Jorge Ruas

Jorge Ruas is a Professor of Molecular Physiology and Principal Investigator at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet. He holds a Pharm.D. from the University of Lisbon and a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences from Karolinska Institutet. His postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School focused on skeletal muscle physiology. He became Associate Professor in 2016 and Professor in 2020, leading the Molecular and Cellular Exercise Physiology research group (The Ruas Lab).

• Academic Roles: Professor (2020–present), Associate Professor (2016–2020)
• Education: Pharm.D. (University of Lisbon, 1995), Ph.D. (Karolinska Institutet, 2005)
• Postdoc: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School (2006–2011)

Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of exercise benefits, skeletal muscle adaptations, inter-organ communication, metabolic pathways, and the role of myokines in health and disease. His work explores how exercise mediates resilience to stress-induced depression and metabolic disorders.

Awards:

• Med. Dr. Axel Hirsch Prize (2022)
• Novo Nordisk Foundation Ascending Investigator (2019)
• Human Frontier Science Program Young Investigator Award (2014)

Grants & Funding:

• Swedish Research Council Consolidator Grant (2016)
• VR grants for FyFa researchers (2022)

Labs & Teams: The Ruas Lab focuses on translating exercise-based research into therapeutic strategies for metabolic and neurological diseases. Collaborations include the University of Lisbon’s Faculty of Pharmacy and international institutions.