Ekelund obtained his PhD from Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm Sweden 2002 followed by 1 year post doc position at the Medical research Council Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, UK. He was appointed as investigator scientist and group leader at MRC Epidemiology Unit, between 2003 and 2012. He is member of the editorial board for Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise and Journal of Physical Activity and Health. He is Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and serves as international trustee on the executive board for ACSM (2016-19). Ekelund's research focus on the associations between sedentary time, physical activity and non-communicable diseases throughout the lifecourse.