Alar Karis
President of Estonia
Alar Karis is an Estonian molecular geneticist and developmental biologist. He has served as the President of the Republic of Estonia since 11 October 2021.
Alar Karis was born on 26 March 1958 in Tartu.
He graduated from the Estonian Agricultural Academy (now the Estonian University of Life Sciences) in 1981. He was awarded a Master of Science degree in 1987. Alar Karis has worked in a variety of research institutes in Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. He was awarded the status of professor at the University of Tartu in 1999. His research has been among the most widely cited internationally of any Estonian scientist of his generation.
Alar Karis was one of the co-founders of Visgenyx, a company which grew out of the University of Tartu and undertook research and development in the field of biotechnology.
Alar Karis was elected rector of the University of Tartu in 2007. He has also served as the rector of the Estonian University of Life Sciences, as the Auditor-General of the Republic of Estonia and as the head of the EUROSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing (EUROSAI WGEA). He has led the work of Universities Estonia (the national council of university rectors) a number of times.
Prior to being elected president, Alar Karis was working as the director of the Estonian National Museum.
He has previously been a member of the Academic Council and Academic Advisory Board of the President of the Republic and of the Research and Development Council; a member of the supervisory boards of the Estonian Fund for Nature, the European University Association, the International Council of Archives, the International Council of Museums, the museums of the University of Tartu and the Estonian Literary Museum; a member of the advisory board to the Entrepreneurship & Living Environment Development Division of Enterprise Estonia; and the chairman of the supervisory boards of the Estonian Development Fund and (from 2020-2021) the Estonian University of Life Sciences.
Alar Karis served as the honorary consul to the Republic of Chile in Estonia from 2010-2021.
He has been awarded the Order of the White Star, 4th class. He is also a recipient of the Commander’s cross of the Order of Leopold II of Belgium, the Commander’s cross of the Royal Order of the Polar Star of Sweden, the Commander’s cross of the Order of the Lion of Finland, the Latvian Cross of Recognition, 3rd class and Order of the National Coat of Arms chain, and the Royal Order of the Seraphim of the Kingdom of Sweden.
Alar Karis is married to Sirje Karis. They have three children
