Lilja Kjalarsdottir

Lilja Kjalarsdottir, Ph.D. has extensive work experience in various roles and industries. Lilja currently serves as a Mentor at KLAK - Venture Mentoring Service. Prior to this, they were the Head of R&D business operation and strategy at Alvotech, leading a technical services team responsible for lab performance and functionality. Lilja has also worked as an Adjunct Professor at Reykjavik University and as the Chief Executive Officer and COO at SagaNatura, where they oversaw daily operations and strategic planning. Lilja has served as a Board Member at AlgaNatura AS and as a Senior Researcher at Landspitali University Hospital. Lilja has also held significant positions at Genís, where they worked as the Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Research and Development. Earlier in their career, they were a Postdoctoral Fellow at Duke University and a Graduate Student at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Lilja started their research career as an Undergraduate Research Assistant at the University of Iceland.

Lilja Kjalarsdottir, Ph.D., received their Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Biochemistry from Háskóli Íslands in 2005. Lilja then went on to pursue their Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Biomedical Sciences, General from UT Southwestern Medical Center, completing it in 2011. Prior to that, Lilja obtained a Matriculation Examination with an emphasis on Natural and Physical Sciences from Fjölbrautaskóli Garðabæjar College in 2001. In 2021, they obtained a certification in Leiðtogi í fjármögnun og fjárfestingum from Akademias.