We often talk about how humans affect nature, as if we weren’t part of nature ourselves.
GUJournal DELIANG CHEN PAGE 10
INDEPENDENT JOURNAL FOR THE STAFF AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG #1 MARCH 2018
AMONG HUMBLE MANAGERS LOTTA DELLVE ON SUPPORTING LEADERS
NEWS
New deans and heads NEWS
Darwin and literature REPORT
Visiting researchers in town
VICE-CHANCELLOR The general election and a number of inquiries affect us in 2018
... in 2017 we began to plan for a review of the university’s preparation and decision processes.
T THIS TIME every year our finance unit puts the finishing touches to the university’s annual report. One of my tasks as Vice-Chancellor is to write an introduction, a task which is also a unique opportunity to summarise and assess everything that has happened in the past year. But it is also an opportunity to look forward and to think about what will affect our activities over the coming year. HERE, I SHALL ONLY look at a few of the activities and changes that I believe most of you will notice and, to a greater or lesser extent, be affected by during the year. The first thing I will be thinking about is the major change in management that will occur when a large number of heads of department and deans leave us, something you can read more about elsewhere in this publication. One of the external activities that will greatly affect all the country’s universities is without doubt the inquiry into the future control and financing of universities and colleges - Control for strong and responsible educational institutions. The main purpose of the inquiry is to improve our sector’s conditions for working in a more long-term and flexible way and with more room to manoeuvre when it comes to promotion, diversity and innovation. However the model finally looks in detail, it will mean a greater requirement for every single university and college to take responsibility for autonomy and to develop its strategic abilities. To ensure that we at the University of
Gothenburg shall strengthen our strategic abilities, in 2017 we began to plan for a review of the university’s preparation and decision processes. This work will commence very soon and I hope it will have great significance for our activities, not least when it comes to the objective of having the highest quality in everything we do. Another quality-raising measure of a strategic nature that will involve many people is the work on a new research evaluation, RED19. With this, we will not only gain a very good picture of the research assets that we have at our disposal as a single university. Above all, we shall use the evaluation in a forward-looking and development-directed manner. RED19 will also be an excellent starting point for the next work on our vision, work that will eventually result in a replacement for Vision 2020. THERE WILL BE a general election in Sweden on 9 September. Although there is little at present to indicate that higher education issues will be at the focal point of the politicians’ interest, this remains to be seen. Because, as educational institutions, we have much of the knowledge and competence that the politicians need to develop and strengthen the welfare of all of us.
EVA WIBERG
Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
good advice MASTHEAD Some for the new managers WELCOME TO THE YEAR’S first and very full sized GU Journalen of 52 pages. Of course, it is our ambition to reflect what happens at GU, but we still only succeed in scraping the surface here and there. There is still a great deal to keep an eye on. We must humbly realise that the University of Gothenburg is large, dynamic and diverse.
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Its research and education is essentially free, but structures, bureaucracy and systems can sometimes make us believe otherwise in moments of weakness. There is space here for so many good ideas and inspiring thoughts and discussions. The main article in this issue is about the major change in leadership, with around a dozen deans
and pro-deans to be appointed, and almost half of all the departments will have a new leadership. The Lotta Dellve profile has much good advice for the new management, including listening to the staff and being humble.
ALLAN ERIKSSON & EVA LUNDGREN
CONTENTS NEWS 04–11
04. Soon time to replace deans and heads. 06. Too much faith in the importance of the boss, says Nanna Gillberg. 07. What does it feel like to stop being a dean? 08. Discrimination at the Sahlgrenska academy. 09. Biographies over women – now on the internet. 10. Deliang Chen wants increased support for international work.
PROFILE 12–15
12. “The manager has to listen to the colleagues”, says Lotta Dellve.
REPORT 16–21
16.The importance of evolution in literature. 18. Arvid Carlsson hopes to revolutionize research. 20. New method can help patients with Parkinson’s disease. 21. GU in collaborations with South Africa and Japan
PEOPLE 22–24
22. Meet the visiting family that feels at home in Gothenburg. Biographies over women – now on the internet.
Eva Wiberg inaugerates the new University bridge in Mariestad.
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NEWS
Many new managers in progress The big leadership change does not worry Vice-Chancellor Eva Wiberg. “It would have been worse if everybody were replaced at the same time. We’ll have to see how many new deans and heads of department there will be. I am not worried but feel safe in the support that the University Board provides.” at vice-chancellor this past July, sees advantages in coming to the university at the right time when most deans and heads of department had been in their positions for several years. “For me the first six months have been a lot about familiarising myself with the activities so I am very grateful for the support shown by all deans and deputy vice-chancellors.” Four of the deans will leave their posts at the end of June. One thing that is settled is that the School of Business, Economics and Law’s preparatory body will suggest Per Cramér as dean for a new period. Almost half of the heads of departments’ commissions come to an end at the same time.
“THE FACT THAT so many are being
replaced is a truth with modification. It is not very likely that a completely new person will come in and take everything over. Some may be re-elected. Most people who aspire to a position of dean or head of department have worked in the organisation a longer period of time. There is a foundation to build on.” The new leaders are not likely to have an easy time in the beginning. The university is facing a number
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of great challenges including a new resource allocation and autonomy.
Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
EVA WIBERG, who took up her post
“DURING AUTUMN we must also
consider the continuation of Vision 2020, RED 19, UGOT Challenges and continue our work pertaining to salary structures, work environment, gender equality and internationalisation. For me it’s important to jointly discuss Pam Fredman’s Swedish Government Official Report ‘Struten’ and my external investigation on how decisions are prepared and made. It requires good collaboration and that we think about the comprehensive view rather than the individual parts. Currently a head of department or dean can hold their positions for six years, in some cases up to 12 years. That is much to long”, she thinks. “I think it is more reasonable to hold a review after three years with a possible extension of a further three years. If you have had a leadership position for too long it is difficult to come back to your research and education.”
