Research at Stockholm University
The idea of a modern university in the spirit of the Enlightenment has characterised Stockholm University ever since its inception. Rooted in Europe’s nearly thousand-year-old university tradition, it is intimately associated with the emergence of contemporary society and the explosive development of science. ASTRID SÖDERBERGH WIDDING
President
Sweden was ranked as the second most innovative country in the world in the 2017 Global Innovation Index and strives to be one of the world’s most innovative and research-intensive nations.
A place for free minds and new findings Stockholm University, in the capital of Sweden, is a major Swedish research university distinguished by its focus on basic research.
Vice-Chancellor Astrid Söderbergh Widding at the conferment ceremony at the Stockholm City Hall.
Stockholm University integrates research and education in its two scientific areas, Human Science and Science, and strives to develop collaboration across disciplinary boundaries. Since being founded as a radical alternative in 1878, Stockholm University is characterized by openness, innovation and by its active role in society. Already in 1878 it appointed Sweden’s first female professor. Today its scientists contribute to the development of public policy and
political decision-making, and also participate in Nobel Prize Committees and international expert bodies. Stockholm University is ranked as one of the top 100 universities in the world, and its research is nationally leading and internationally prominent in many fields. Over the years, Stockholm University has counted five Nobel laureates and one recipient of the Prize in Economic Sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel among its faculty.
Stockholm has a higher number of start-ups per capita than any other European city and one of the largest life science clusters in Europe.
Research profile areas
Astrophysics, Cosmology and Particle Physics From the smallest building blocks of the universe to how galaxies form and evolve over billions of years; this entire range is covered by the University’s internationally leading research in particle physics and astronomy.
Atomic and Chemical Physics Spanning many fields, this area covers studies of single isolated atoms to fundamental molecular processes in bulk water.
Biological Membranes Cell membranes are critical components of all living cells. The Centre for Biomembrane Research conducts unique research on the proteins that constitute a large part of these membranes.
Catalysis in Organic Chemistry Researchers in this field conduct internationally leading research into new selective reaction methods.
Children’s Rights and Conditions
Economy and Environment
This area includes studies of children’s rights and vulnerability. It also focuses on children’s culture in society: literature, music, film, and theatre productions aimed at children, as well as the portrayal of children and young people in various artistic expressions.
Research in this area focuses on different ways to govern nations, regions, organisations, and institutions.
Climate, Seas and Environment Two key issues in the field of Climate, Seas and Environment are how the Earth’s climate and ecosystems function and how they are affected by human activity. Understanding these issues requires a holistic approach and interdisciplinary working methods.
Crime and Punishment Research on crime and punishment is conducted in a wide range of disciplines, including criminology, economic history, history, journalism, and law.
Cultural Heritage, Historical Artefacts and Processes Historical studies is a field of research encompassing many disciplines focusing on, for example, what is used, changed, and passed down in the interaction between people.
Gene-Environment Interactions Interactions between genes and the environment affect all life. Research in this area focuses on these interactions, including populations adapting to their surroundings and cells responding to environmental change at the mechanistic level.
Language and Language Acquisition Stockholm University offers more than thirty language programmes, and the research at the language departments covers a variety of specialisations within linguistics and literature.
Mathematical Theory Development and Modelling Mathematical structures play a key role in much of scientific theory development. In mathematics, research is conducted with close ties to theories and models formulated in both the natural and social sciences.
Normativity, Law and Ethics This research area reflects and analyses norms and boundaries, as well as the possibilities and limitations of normativity with a focus on ethical issues relating to human social attitudes.
Transnationalism and Migration This profile area studies population changes as a result of transnational migration in both the past and the present.
Materials Chemistry
Welfare and Democracy
Research in materials chemistry focuses on the production and study of materials with unique properties that are important to sustainable energy production and energy use, as well as environment and health.
Research in welfare and democracy views economic and social equality, as well as health equity, as essential parts of a sustainable welfare society, and focuses on issues relating to education, employment, gender equality, age, income, stress, and physical and mental (un)health.
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Researchers at the Department of Sociology use data tied to Swedish personal numbers to answer complex questions about family dynamics and other population processes. Gunhild Rosqvist and Pia Eriksson at the Department of Physical Geography measure receding ice layers at the Research Station in Tarfala.
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Francisco Lacerda at the Department of Linguistics studies how infants learn language.
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Through Viking age grave analysis, archeologists at the Department of Archeology have discovered that war was not an activity exclusive to men in the Viking world.
EXTERNAL Human Science: 45 million EUR Science: 88 million EUR
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A recent study from the Department of Sociology reveals that shared physical custody results in less stress for children than previously thought.
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Marine research vessel Electra used by the Baltic Sea Centre has stateof-the-art equipment for water and sediment sampling.
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Peter Reinhed at the Department of Physics with storage ring DESIREE (Double ElectroStatic Ion Ring ExpEriment), which helps explain molecular processes in the universe.
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Researchers in the Arctic study the development of sea ice during one of several international expeditions with the icebreaker Oden.
GOVERNMENT
133 million EUR
153 million EUR
Human Science: 72 million EUR Science: 81 million EUR
Funding to Stockholm University in 2016
su.se/research Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden