Nélida Leiva Eriksson

CEO & Associate Professor

Dr. Nélida Leiva Eriksson is a visionary biotechnology leader shaping the future of nutrition, food systems, and planetary health. Originally from Peru, she obtained her PhD in Applied Biochemistry and operates at the frontier where science, entrepreneurship, and societal transformation converge. She is the Founder and CEO of Ironic Biotech and an Associate Professor at Lund University.
Driven by the belief that longevity with how we nourish both people and the planet, Dr. Leiva Eriksson pioneers next generation nutrition solutions designed for a resource constrained world. At Ironic Biotech, she leads the creation of non animal, bioavailable heme iron ingredients through precision fermentation, reimagining how essential nutrients can be produced sustainably, ethically, and at global scale.
In academia, she directs a research group at Lund University exploring iron metabolism as a living system, using systems biology and in silico modelling to connect plants, microorganisms, and human health. Her work reframes nutrition not as a single intervention, but as a networked biological and ecological process embedded in larger food and health systems.
Dr. Leiva Eriksson has worked and continues collaborating with international partners including Cornell University, the University of Essex, and Harvard Medical School to accelerate innovation from lab to society. Her expertise spans synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, and precision fermentation, with a focus on translating deep science into real world impact.
Through her dual role as scientist and entrepreneur, Dr. Leiva Eriksson contributes to a society, where resilient food systems, equitable nutrition, and environmental stewardship become foundational pillars of longer, healthier lives for all.