Second cohort announced for Mats Sundin Fellows in Human Developmental Health

Mar 3, 2026

*Former hockey star Mats Sundin established the Mats Sundin Fellows in Human Developmental Health exchange program, now entering its second year.*

With scientific discovery increasingly dependent on international collaboration, a major partnership between Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet (KI) and the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine is renewing a commitment to developing the next generation of global leaders in human developmental health research.

This year, the two institutions will welcome a second cohort of Mats Sundin Fellows in Human Developmental Health – a two-way exchange that places an early-career researcher from U of T in KI laboratories for two years, while a counterpart from KI undertakes the same immersive experience in Toronto.

With the guidance and mentorship of principal investigators at their renowned host institutions, the fellows will pursue research examining how conditions and exposures in the first 2,000 days following conception shape health across the lifespan.

The Sundin Fellowships are largely made possible thanks to the philanthropic support of former professional hockey player Mats Sundin, who captained both the National Hockey League’s Toronto Maple Leafs and Sweden’s national team. With deep connections to both Canada and Sweden, Sundin has long described Stockholm and Toronto as his “two hometowns.”

‘Teamwork is everything’

“In hockey, teamwork is everything – and science is no different,” Sundin says. “As an athlete, I know how much stronger you become when you are surrounded by great teammates. Both KI and U of T are world-renowned for their leadership in human development research, and bringing young scientists into these new environments exposes them to the very best thinking in the field. My family and I are very proud to be supporting these experiences.”

Per Uhlén, professor of medical biochemistry and biophysics at KI, will mentor the 2026 U of T Sundin Fellow, Delphine Ji, a doctoral candidate in physiology. Ji’s research at KI will focus on how disruptions in early brain development contribute to autism spectrum disorder and related neurodevelopmental conditions.

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Together with Uhlén, Ji will apply advanced whole-brain 3D imaging and spatial transcriptomics techniques to examine how mutations in the CACNA1C gene alter neural development at the cellular and circuit level. By integrating animal models, human cerebral organoids and cutting-edge imaging tools, the project aims to shed new light on how early molecular changes translate into long-term neurological outcomes.

In Toronto, Aleksandrina Goeva, assistant professor of computational biology at the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, an affiliate with the departments of molecular genetics, computer science and the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence at U of T, will host the 2026 KI Sundin Fellow, Roberto Ballarino.

Ballarino’s postdoctoral research aims to build detailed maps of the developing brain by analyzing gene expression and RNA splicing at single-cell resolution. While based at U of T’s Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, he and Goeva will apply machine-learning approaches to large-scale single-cell and spatial transcriptomic data to uncover rare and transient cell state signaling and cell-cell communication during early brain development.

A composite photo of a man and woman's headshots

By developing advanced computational approaches, this project aims to identify early biological signals that mark critical turning points in brain development and uncover windows of opportunity for intervention.

A path to stronger science

At its core, the Sundin Fellowships are built on a simple premise: meaningful exposure to different research cultures and ways of thinking leads to stronger science.

“Leaps in understanding often come from stepping into a new environment and learning from different mentors,” says Stephen Matthews, professor of physiology, obstetrics and gynaecology and medicine at U of T and one of the program’s leads. “The Sundin Fellowships give early-career researchers the time, resources and support to fully immerse themselves in another world-leading lab and scientific culture.”

Kristiina Tammimies, senior lecturer of neurogenetics and director of doctoral education in KI’s Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, adds that fully funded, multi-year international exchanges like the Sundin Fellowships are increasingly rare – and deeply formative.

“These experiences will shape how Sundin Fellows think, how they collaborate and how they build their careers,” she says. “Their influence extends well beyond their immediate research project to the investigations Sundin Fellows will lead for decades to come.”

Training, mentorship and collaboration

As preparations get underway for the 2026 Sundin Fellows to begin their time abroad, leaders at both institutions emphasize that the program represents a long-term investment in scientific capacity, not just individual projects. “Training, mentorship and collaboration are the essential foundations of good scientists and good science as a whole,” Matthews says. “The Sundin Fellowship strengthens all three.”

For Tammimies, the announcement of a new cohort of Sundin Fellows also carries special meaning, coming just three months following the loss of Ola Hermanson, a professor of neuroscience at KI and a longtime champion of the program.

“The Sundin Fellowships meant a great deal to Professor Hermanson,” she says. “He believed deeply in international mentorship as a cornerstone of scientific progress, and he would have been so pleased to see this next generation of Sundin Fellows begin their journeys.”

Originally published by Temerty Faculty of Medicine