Juleen Zierath is presently professor of clinical integrative physiology and head of the Section of Integrative Physiology at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery and the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Karolinska lnstitutet. She is also appointed professor at the University of Copenhagen, where she is executive director at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research. 

Zierath’s research has provided evidence for the physiological regulation of insulin signaling pathways in skeletal muscle, revealing key steps that are impaired in diabetic patients. As an exercise physiologist, she has a long-standing interest in the health–promoting benefits of physical exercise. The ultimate goal of her work is to identify and validate molecular candidates to prevent or treat insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. Improving insulin sensitivity should alleviate diabetic complications and enrich the quality of life for the diabetic patient. 

Zierath is past president of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes and the European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes. She is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Nobel Assembly. She was chair of the Nobel Committee at Karolinska lnstitutet between 2013 and 2015 and is currently an adjunct member of this committee.