Member Marja Makarow
Professor Dr. Marja Makarow is Professor emerita of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the University of Helsinki. She did her PhD in glycobiology in the University of Helsinki and her post-doctoral studies in cell biology at the EMBL in Heidelberg. She is former Director of Biocenter Finland, Vice-President of the Finnish Research Council - Academy of Finland, Chief Executive of the European Science Foundation ESF in Strasbourg France and Vice-Rector for Research of the University of Helsinki. She was President of Academia Europaea - The European Academy in 2022-2024.
Marja Makarow is former Board member of the European Innovation Council EIC, the European Institute for Innovation and Technology EIT and panel chair of the European Research Council ERC. She chaired Technology Academy Finland that awards one of the world’s most prestigious innovation prizes, the Millennium Technology Prize. She chaired the founding board of Tampere University launched in 2019, a merger of two universities, and was vice-chair of the founding board of Aalto University launched in 2010, a merger of three universities. She is board member of the universities of Geneva, Jyväskylä (Finland) and Tartu (Estonia)
Marja Makarow has carried out evaluations across Europe at all levels of research-related activities from Principal Investigator grants to Centers of Excellence, research and innovation programmes, research assessments of universities and research institutes, and evaluations of the performance of funding organisations and national research & innovation systems. Marja Makarow has advised the European Commission as vice-chair of the European Research Area Board ERAB and the Finnish government in the Prime Ministers’ Research and Innovation Council. She is member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters and Finnish Academy of Technology, Commander of the Order of the White Lion, Finland, and Chevalier de l’Ordre de Légion d’Honneur, France. She is Doctor honoris causa of three universities.
She has been a member of Heidelberg University’s Academic Advisory Council since 2008.
