As Pro-Dean for Research and Innovation, Professor Jan Bjaalie has overall responsibility for research and innovation at the Faculty.
Bjaalie serves as deputy to the Dean and represents the Dean's Office in matters relating to research and innovation within the Faculty and external collaborations.
His responsibilities include developing research and innovation strategies, coordinating among units both nationally and internationally, and fostering collaborations with research funding organizations, the health industry, research institutes, and government agencies.
Academic interests
- Collaborative and Open science and the enabling tools that make it possible
- Neuroinformatics: from ontologies to cyberinfrastructure for data management; practical implementation of data sharing and reuse
- Brain architecture: next generation digital brain atlasing
- Wiring patterns of the brain / brain connectivity
- Map transformations in sensory systems of the brain
Background
Education
- 1990: Ph.D., University of Oslo (neuroanatomy)
- 1986: M.D., University of Oslo
Positions held
- 2023 - 2026: Dean of Research and Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo
- 2017 - 2023: EU Human Brain Project: Leader of the Neuroinformatics Platform (2017 - 2020), Infrastructure Director (2018 - 2023), Leader of EBRAINS Data services (2020 - 2023)
- 2009 - 2016: Head of Institute, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo
- 2009 - 2011: Senior advisor, International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, www.incf.org
- 2006 - 2008: Executive Director, International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm
- 2002 - 2012: Group leader of neuroinformatics, Centre for Molecular Biology and Neuroscience, Norwegian Center of Excellence, University of Oslo
- 1999: Visiting professor, University of Antwerp and Born Bounge Foundation, Antwerp
- 1997 - present: Professor, Neural Systems and Graphics Computing Laboratory, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo
- 1992 - 1997: Associate Professor, Neural Systems and Graphics Computing Laboratory, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo
- 1986 - 1991: Research Fellow, Anatomical Institute, University of Oslo
Other professional activities
- Member of the Management Board, EBRAINS AISBL, Brussels (2021 -)
- Founding Chief Editor: Frontiers in Neuroinformatics (2007 -)
- Section Editor: Brain Structure and Function, Springer (2002 - 2020)
- Co-chair (2018 - 2020) and Chair (2021), International Brain Initiative
- Member of Advisory Board for the International Initiative for Traumatic Brain Injury Research (InTBIR), appointed by European Commission, DG Research & Innovation (2018 - 2021)
- Deputy Chair of the The National commission for the investigation of research misconduct / Granskingsutvalget (2017 - 2022)
- Member of the biomedical evaluation panel of the Lundbeck Foundation (2014 - 2019)
- Chair of the program committee for Neuroinformatics 2012 (INCF Congress)
- Member of the program committee for Neuroinformatics 2011 (INCF Congress)
- Chair of the Governing Board of the International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (2013 - 2016)
- Norwegian representative to the Governing Board of the International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (2011 - 2016)
- Head of the Norwegian Neuroinformatics Node (2009 -)
- Member of The Society for Neuroscience Committee on Neuroinformatics (2004 - 2009)
- Member of expert panel Neuroanatomy Ontology, National Institute of Health (2000-2001)
- Norwegian delegate to OECD MegaScience Forum/Global Science Forum, Neuroinformatics working groups (1997 – 2002)
Collaborations and Grants
- Partner in EU projects (EBRAINS 2.0, 2024 - 2026; eBRAIN Health, 2023 - 2026; SciLake, 2023 - 2025; Human Brain Project, 4 grant periods, 2013 - 2023; Computation and plasticity in the cerebellar system: experiments, modeling and database, 2001-2004; Neuroinformatics and computational neuroscience in Europe, Thematic network, 2000 – 2003; Information transfer and computation in the cerebellum, 1998-2001)
- Partner in UiO - Faculty of Medicine SERTA (Scientific Excellence Research Thematic Area): Healthy Brain Ageing (2013 - 2019)
- Project coordinator: High Performance Computing for Neuroinformatics, NOTUR (2001 – 2004)
- Project coordinator, EU-US Task Force and EC Special Support Action workshops: “Databasing the brain” (2001, 2006)
- Partner in Norwegian Centre of Excellence (Centre for Molecular Biology and Neuroscience) 2002 - 2012