Ola Engkvist

Ola Engkvist is Professor in Machine Learning and AI for molecular design at Chalmers University of Technology (since 2021) and concurrently serves as Senior Director, Head of Molecular AI in Discovery Sciences R&D at AstraZeneca (since 2004). He holds a PhD in Computational Chemistry from Lund University and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Cambridge and Czech Academy of Sciences.

His research focuses on transformative applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning in drug discovery, particularly leveraging generative AI to accelerate chemical space exploration, predict molecular properties, and optimize synthetic routes. He leads computational chemistry teams developing AI solutions for biopharmaceutical R&D.

Professional recognition includes:

• Trustee appointment at Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (2021)
• Keynote speaker at ELRIG Drug Discovery 2018

He leads AstraZeneca's Discovery Sciences Computational Chemistry team, collaborating with external experts to advance AI-driven drug design innovation.