David Engblom, professor of neurobiology at Linköping University in Sweden, has been awarded the 2026 Onker Adam Prize for outstanding research at Linköping University Faculty of Medicine. He studies the brain’s role in making you feel sick in various medical conditions.
Think about how you felt the last time you had a cold or flu. Have you been feeling a little depressed, avoiding interacting with others, and feeling diffusely unwell? Perhaps. This type of depression is caused by inflammation in the body activating the immune system, and can also occur in lifelong conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. but why? David Engblom has dedicated his research career to understanding how inflammation in the body affects brain function and behavior.
It’s very easy to connect this to the human suffering we want to alleviate. Research can contribute to the knowledge needed for treatment and care. The brain is also very interesting in terms of understanding how it works. ”
David Engblom, Professor of Neurobiology, Linköping University
He claims that he became a researcher completely by chance. He studied medicine and began research midway through his program. The idea was to go back to studying after a while, but one thing led to another. And that was lucky. According to the jury’s citation, he “represents outstanding scientific research achievements that have resulted in a series of prestigious awards and grants.”
“On days like this, I think I’m really glad I became a scientist. I think you should keep jumping at opportunities throughout your life. If you have very rigid ideas about what you should do from the beginning, you can miss out on a lot of opportunities that present themselves along the way,” says David Engblom.
In addition to his research successes, David Engblom has also received awards as a university teacher. He primarily teaches at the medical program he once attended. Medical students have awarded him the “Candidat Cork” teaching award at least five times.
“I am delighted that David Engblom has received the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences’ largest and most prestigious research award. In addition to his outstanding and outstanding research, David has also made a significant contribution in the teaching and university context,” said Lena Jonasson, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Linköping University, who led the award committee’s nomination work.
This year’s prize amount is SEK 400,000 and will be awarded individually to David Engblom. He highlights himself, his doctoral students, his research colleagues, and the students he has worked with over the years:
“Research is in many ways a team effort. At the beginning of my career as a researcher, I was actively participating in experiments and doing practical research work, but now my role is similar to that of a coach on a football team. It’s no longer me who scores the goals, but the research team.”
Onkel Adam Award
The Onkel Adam Prize was established in 2020 through a gift to Linköping University’s Jubilee Foundation by Bengt Norman, a descendant of Onkel Adam. The purpose of the award is to promote medical research at the university while honoring Onkel Adam’s memory. Onkel Adam was a famous pen name used by Karl Anton Wetterberg, a doctor, writer, publicist and politician who lived in Linköping in the 19th century.
