Åsa Mackenzie, PhD

Åsa Mackenzie (Wallén-Mackenzie), PhD, is a Senior Lecturer of Molecular Neuroanatomy at Lund University. Dr. Mackenzie joined Lund University in 2025, where she is also a full member of MitoPark and affiliated with Birgit Rausing Centre for Medical Humanities. Her research focuses on the subthalamus, its anatomy and function in normal health, and its dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease and affective disorder. Her laboratory utilizes molecular, histological, optogenetic, and behavioral approaches. In recent years, her research team has contributed to current understanding of dopamine-glutamate co-release and to molecular and functional knowledge of the subthalamic and para-subthalamic nuclei. Dr. Mackenzie received her PhD from Karolinska Institutet in 2002, and undertook postdoctoral training at AstraZeneca and Uppsala University. Dr. Mackenzie established her independent research group in 2008, and  held the position as Chair in Molecular Physiology at Uppsala University (2015-2025). During 2021-2022, Dr. Mackenzie was a visiting professor at Université de Bordeaux.