PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Carl Henrik Ek

Carl Henrik Ek is a machine learning researcher whose work spans statistical learning, music generation, and drug-combination prediction. After an MEng in Vehicle Engineering at KTH, he earned a PhD from Oxford Brookes University in 2009, researched in Manchester and Sheffield, and conducted postdoctoral work at UC Berkeley. In 2017, he and Iman Malik coauthored a model that learns to perform sheet music; Ek joined Cambridge as Senior Lecturer in Machine Learning in June 2020 after teaching at KTH and Bristol. In 2023, he became a visiting professor at Karolinska; in 2024, Cambridge promoted him to Professor of Statistical Learning and he won a Pilkington Prize for teaching. Since October 2025, he serves as Deputy Director of Postgraduate Education (Researcher Development) at Cambridge, where he is principal lecturer for Explainable & Interpretable AI in 2026–27 and coauthors a 2026 paper on drug-combination prediction.

Works
163
Citations
2,190
h-index
23
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 27 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. By 2020

    Doctoral research and musical translation

    After an MEng in Vehicle Engineering at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Ek earns a PhD from Oxford Brookes University in 2009 under supervisors Neil Lawrence and Phil Torr. During his doctorate, he spends two years as a research assistant in the University of Manchester’s Machine Learning and Optimisation group and six months as a visitor in the University of Sheffield’s Machine Learning group; he conducts postdoctoral research at UC Berkeley with Trevor Darrell and Raquel Urtasun. He teaches at KTH from 2010 to 2015 and at the University of Bristol from 2016 to 2020, and in 2017 coauthors *Neural Translation of Musical Style* with Iman Malik, a model that learns to perform sheet music.

  2. June 2020

    Senior Lecturer at Cambridge

    In June 2020, Ek joins the Computer Laboratory at the University of Cambridge as Senior Lecturer in Machine Learning.

  3. November 2023

    Visiting professor at Karolinska

    From November 2023, Ek serves as Visiting Professor of Machine Learning at Karolinska Institutet’s Department of Clinical Science and Education at Söder Hospital. The role supports clinical researchers who develop machine learning projects from health data.

  4. 2024

    Professor and a teaching prize

    In 2024, Cambridge promotes Ek from Associate Professor to Professor of Statistical Learning. He receives the 2024 Pilkington Prize for teaching.

  5. Since October 2025

    Postgraduate leadership and AI work

    Ek is Professor of Statistical Learning at the University of Cambridge and, since October 2025, serves as Deputy Director of Postgraduate Education (Researcher Development) in its Department of Computer Science and Technology. In 2026–27, he is principal lecturer for the course Explainable & Interpretable Artificial Intelligence. In 2026, he coauthors *DeepSynBa: actionable drug combination prediction with complete dose-response profiles*. He is a Fellow and Director of Studies at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and co-directs the UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Decision Making for Complex Systems, a Cambridge–Manchester collaboration.

Career

  1. Since 2025University of CambridgeDeputy Director of Postgraduate Education (Researcher Development)
  2. Since 2024University of CambridgeProfessor of Statistical Learning
  3. Since 2023Karolinska InstitutetVisiting Professor of Machine Learning
  4. NowPembroke College, University of CambridgeFellow and Director of Studies
  5. NowUniversity of CambridgeCo-director, UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Decision Making for Complex Systems
  6. Until 2024University of CambridgeAssociate Professor
  7. From 2020University of CambridgeSenior Lecturer in Machine Learning, Computer Laboratory
  8. 2016–2020University of BristolLecturer
  9. 2010–2015KTH Royal Institute of TechnologyLecturer
  10. University of ManchesterResearch Assistant, Machine Learning and Optimisation group
  11. University of SheffieldVisitor, Machine Learning group
  12. University of California, BerkeleyPostdoctoral Researcher
  13. University of BristolSenior Lecturer

Education

  1. 2016KTH Royal Institute of TechnologyDocent in Machine Learning
  2. 2009Oxford Brookes UniversityPhD
  3. KTH Royal Institute of TechnologyMEng in Vehicle Engineering

From the biography and OpenAlex affiliations (the years of papers that list the organization), so some years are approximate.

Checked career sources: carlhenrik.com, ki.se, carlhenrik.com, cst.cam.ac.uk.

Colleagues

People named in this biography, and people with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

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  1. About carlhenrik.com. Checked 27 October 2026.
  2. New faculty in Computer Science cst.cam.ac.uk. Checked 27 October 2026.
  3. Carl Henrik Ek | Karolinska Institutet ki.se. Checked 27 October 2026.
  4. Teaching carlhenrik.com. Checked 27 October 2026.
  5. Neural Translation of Musical Style arxiv.org. Checked 27 October 2026.
  6. Six colleagues' achievements recognised with Senior Academic Promotions cl.cam.ac.uk. Checked 27 October 2026.
  7. 'For excellence in teaching' - Dr Carl Henrik Ek wins a Pilkington Prize cst.cam.ac.uk. Checked 27 October 2026.
  8. Department of Computer Science and Technology: Roles and responsibilities – People cl.cam.ac.uk. Checked 27 October 2026.
  9. Explainable & Interpretable Artificial Intelligence cl.cam.ac.uk. Checked 27 October 2026.
  10. Publications carlhenrik.com. Checked 27 October 2026.