Academy of Europe: Wittung Stafshede Pernilla". Academy of Europe. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  15. ^ "Gustaf Dalén". Chalmersska Ingenjörsföreningen (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  16. ^ "Ledamot". IVA (in Swedish). 2023-05-03. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  17. ^ "Biophysical Society Award to Chalmers Professor". Chalmers tekniska högskola. 2021-11-09. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  18. ^ Lindh, Susanne Nilsson (2024-04-23). "Chalmers Professor new Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry". Chalmers tekniska högskola. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
  19. ^ "New members". 2024-12-17. Retrieved 2025-10-25.
  20. ^ "ORCID". ORCID. 2024-07-08. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
  21. ^ "Wittung-Stafshede, Pernilla". Scopus. Retrieved 2024-07-18.
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