ALL FACULTIES, except the Faculty
of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts, will recruit internally. “It is a relatively young faculty and it can be difficult to find internal
A good leader shall act but not be seen. They shall have the ability to see the needs of the operations rather than their own. EVA WIBERG
applicants with the correct skills and personal qualities.” Eva Wiberg points out that there must be a good balance between collegiality and the line management. “We generally need to reinforce the collegial influence and improve things such as rooting decisions and involving employees in the preparatory processes for decisions. In general we must separate that which is the operations and that which is the exercise of public authority. We currently often mix these things up.” Eva Wiberg does not think there is only one academic leadership ideal but a multitude. However, the foundation is the ability to listen to the operations as a whole. “A GOOD LEADER shall act but not be seen. They shall have the ability to see the needs of the operations rather than their own. In this world it’s not a great strategy to have an overly authoritarian leadership style but instead exercise leadership based on trust and clarity. And the realisation that everyone is part of a bigger context”, Eva Wiberg concludes.
ALLAN ERIKSSON
NEWS
GU’s new university management was installed last year, but most of the management changes will take place this year. Around a dozen deans and pro-deans will be appointed and the management of half the 39 departments will change on 1 July, depending on how many managers are re-appointed. Here is a list of those whose appointments end this summer. SAHLGRENSKA ACADEMY
THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION
THE FACULTY OF NATURAL SCIENCES
THE FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
Agneta Holmäng has been Dean since 1 January 2018. Eric Hanse is Acting Pro-Dean, pending a new election.
Dean: Åke Ingerman Pro-Dean: Monica Johansson
Dean: Elisabet Ahlberg Pro-Dean: Ola Wetterberg
Dean: Birger Simonson Pro-Dean: Malin Broberg
Earth Sciences
The School of Public Administration
Neuroscience and Physiology Head of Dep.: Jenny Nyström takes over from Agneta Holmäng. Deputy Head: Hans Nissbrandt
Odontology
Head of Dep.: Annika Ekestubbe Deputy Head: Agneta Robertsson
Health and Care Sciences
Head of Dep.: Ingela Lundgren Deputy Head: Carina Sparud Lundin
Medicine
Head of Dep.: Hans Carlsten Deputy Head: Henrik Sjövall
Biomedicine
Head of Dep., Anders Oldfors, will be retiring on 31 March 2018. Deputy Head, Magnus Braide, will be leaving at the same time.
Core Facilities
The Department of Education and Special Education Head of Dep.: Mona Arfs Deputy Head: Anette Olin
The Department of Pedagogical, Curricular and Professional Studies
Head of Dep.: Jonas Emanuelsson Deputy Head: Christina Osbeck
The Department of Food and Nutrition, and Sport Science
Head of Dep., Claes Annerstedt, left at the end of last year. Until 30 June 2018 Martin Nilsson Jacobi is Acting Head. A new Head of Dep. will be recruited externally. Deputy Head: Peter Korp:
THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, ECONOMICS AND LAW
Prefekt: Bosse Lagerqvist Proprefekt: Anneli Palmsköld
Marine Sciences
Head of Dep.: Per Hall Deputy Head: Henrik Pavia The two will switch positions on 1 July, with Per Hall becoming Deputy Head and Henrik Pavia becoming Head of Dep. .
THE FACULTY OF ARTS
Dean: Marie Demker Pro-Dean: Göran Larsson
Head of Dep.: Cecilia Rosengren Deputy Head: Arne Rasmusson Dean Per Cramér Pro-Dean Olof Johansson Stenman
Department of Law
Head of Dep.: Thomas Erhag Deputy Head: Sara Stendahl Dean: Ingrid Elam Pro-Dean: Johannes Landgren
Conservation
The Department of Literature, History of Ideas and Religion
Manager: Göran Larson
THE FACULTY OF FINE, APPLIED AND PERFORMING ARTS
Head of Dep.: Bosse Lagerqvist Deputy Head: Anneli Palmsköld
Languages and Literatures Head of Dep.: Gunnar Bergh Deputy Head: Katharina Vajta
Head of Dep.: Björn Rombach Deputy Head: Malgorzata Eriksson Leaving on 31 December 2018.
Journalism, Media and Communication
Head of Dep.: Ulla Sätereie Deputy Head: Monika Djerf-Pierre
Sociology and Work Science
Head of Dep.: Jan Carle Deputy Head: Birgitta Jordansson
THE IT FACULTY
Dean: Jan Smith Pro-Dean: Dick Stenberg
Applied Information Technology
Acting Head of Dep.: Alexander Almér A new Head of Dep. and Deputy Head will probably be appointed on 1 March 2018.
Swedish
Head of Dep.: Lena Rogström Deputy Head: Anna Hannesdóttir
Remains Resigns Re-ecelected?
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This year’s big shift in leadership at the University of Gothenburg will likely have no larger consequences. “We often have over-confidence in what new managers can achieve in the short term” says Nanna Gillberg, power researcher at Gothenburg Research Institute, GRI, the School of Business, Economics and Law. THE FACT THAT so many leaders are
replaced at the university in one year is exceptional, Nanna Gillberg points out. “It will be a record year but we must not forget that University of Gothenburg is a large, slow-moving organisation. On paper it’s an enormous change but most people at the University of Gothenburg will probably face this with ease. For the individual researcher who plod on and apply for external grants it will likely have no effect at all. We work on our special interests and cooperate with others in different micro environments, which is quite far removed for the every day of the head of department.” Nanna Gillberg points out that the question is difficult to answer as it depends on what power is defined as and what the significance is in relation to what. But based on a organisational perspective there are two different view points: One the one hand there are demands placed on organisations to be mobile, flexible and prone to change but on the other hand ideals such as a long-term perspective, continuity, stability and trust-based management are heralded.
