Weili Xu
Lecturer senior
Associate Professor & Senior Researcher
About me
I earned Ph.D. in Geriatric Epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet in 2008. During 2008-2012, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher. Thereafter, I was rewarded the 4-year funding for a Research Associate position (forskarassistent) from the Board of Research, KI during 2013-2016. From 2017, I have been employed as a senior researcher. So far, I have supervised 7 PhD students (2 current and 5 defended)v at KI.
Research description
My research has been focusing on cardio- and metabolic-disorder, nutrition, brain/cognitive aging and dementing disorders. Specific research lines of major interest are: (1) the impact of cardio-metabolic disorders on brain aging and cognitive phenotypes from cognitive aging, and cognitive impairment to dementia, (2) the role of nutrition and diet in cognitive aging, (3) the influences of poor sensory function on cognitive decline and brain MRI changes, (4) the exploration of compensatory factors for dementia risk in cardio-metabolic diseases, and (5) dementia and care utilization.
Members of the research group:
Abigail Dove, PhD student
Sakura Sakakibara, PhD student
Jie Guo, Postdoc
Michelle Dunk, Postdoc
Johan Fastbom, Professor
Anders Sköldunger, Associate Professor (affiliated)
Research funding:
FORTE
Swedish Research Council
Konung Gustaf V:s och Drottning Victorias Frimurarestiftelse
Alzheimerfonden
Education
PhD, Karolinska Institutet: 2008
Associate professor: 2013
Senior researcher: 2017
Academic honours, awards and prizes
“The Best Clinical Diabetological Dissertation, 2008” from Swedish Diabetes Association (Svensk Förening för Diabetologi)