Jan Nilsson is professor of experimental cardiovascular research at Lund University, Sweden. He received his MD, PhD and specialist training in internal medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

He has been associate professor of cell biology and professor of medicine at the Karolinska Institute. Jan Nilsson has been visiting professor of medicine at UCLA, chairman of the Atherosclerosis Working Group of the European Society of Cardiology, dean of the medical school at Lund University, deputy chairman of the Swedish Research Council and chairman of the Scientific Board of the Swedish Heart and Lung foundation.

He is a member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences and chairman of the board of Karolinska Institute. His research is focused on the role of inflammation and immunity in atherosclerosis with particular emphasis on development of novel therapies.