“BUT IN A SHIFT of leadership there
are naturally interest groups on both sides that have something to win or lose. The two extremes think that
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Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
Big change on the paper the shift in leadership will cause greater changes than will occur in reality”, Nanna Gillberg says. New management can create both hopes and worry within a department, Nanna Gillberg points out. “YOU KNOW WHAT you’ve got but not what you’ll get. Those who have been happy with the old management perhaps feel worries while others are excited and see an opportunity for change and influence.” Nanna Gillberg thinks we have overconfidence in what new managers can bring about. “Six years is not a long time. It takes time to bring about changes in the world of academia. It is easy to become cynical and say that we’ve heard it before. But every new management that comes in with great commitment and energy wants to set the agenda and make a individual impression. You cannot just go on but must want to achieve something, otherwise you’re a politician with no vision.” A lot today is about protecting the own brand, it applies to both the individual researcher and the manager, Nanna Gillberg says. There are increasingly high demands placed on fast action. “IT IS NOT so strange that new managers usually set in motion a organisational change. However, the question is whether the positive effects one was hoping for will have time to come to fruition before the next management start all over again. The risk is that we go back to square one. At the same time it is of course good that there are new people coming into leading positions. It is never good to remain for too long in the corridors of power.” She also thinks that the trend of recruiting heads of departments and deans externally will continue. “It is a controversial question but
Three qualities a good academic leader should have according to Nanna Gillberg: 1. To be well acquainted with the prerequisites for academic work and its environment. 2. To be attentive and flexible. 3. To have integrity, be unbiased and independent.
we currently apply more business like principles and more of new public management. It is connected to rankings, commercialisation and the approach that we provide a product, like any other. We are also encouraged to search outwards, internationally, which in the long term is expected to be advantageous for the ranking.” ALLAN ERIKSSON
QUESTIONNAIRE/NEWS 1. What does it feel like to stop being a dean? 2. What is the most important advice you can give to your successor? 3. In what way have you contributed to the development of the University of Gothenburg?
Ingrid Elam, Dean of the Faculty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts
Birger Simonson, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences
Elisabet Ahlberg, Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences
After five and a half years, it feels on the one hand like there is little time left to allow me to do everything I had set out to do before I leave; in other words, I have to sprint over the finishing line. On the other hand, I look forward to doing other things, six years in one place is long enough as a manager.
It feels good. For me personally, six years has been a good length of time as dean. There is enough time to achieve your goals, but you don’t have time to tire of the routines that eventually come with all positions.
When you accept the position of dean, your mind is set on working with this for six years. I also think that this is an appropriate length of time. You have time to get an understanding of the organisation, conduct development work and lay the foundations for facing coming opportunities and challenges for the faculty. It feels good to come to the end of the appointment. An ending also means the beginning of something new, for me personally as well as for the faculty.
Apply healthy scepticism towards advice from your predecessor (which is why I won’t give any, not unless I’m asked anyway). It is not for me to judge, but I can say what I have enjoyed and that is working closely with the heads of department, as a team. In this way the faculty has taken several steps towards becoming a more mature research environment, towards collaboration across departmental and faculty boundaries and towards real strategic thinking. And a strong Faculty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts benefits the entire university. I also hope that I have contributed to the university’s development by actively participating and taking an interest in the Vice-Chancellor’s Management Council and in other joint university processes.
My best advice to my successor is to establish a good dialogue with the faculty’s heads of department. It is primarily the work done in the departments that determine whether the faculty’s work is successful. Let the departments develop their own strategies within the framework of the action and operational plans. At the same time, contribute to developing the cross-faculty collaboration within research and education. This strengthens both the departments and the university! A university is developed primarily through the activities that are carried out at its foundation. In my previous roles as Director of Centres of Expertise and Research and as a head of department, it became evident that an operationally withdrawn faculty level is preferable to micromanagement. The departments have therefore been given great room to manoeuvre and the heads of department have been entrusted with managing this. An important contribution to the university’s development is to – entirely in line with the University of Gothenburg’s organisational model – introduce such a structure at the faculty systematically and in close dialogue with the heads of department.
The faculty’s activities span many areas and form a fantastic environment both for academic research and education as well as for interdisciplinary collaboration. My most important advice for the incoming leadership at the faculty is therefore to embrace the entire organisation and value both research and education within various disciplines as well as interdisciplinary and inter-faculty collaboration. An important development for the faculty and the university alike has been to gather the bulk of marine and maritime activities into one Department of Marine Sciences. In addition to the scientific research and education carried out there, the department also hosts the cross-faculty Centre for Sea and Society and, from the new year, also hosts the Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Infrastructure. All in all, this provides excellent opportunities to develop one of the university’s prioritised areas and to become an attractive partner for national and international collaborations.
Jan Smith, Dean of the IT Faculty I have been around for a very long time – a dean for 12 years – and have been in charge of the IT University, in cooperation with Chalmers from 2006. Our faculty is fairly small and special, within a strong and expansive subject. For me, it is really time to leave, it is time for someone new to take over. As a dean you must make sure to not forget the strategic issues and ensure that you don’t drown in everyday routines. It’s important to continue to strengthen the collaboration with the rest of the University of Gothenburg, where we have a strong position within digitalisation. I feel confident. There are several strong candidates who can take over. We managed to straighten out the very serious financial situation that prevailed when I took up my post as dean. The faculty was on the brink of collapse, which would have been a catastrophe for Campus Lindholmen. Then it quickly turned around as our courses and programmes became popular. I think we work as a catalyst for the University of Gothenburg within digitalisation. We shall continue working for that purpose.
Questionnaire by Allan Eriksson
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NEWS
Few report experienced discrimination Photo: PRIVATE
A survey carried out by Future Faculty shows that many of its members feel they have been subjected to discrimination at the Sahlgrenska Academy. In total, this corresponds to around one tenth of the organisation’s members. LAST SPRING, Future Faculty sent out a survey about negative discrimination to its members. Elisabet Jerlhag Holm, who has just stepped down as one of Future Faculty’s two co-chairs, says that the decision to carry out the survey was based on a widespread discussion about equality, equal rights and discrimination, and that similar studies within an academic environment are usually carried out with a focus on doctoral students. “However, young researchers – or early career researchers – make up a relatively large proportion of the university’s employees, and we wanted to find out about the situation among our members,” she explains. Her successor, Vilborg Palsdottir, points out that this group includes many different forms of employment and is not particularly easy to define. EIGHT-TWO of just over 200 mem-
bers responded to the survey. Of these, 24 stated that they had experienced discrimination on at least one occasion since defending their theses. This corresponds to 29 percent of respondents and 10 percent of all Future Faculty’s members. Ten people – all of them women – said that they felt discrimination affected their work on a daily basis. “Most of our members are female,” continues Elisabet. “But the fact that men didn’t say they’ve experienced discrimination doesn’t necessarily mean that they haven’t
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According to Elisabet Jerlhag Holm very few report cases of discrimination.
ground or religion. The survey also shows that the Sahlgrenska Academy is a good workplace for parents.
been discriminated against. It’s always hard to capture the full picture with a survey.” THE SURVEY related specifically to
discrimination experienced at the Sahlgrenska Academy after young researchers have defended their theses. Future Faculty tried to include all imaginable grounds for discrimination in the survey, and the most common experiences related to gender and age. Sixteen of those who had experienced discriminatory treatment mentioned peers and subordinates as the discriminating parties, but all 24 felt that they had been discriminated against by superiors. Elisabet believes that there is an explanation for this. “The situations that stand out are salary-setting discussions and job appointments, and these are the situations in which employees deal with their superiors. Many people also experience discrimination in relation to commissions of trust.” However, no one believed that they had experienced discriminatory treatment as a result of their sexual orientation, socioeconomic back-
Facts The Sahlgrenska Academy’s Future Faculty is an organisation for early career researchers that works with career development and mentoring programmes, and provides its members with relevant information to help them make strategic career decisions.
