Biography
President of Academia Europaea, former Vice-President for Research and Innovation of the University of Helsinki and Director of Biocenter Finland, former member of the Prime Minister’s Research and Innovation Council Finland and the Governing Board of the European Institute for Innovation and Technology EIT
Marja Makarow is President of Academia Europaea as of January 2022, after having ended her term as Director of Biocenter Finland. She is former Vice-President of the Finnish Research Council – Academy of Finland, Chief Executive of the European Science Foundation, and Vice-President for Research and Innovation and Professor of Applied Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the University of Helsinki.
She had a leading role in university mergers in Finland that lead to the creation of the Aalto university and the Tampere University. She chaired Technology Academy Finland that awards the global Millennium Technology Prize for ground-breaking innovations. She has advised the EC in the European Research Area Board and the Finnish Government in the Prime Minister’s Research and Innovation Council, and assessed research & innovation systems for national governments.
She is Commander of the Order of the White Lion, Finland and Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur, France.