We are proud to announce that our team member and former PhD student Meenakshi Pradhan, successfully defended her thesis: “Meta-organismal view of cardiometabolic diseases” today.

After a thorough and insightful discussion led by opponent Professor Mani Arumugam, the evaluation committee was fully convinced of the outstanding quality of Meenakshi’s work.

We thank the Evaluation Committee:
Chair: Professor & Specialist MD Elmir Omerovic (GU) and Committe members: Professor Tove Fall (Uppsala University) and Professor Margit Mahlapuu (GU).

A heartfelt congratulations also goes to her supervisory team — main supervisor Fredrik Bäckhed and co‑supervisor Valentina Tremaroli — who could not be prouder of her achievement.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this day truly unforgettable. We wish Meenaskhi all the best in her new position as Postdoctoral researcher in pediatrics in research group SYMBIO, headed by Christina West, at the Umeå University as of January 2026!