ONLY ONE OF the respondents had reported discrimination, and more than 50 respondents said that they did not know how to submit a report, which Elisabet finds worrying. “When such a large proportion of our members feel that they are discriminated against, it’s important that they know how to report this. It should be clear and straightforward, and reporting should be encouraged.” THE RESULTS OF the survey have been communicated to the Sahlgrenska Academy’s management, and Future Faculty will now present the results to all institute boards. “Now we have a survey that we can continue to work with, it would be interesting to carry out a new survey in around a year’s time,” adds Vilborg Palsdottir. “Hopefully, more people will know how to submit a report by then.”
JOACIM SCHMIDT
NEWS
Female dictionary now online On 8 March The Swedish biographical dictionary of women will be launched, a project to which close to 400 experts from different higher education institutions and departments of culture around the country have contributed texts. “The dictionary already consists of 1 000 women. But the idea is for it to be added to”, Maria Sjöberg, professor of history, explains.
Facts
Text: EVA LUNDGREN Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
WERE THERE EVEN women in the past? It is a relevant
thought when you read history books, biographical encyclopedias and dictionaries of important people. “Of course men have had greater opportunities to influence society, but even the women who still made an impression are usually not included in the encyclopedias”, points out Maria Sjöberg. The women we are highlighting now have all made substantial contributions to society, been pioneers within some field or worked for increased equality. So it is not enough simply to be a woman and be deceased to be included in the project. The initiative for the dictionary came from Lisbeth Larsson, professor of literary studies. “Initially I thought it would be a book project, but it became too expensive. Now I’m glad that the dictionary is online instead, it makes it easier to for everyone who’s interested to access and we can also easily correct errors and add more people to it.” The group that has worked on the project for two years, which is funded by Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, consists of eight people with fairly different skills: literary scholars, historians, librarians, linguists and language technology scholars. The work has involved going through documents with a fine-tooth comb and sifting through archive material as well as writing your own and reading other people’s articles. “Just creating a database took six months”, says Lisbeth Larsson. It is exciting to work across different boundaries but also difficult when you have different pre-understandings. The dictionary is accessible online and there are links to other dictionaries, archives and museums. The woman are listed in alphabetical order but you can also search for different activities such as midwife, entrepreneur or choreographer as well as searching by orga-
Marie Sjöberg is project manager for the dictionary.
nisation such as the Bridgettine Order or Djurgårdens IF. You can also search for place names and keywords. If you, for example, search for ”first woman” you will find out that Hildegard Björck was the first woman in Sweden to obtain an academic degree and that Olga Herlin was our first female map engraver. “Women from the upper and middle classes dominate, the few peasant women who are included have often become famous for violating accepted norms, for example, doing something that was considered criminal”, says Maria Sjöberg. And the 19th and 20th centuries dominate. One reason for this is that it was then the middle classes were given the opportunity to spend time on art and writing and they started getting involved in issues regarding education and healthcare. One way of using the dictionary can therefore be to follow how different professions have emerged. One part of the project that is not finished yet is maps where you can follow how the women moved geographically, from birth to death. “We haven’t really had time for that yet as time and funds are limited”, Lisbeth Larsson explains. “I am both surprised and grateful the solidarity of all these hundreds of researchers who have spent lots of time and effort on detective work and writing articles even though the remuneration has only been symbolic.”
The Swedish biographical dictionary of women has been produced by close to 400 specialists from different higher education institutions and departments of culture around Sweden. The project group has consisted of Berith Backlund, Linus Karlsson, Lisbeth Larsson, Ulrika Lagerlöf Nilsson, Cecilia Pettersson, Scharolta Siencnik, Maria Sjöberg and Linnea Åshede, all from the University of Gothenburg. The database has been constructed by Språkbanken (the Swedish Language Bank) and Riksbankens Jubileumsfond has financed the project. The dictionary has also been translated into English. On 8 March at 15:00 there will be a ceremonial inauguration of the dictionary at the Humanities Library.
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NEWS
Honorary appointment without much compensation Deliang Chen, Professor of Physical Meteorology, has been appointed coordinating lead author at the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The prestigious appointment means that he will be one of the key figures in the panel’s forthcoming assessment report. “It is naturally a great honour both for me and for the University of Gothenburg as a whole. Now I hope that the university will provide me with favourable conditions for my work on this assignment.”
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NEWS HIS APPOINTMENT AS coordinating
lead author of the first chapter of the IPCC’s sixth assessment means that Deliang Chen is one of the lead authors with responsibility for collating the other contributions to the report and ensuring they maintain the desired quality. “It is diligent work that includes reading thousands of research papers and summarising the results in an accurate, balanced and simple manner.” Travel, food and accommodation is paid for by the researcher’s home country. Some support to the lead authors, in the form of a postdoctoral assistant who can take over some of the tasks, is provided in, for example, Germany and France but not in Sweden. “The fact that I have not been given any reduction in workload during my previous assignments for the IPCC has had a negative impact on my work with a lot of stress and bad conscience”, explains Deliang Chen. “However, this time my department has promised some support, but I have also written the Vice-Chancellor asking for further help. For one thing, it would be valuable for a young researcher to get direct contact with the international research community and, for another, an appointment of this calibre is a honour, not just for the individual researcher but for the entire university. So this is an excellent opportunity for the University of Gothenburg to show it has world-class expertise, at the same time as it reinforces the ambition to be a global actor within sustainable development.”
