Born in Helsingborg, Sweden, grew up in Skummeslöv, Municipality of Laholm, Halland. High school studies in Halmstad, Technical chemistry program. Age 19 moved to Umeå for university molecular biology studies 1990-1994. Did an internship and later PhD in Zoophysiology (1995-2001) studying the genetics of biochemical enzymes in the polyamine pathway. Was responsible for undergraduate programs in cell biology and physiology with both lab assistance and lecturing. Moved to Memphis, USA, and the St Jude Children's Research Hospital for postdoc 2001-2004. Started own research group studying the Myc oncogene at Umeå University 2005-2011. Trained four PhDs and then moved to Sahlgrenska Cancer Center at University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Here he lead the Sahlgrenska Translational Melanoma Group (SATMEG, www.satmeg.se) together with his wife and colleague Lisa Nilsson, the surgeon Roger Olofsson Bagge and the oncologist Lars Ny. This group has conducted preclinical, translational and clinical studies in melanoma published in major journals including Nature, Nature Genetics, Nature Medicine, Annals of Oncology, Immunity, Nature Communications, Science Translational Medicine and PNAS. From 2018-2020, Director of Sahlgrenska Cancer Center. From Nov 2020, Chair of Melanoma Discovery at Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research in Perth, Western Australia. He keeps his translational research group in Sweden and before moving to Australia started a small start-up company (SATMEG Ventures AB) with his colleagues from SATMEG and with veterinary oncologist Henrik Rönnberg.