معرفی
Jonas Olofsson is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Stockholm University, where he has been employed since 2009, progressing from Assistant Professor to his current position. He also holds an Adjunct Associate Professor position at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, New York University since 2016. Olofsson is a Wallenberg Academy Fellow (since 2018) and has received numerous prestigious fellowships including Pro Futura Scientia (2012-2017).
His educational background includes:
- PhD in Psychology from Umeå University (2008)
- Postdoctoral research at Northwestern University (2009-2011) and Stockholm Brain Institute (2008-2009)
- Research fellowship at The Scripps Research Institute (2005-2006)
Professor Olofsson's research focuses on perception, memory and emotion, with a specialized focus on olfaction (the sense of smell) and how it interacts with these cognitive processes. His work investigates whether olfaction can serve as an early marker for dementia, why smell naming is particularly challenging, if smell-based video games can be used for brain training, and how odors influence social processes. He employs a variety of behavioral and brain activity methods in his research, bridging cognitive psychology with neuroscience.
His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on the intersection of olfaction with broader cognitive and neurological processes. Key trends include examining olfactory deficits as predictors of cognitive decline (particularly related to Alzheimer's disease), the relationship between smell loss and COVID-19, cross-modal effects between olfaction and visual processing, and the development of smell-based interventions for cognitive training. His work spans multiple disciplines including cognitive neuroscience, clinical psychology, and social psychology.
Among his notable scientific achievements:
- Wallenberg Academy Fellow (since 2016), a career program providing long-term funding for promising researchers
- Fellow of the Young Academy of Sweden (since 2015), an independent cross-disciplinary forum for promising young researchers
- Fellow of Pro Futura Scientia (since 2012), a research program for promising researchers in humanities and social sciences
- Recipient of the 2010 prize for young researchers in Psychology by the Swedish National Committee for Psychological Sciences
- The Fulker award (2009) for best article in the journal Behavior Genetics
- Elected member of The Swedish National Committee for Psychological Sciences (2020)
Olofsson has secured substantial research funding totaling 74 million Swedish Krona (9 million USD), with 44 million SEK as principal investigator. His major grants include the Wallenberg Academy Fellowship (2016, with a 5-year prolongation in 2021), a Consolidator grant from the Swedish Research Council (2020), and several project grants focused on smell-based brain training, the relationship between olfaction and dementia, and social aspects of odor perception. He leads a research team investigating various aspects of olfactory cognition and has collaborated extensively with researchers at Stockholm University, Karolinska Institute, and international institutions.
His research group operates within the Department of Psychology at Stockholm University, utilizing behavioral testing and brain imaging methods to investigate olfactory cognition. They have developed innovative approaches including "NoseWise," a video game platform for smell-based brain training, and have established connections with the Stockholm University Brain Imaging Center (SUBIC).