FURTHERMORE, the work to limit cli-
mate change must be escalated. This is indicated in a newly published article in the journal Nature Climate Change that is based on calculations from 27 different climate models used by the IPCC, where Deliang Chen is one of eleven authors. “Changes in climate are difficult to predict. Often a prognosis involves drawing conclusions on the basis of historical events. But our epoch, the Anthropocene, where changes in climate are largely caused
make a greater effort than the developing countries when it comes to the climate.
by humans is unique and therefore predictions are especially difficult. However, what we have arrived at is that a temperature increase of two degrees risks having far worse consequences than what was previously believed and may lead to 20–30 per cent of the earth’s surface becoming significantly drier. The consequences will be desertification, fires, reduced water quality and difficulties in pursuing agriculture. This in turn can cause social unrest and large waves of refugees. The regions that would be the hardest hit are Southern Europe, Southeast Asia, Southern Africa, Central America and South Australia, areas where approximately a fifth of the earth’s population lives.”
We often talk about how humans affect nature, as if we weren’t part of nature ourselves..
“AND AT THE climate change
Facts
DELIANG CHEN
CHINA, WHICH approximately ten years ago exceeded the USA’s carbon emissions, is considered the greatest environmental villain in the world. “However, this is a pretty unfair accusation as China has a population more than four times larger than the USA”, Deliang Chen points out. Furthermore the USA has contributed more than any other country to the accumulation of atmospheric carbon dioxide. China is also a pioneer in making great investments into the development of solar and wind power. Of course there is an unfortunate conflict between, on the one hand, acknowledging the right of developing countries to catch up with the West, which requires a lot of energy, and on the other hand, working to reduce the global greenhouse gas emissions.” Common But Differentiated Responsibilities – was a principle established at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992. It means that the wealthy part of the world should
Deliang Chen holds the August Röhss professorship of natural geography as well as being professor of physical meteorology, member and chair in the Class for geosciences at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, chair of the nomination committee for Stockholm Water Prize, member of World Academy of Science and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, previously CEO of International Council for Science and one of the initiators of Future Earth. He was one of the lead authors of the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report and has now been appointed Coordinating Lead Author at IPCC for the sixth report that will be completed in 2021.
conference in 2009, the members agreed on a new climate fund where the rich part of the world supports the developing countries’ climate change efforts”, says Deliang Chen. Europe has a healthy attitude towards climate change; here we understand that we need to act strongly, while the USA under Donald Trump is more troublesome. The several-year-long drought in California should act as a warning signal because if a similar period of drought happens soon again the question is whether the state can cope with this. Sweden is a pioneering country both concerning investments into the Green Climate Fund and the target of being a zero emission country by 2045. “I met Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven a while ago, who said that Sweden, despite being small, is an important role model. We only have one planet and it must be sufficient for everyone.” In 2012, Deliang Chen was one of the initiators of Future Earth, a global, interdisciplinary effort within sustainable development.
“WE OFTEN TALK about how humans
affect nature, as if we weren’t part of nature ourselves. But earth is one big system, where everyone affects everyone. We humans are growing in number and more of us want to consume and have a better standard of living, at the same time as differences between rich and poor are increasing. We realise that this development is unsustainable, but we find it difficult to change. That is why it is important for all scientific disciplines – scientists, social scientists and humanists – as well as politicians and ordinary citizens to cooperate and organise society so that it will continue to function in future.”
Text: EVA LUNDGREN Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
PROFILE REPORTAGE
With humble determination Being a manager is not so much about deciding as it is about serving. “What do you need from me in order to as good a job as possible? is the question a manager should ask their employees”, explains Lotta Dellve. She is a professor of work science and conducts research into leadership within healthcare. What drives her is the desire to be useful. Text: EVA LUNDGREN Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
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PROFILE Lotta Dellve Work: Professor of work science at the Department of Sociology and Work Science; participates in AgeCap (Centre for Ageing and Health) and GIG (Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Research). She is also chair of Forum för arbetslivsforskning (Forum for Work Life Research), board member of NOVO research network, board member of the editorial council of the series of publications Arbete & Hälsa, member of scientific evaluation panels for FORTE, AFA and KK/Halmstad University. Together with her colleague Andrea Eriksson, has written the working material Hållbart och hälsofrämjande ledarskap i vardag och förändring (Sustainable and health promotional leadership in day-to-day operations and change), which can be found online for free. Family: Husband and two daughters, a field spaniel. Lives: In Skintebo. Last book read: Humlornas historia by Maja Lunde. Last film: Ted. Favourite food: Chanterelles fried in butter. Hobbies: Gardering, ceramics, yoga, horse trips …
HAVE GONE back to
my roots”, says Lotta Dellve and looks out through the window of her room on the top floor of the building at Skanstorget in which the Department of Sociology and Work Science is housed. First I think she is referring to being back in Gothenburg after five years in Stockholm and Borås, but then she points to a photo on the wall. It depicts her great grandfather who was a metalwork artist. “Among his papers was a description of the view he had from his workshop. He could look out over Skansen kronan and the houses next to it and his cats were constantly running out of the window and up on the roof. So I have come to the conclusion that he must have been
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working exactly where my room is now.” Lotta Dellve originally trained as a nurse. When she wanted to do something about the problems she discovered within the healthcare system, she noticed that it was not very easy for a person in a subordinate position. She then decided to spend her spare-time conducting research into the problem. “BUT IT IS difficult to get anywhere
when you have to work at the same time so after a number of years I decided to conduct research full time instead.” All of a sudden things happened quickly. In four years I managed to write a licentiate thesis on families with children with disabilities and defend a doctoral thesis on working conditions for health and social care personnel. After the PhD I got the position as head of
unit at a unit at Occupational and Environmental Medicine and became the leader of the research group Leadership and Health. However, after 12 years at the University of Gothenburg, Lotta Dellve wanted to do something else. She hesitated between a guest professorship in ergonomics at KTH and a professorship in the leadership and organisation of healthcare at the university of Borås. She ended up choosing both. “Imagine building up a research environment in two places at the same time! I supervised several large projects where the doctoral students at the different higher education institutions became a joint group. But after five years of commuting between Stockholm, Borås and Gothenburg when I had my hands full with supervision, data collection and teaching, I
started to think that it was becoming too much. So since 2016 I’m back in Gothenburg as a professor of work science.” HOWEVER, LOTTA Dellve will never forget her background as a nurse. On the contrary, it has had the greatest importance to her research into leadership and working conditions in the healthcare system. “Many organisational researchers know nothing about the real requirements in healthcare: Every day and minute, decisions are made that can mean the difference between life and death. The nursing personnel must have empathy but also be thick-skinned, otherwise they will not manage. The administrative superstructure is often reinforced but there is less effort put into core operations. We have now got into a situation where young nurses resign after only a couple of years as the work is so tough. It has lead to several hospital managements in Sweden being forced to examine themselves and start investigating how they can make things easier for their staff.” One of Lotta Dellve’s watchwords is service to operations. It is about creating a leadership structure where the manager recognises that their focus should be on core operations and support the interplay in it, regardless of what level of the management scale you are on. “INSTEAD OF CONSTANTLY checking
that people aren’t doing the wrong thing and sitting in your own corner thinking about what shall be done, a manager should presuppose that the professionals and operations-centred personnel has knowledge of both the situation and the problem. As a manager, you can instead support conversations, problem solving and understanding across organisational levels and between different functions. By talking about the entire problem area you get a much more complex picture, which can lead to real change.” In the leadership training courses Lotta Dellve conducts, there is always a participant who is provoked when she says that a manager
has to serve the employees and core operations. “Those who think leadership is about their personal career will never function particularly well. A manager like this risks making decisions that are not supported by their employees, which in the best possible situation can lead to oppositional employeeship, i.e. that the employees do what they think is right anyway.”
development programme and the work science programme and it feels extremely meaningful to pass on the knowledge I have received myself. All meetings with young people in general make me very hopeful for the future. There is much talk about hate and threats on social media, for example, but less about all the good these movements create. #metoo is an example of especially young people’s involvement in changing the world.”
ANOTHER ONE of Lotta Dellve’s
watchwords is value integration, something that is important, especially within geriatric care. “It’s about creating a good environment for everyone: Service users are to have influence over their own environment and care at the same time as employees and managers must have good working conditions in order to do a good job.” In December, the Swedish Government presented a bilateral agreement on raising the earliest retirement age to 64. How this will work in practice is an issue that concerns Lotta Dellve in her work at AgeCap and GIG. “There is a difference between being able to work, wanting to work and being forced to work. Many who work within healthcare have worked for many years in arduous jobs with low salaries and can therefore not afford to retire early even though they need to. Parts of manufacturing industry has realised that you cannot let older employees do the heaviest work but this is not yet the case within healthcare. How the work can be both fair and adapted to each person’s capacity is a significant question within the field of work science.”
LEADERSHIP IN A manner that is of service to operations is important at the university too. Lotta Dellve currently has eight doctoral students, all with their own unique projects. “You need to support them without controlling them and allow the doctoral students to choose their own paths and question. I also teach on the human resource
IN ORDER TO have the energy for
There is a difference between being able to work, wanting to work and being forced to work. LOTTA DELLVE
both research, teaching and all domestic work it is important to nurture the different compartments of the brain. “Some parts needs to rest while others are working”, says Lotta Dellve. “A while ago I trained as a yoga teacher and when I explain that you need to really squeeze yoga into your everyday life many think this sounds contradictory: Isn’t yoga about relaxing? But what I mean is that you shouldn’t let occasional tiredness stop you, but do your yoga session anyway as it results in something good. I also have a need to work with my hands, for example create something with ceramics, perhaps something I’ve inherited from my great grandfather.”
TOGETHER WITH her husband she owns a small croft by Gullmarsfjorden. “He supported me when I did my training, now I support him with his renovation of the house. We grow our own vegetables, pick berries and mushrooms and spend as much time as we can in nature.” Every year Lotta Dellve also tries to make time for a week of horse riding. “I usually sign up for special tours where you ride in a group of 4–8 people together with a guide in a place of great natural beauty and stay the night in small hotels or guesthouses along the way. I have joined these rides in France, Norway and Spain but I’m curious about Albania and Georgia. There are many different classes, both for advanced riders and for people who have never been on a horse before.”s MARCH 2018 GUJOURNAL
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REPORT/THESIS
Darwin and the literature Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species was published in 1859. The book did not simply change science, it also changed humans’ understanding of themselves: from having been the jewel of creation, they were all of a sudden thrown into a universe without meaning and purpose. Now Emelie Jonsson is the first literary scholar in Sweden to have investigated, with the help of modern psychology, how the theory of evolution has affected literature. Text: EVA LUNDGREN Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
“I NEEDED TO BE able to be wrong”, Emelie Jonsson answers when I ask why she became interested in literary Darwinism, a fairly controversial border zone between humanities, psychology and biology. “If a literary scholar, for example, claims that the real reason Hamlet killed his uncle is because he had desires for his mother, it doesn’t help to point out that Shakespeare could hardly have read Freud. Literary theories can certainly be discussed but there is no empiricism they can be corrected by. When I finished my master’s, I longed for a more exact science about how humans function.” A THEORETICAL COURSE with Marcus Nordlund, professor of English literature and a summer course with Joseph Carroll, famous and infamous literary Darwinist, gave Emelie Jonsson an interest in biocultural theory. It concerns seeing humans as biological organisms shaped by their surrounding environment, which leads to the creation of a certain culture that again reshapes the environment and changes culture further. Researchers work across various boundaries and correct each other based on their own expertise.
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“The scientific method is dependent on astonishment and scepticism, as Carl Sagan explained, and I took that approach when I started studying one of humanity’s greatest riddles: why do we even have culture? Painting, sculpting and telling stories take time and energy that could be spent on other more crucial things such as finding food and shelter in an inhospitable environment. Some researchers, such as Franz de Waal, say that culture refines our innate ability to cooperate. Others, such as Richard Dawkins, think instead that humans are naturally egoists who, through culture, can be taught to take others into consideration. Still other researchers think that culture is primarily a byproduct of human development”, says Emelie Jonsson. And still, humans everywhere on earth have created myths and stories that are similar in their basic structures. “OUR COMMON STORIES are about the human lifecycle
and about what is important in life. There are researchers who argue that the myths have a didactic significance, that they, for example, teach the difference between good and bad. But it is hardly as simple as just
Emelie Jonsson Currently: Publicly defend her doctoral thesis on 18 November 2017 Imagining a Place in Nature. Using Evolution to Explain the Early Evolutionary Imagination in Literature. Age: 31. Lives: In Gothenburg. Interests: History of science, art theory, crocheting and historical fencing.
that the stories that have survived thousands of years are educational lessons. Paradoxically enough, literary theory based on science and psychology has increased rather than decreased the realisation that culture is a necessity for humans. We simply cannot cope without stories that provide structure and meaning to our complex and unpredictable existence.” THE STORY THAT has had the greatest importance for the western world in the last 2 000 years is about how God created humans in his own image. “Those who live by Christian ethics may not always be able to do the right thing”, points out Emelie Jonsson. But they are at least convinced that there is something that is absolutely good or evil and that a merciful god is looking after us. The theory of evolution must therefore have come as a shock to people in the 19th century; we are not made in the image of god, there is no good or evil, there is quite simply no creation. And the question is whether we, 160 years after On the Origin of Species, have recovered yet. “Sean Carroll says that today’s secular people indeed dare to run out over the scientific precipice, but
they do not yet have the courage to look down. It may then be a comfort to read the authors who have blazed a trail and actually thought about the consequences of Darwin’s theory.” In her thesis, Emelie Jonsson has therefore made a deep study of six novels that attempt in various ways to navigate humanity’s new, much more modest role in the universe. For example, in Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World, the main characters simply shoot and kill the apemen who still remain on a remote plateau. “In Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde the apeman is instead placed inside a well-established doctor who lives in the middle of London. Stevenson continued believing in good and evil, but he saw our Darwinist inheritance as a new face for the evil, and that we live in constant moral struggle.” EMELIE JONSSON explains that authors who developed a severe depression due to life’s lack of meaning include Jack London and Joseph Conrad. “Conrad was painfully aware that there was no scientific basis for human morality. The only thing he could grasp in his existential distress were concepts such as fidelity, the faithfulness e.g. Kurtz’ fiancee in Heart of Darkness displays towards her betrothed. Faithfulness is not the same thing as goodness but is still an ideal that has existed in all human societies. Today, each individual gets to decide which myth they want to live their lives by. “The poet Matthew Arnold said that art can replace religion, but for many that feels pretty unsatisfactory; art doesn’t contain any morals or an idea of a greater power that watches over people. The fact is that the majority of people on earth are still religious, despite scientific progress. And even in the secular world, most people still believe in something, for example the equal value of all people.”
Sean Carroll says that today’s secular people indeed dare to run out over the scientific precipice, but they do not yet have the courage to look down. EMELIE JONSSON
EMELIE JONSSON HOPES to continue her research by
studying authors such as William Golding, Virginia Woolf, John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway. “They all have interesting thoughts about how humans can be viewed in light of the theory of evolution. In The Inheritors Golding depicts humans from the perspective of Neanderthals and in Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck developes a sort of transcendental ecological philosophy. I also hope to have enough time for the journal Evolutionary Studies in Imagining Culture, with Joseph Carroll as editor-in-chief, where I am an associate editor. We publish a variety of articles, for example about how Donald Trump’s success can be explained in evolutionary terms, how music can have an impact on Parkinson’s disease, about palaeolithic art and lots more.” MARCH 2018 GUJOURNAL
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REPORT
Arvid Carlsson’s latest research gives new hope Almost 60 years ago Arvid Carlsson found that dopamine works as a neurotransmitter in the brain. The discoveryhas revolutionised the treatment of disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and severe depression. Now he is working on a new preparation that he hopes will lead to another revolution. He has just turned 95 years old. “THE NEUROTRANSMITTER dopami-
ne can be found everywhere in the brain but by far the most in the basal ganglia. The substance is incredibly important as it is connected to our reward system. All diseases of the central nervous system are related in some way to dopamine, which may be at either too high or too low a level”, says Arvid Carlsson, professor of pharmacology and the University of Gothenburg’s only Nobel laureate to date. A substance that maintains dopamine at exactly the right level could therefore be of importance for a number of disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, depression, psychosis, addiction and bipolar disorder. Arvid Carlsson and his colleagues hope they have found such a substance. What we are talking about is OSU6162, a substance Arvid Carlsson developed back in the 1980s for the treatment
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of Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease. “The central nervous system stimulants that are administered today often make the patient feel unpleasantly hyper and can also lead to misuse. OSU6162 on the other hand, provides a pleasant increase of dopamine. And the preparation does not seem to cause any adverse effects to speak of; some patients have felt nauseous for a couple of hours but otherwise the experience is only positive.” The patients that Arvid Carlsson primarily wants to test the preparation on is the large group that suffers from mental fatigue after a stroke, for which there currently is no treatment. “The consultant physician Elisabeth Nordquist-Brandt, who tragically just passed away, made the fantastic discovery that OSU6162 can help stroke patients. We have now been granted permission by the Swedish Medical Products Agency to conduct a Phase II trial in order to study how effective the pharmaceutical is. There is great deal of interest, not just from patients who want to be involved, but neurologists and research nurses are also enthusiastic.” Another disease Arvid Carlsson hopes to try the preparation on is narcolepsy, which affected many people in connection with the vaccination against swine flu in 2009. “The disease means that the
All diseases of the central nervous system are related in some way to dopamine. ARVID CARLSSON
patient can fall asleep at any point in the day, but it can also result in cataplexy, that is a marked reduction in muscle tone, which makes the patient collapse, for example at a fit of laughter. But just as unpleasant are nightly issues such as hallucinations and paralysis. Helping these people, who are often young, would really be a deserving cause.” Arvid Carlsson thinks that OSU6162 could also be significant for ADHD. “These patients don’t just have concentration issues, they also become tired quickly because they are so hyperactive. A stabiliser, which allows them to maintain their concentration at a reasonable level, could therefore be of great help to them.” The research team Arvid Carlsson is a part of consist of both theorists and clinicians. “We also have a large network of enthusiastic people. If everything goes to plan, OSU6162 will be revolutionary within the pharmaceutical industry and will be available on the market in 3–4 years.” The fact that Arvid Carlsson’s basic research has resulted in so much practical benefit is something he is incredibly grateful for. “When I started researching neurotransmitters, I had no idea what clinical significance they would have. Sometimes when I’m out for a walk, I run into someone who recognises me from the media and who
describes how, for example, a close relative with Parkinson’s disease or severe depression has received helped. Few things make me as happy as hearing these stories.” Even though Arvid Carlsson has devoted the majority of his professional life to the brain, he says that most things are still a conundrum. “The brain is like an iceberg and we have just made it to the edge, but we have no idea of what is underneath the surface. But new progress is being made all the time, such as that it is now possible
to see changes in the brain when people experience different feelings. The rate of technological development is also accelerating and we are learning more about our genome. It is important to take advantage of all the opportunities research provides but also to acknowledge that there are risks. Ethics must always be included in research.”
Text: EVA LUNDGREN Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
Nobel Price winner Arvid Carlsson received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2000 for his discoveries concerning signal transduction in the nervous system. Dopamine is of great significance, for example, to the reward system and for controlling movement. Arvid Carlsson’s research has resulted in medical treatments for Parkinson’s disease, depression and psychosis, etc. Arvid Carlsson turned 95 on 25 January.
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MARCH 2018 GUJOURNAL
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REPORT
A new way of treating Parkinson’s disease
“BACK IN THE 1960S, Arvid Carlsson
developed a hypothesis for how the connection between the brain’s nerve cells is organised, a model that has been substantially confirmed over the subsequent decades”, says Elias Eriksson, professor of pharmacology. It is still this model researchers use as a basis when they design new pharmaceuticals for psychiatric and neurological diseases. Arvid Carlsson’s theory about decreasing the symptoms by blocking a certain type of dopamine receptor also holds up when it comes to schizophrenia. “Newer medicines for this disease also do this as an important part of its mechanism of action. Furthermore, several companies are now developing new antipsychotic agents that work as partial agonists rather than as blockers of dopamine receptors and which thereby seem to have fewer side effects, which is also based on an idea from Arvid. But Arvid’s new molecule OSU6162 seems to stabilise the activity in a different way than these.” Elias Eriksson describes how dopamine, which Arvid Carlsson discovered 60 years ago, has proved
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to be important for an increasing number of diseases such as psychosis, addiction, ADHD and bipolar disorder. “Additionally, Arvid was the one who developed the first SSRI preparation. This type of pharmaceutical is still used as first-line treatment of, for example, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic syndromes, social phobia and premenstrual syndrome. About seven per cent of all Swedes currently use
But Arvid was exceedingly translational far before the word was in fashion. ElIAS ERIKSSON
a medicine containing a substance from this group. Nowadays almost all medical researchers want to describe their research as translational, that is basic but still clinically relevant. But Arvid was exceedingly translational far before the word was in fashion and he has always thought that basic research preferably should aim to be useful.” In spring, Elias Eriksson will be leading a study, which also includes Arvid Carlsson, that will be trialling a new way of administering levodopa for Parkinson’s disease. “It is about administering the medicine under the skin; what we call subcutaneous infusion. The hope is that this will increase the
Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
This spring, a new way of administering levodopa for Parkinson’s disease will be trialled at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. It is an example of how studies based on Arvid Carlsson’s research continue to develop in new ways.
During spring, Elias Eriksson will lead a study to test a new way to deliver levodopa to Parkinson’s disease. Also Arvid Carlsson will participate in the research team.
effectiveness of the treatment and reduce the adverse effects in the form of rapid changes in motor function that often characterises the late stages of this disease. This is brand new research but is based on Arvid Carlsson’s discovery of the effects of levodopa on motor function. EVA LUNDGREN
NEWS
GU in collaborations with South Africa and Japan During one week in May, 23 South African and 7 Swedish universities, including the University of Gothenburg (GU), will participate in the South Africa-Sweden University Forum (SASUF). This spring will also see two workshops held in Gothenburg as part of the MIRAI Programme, a collaboration between Japanese and European universities. These projects are examples of GU’s desire to increase it’s international cooperation. THE UN’S 17 SUSTAINABLE Development Goals are the focus of the collaboration with South Africa as coordinated by Uppsala University. The purpose is to bring together researchers from both countries and to create networks and new collaborations. GU’s delegation will be led by pro-vice-chancellor Mattias Goksör. “The meeting will focus on six themes, including climate change, knowledge as a conduit for social change, urbanisation and digitalisation,” explains Hans Abelius, head of unit for the International Centre. One element of the project is to provide support for researchers in the early stages of their careers, and it is intended that as many disciplines as possible will be represented. ANOTHER PROJECT that GU has
signed up for is the MIRAI Programme. This is a collaboration between eight Japanese and seven Swedish universities, aimed at increasing cooperation between the two countries
in the fields of research, education and innovation. The initiative behind GU’s participation was taken by vice-chancellor Eva Wiberg and the project’s first seminar was held in October last year in Lund. In the spring, GU and Chalmers will be holding a joint workshop on aging while, at the same time, GU will be hosting a workshop on sustainable development. A workshop will also be held in Japan on materials science.
One element of the project is to provide support for researchers in the early stages of their careers. HANS ABELIUS
“I BELIEVE THAT GU’s collaboration with other Swedish universities can be further developed in a variety of contexts,” observes Hans Abelius. “From an international perspective, GU is a less renowned university but, together with others we become stronger. For example, in October last year we co-arranged a university day in Washington DC, focusing on showcasing Swedish research together with four other Swedish universities and the Swedish Embassy. And in November, we attended a recruitment fair in Indonesia, together with 14 other Swedish higher education institutions.” THE SWEDISH government is also keen to increase the internationalisation of the country’s universities. In February last year, they established the Inquiry on Increased Internationalisation of Higher Education Institutions which recently published its first report. Among other things, this deals with increasing the merit value of international experience. One concrete objective stated in the report is that by 2025, at least 25 percent of students should spend at
least three months of their education abroad. “THIS IS A TARGET that many of the country’s universities currently find difficult to achieve,” points out Hans Abelius. “However, the proposal is likely to be referred to committee and this is of course most timely as GU is also planning to prepare a joint university internationalisation strategy. A great deal of good work is already underway at various departments of GU. However, we need to engage in a joint discussion about what we mean by internationalisation and, when the time is right, act as a single university in international contexts. Not least with regard to the recruitment of international students and student exchange programmes.” EVA LUNDGREN
In brief: SASUF is a forum coordinated by Uppsala University and financed by the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT), the South African National Research Foundation, the South African Department of Higher Education and participating universities. Seven Swedish and 23 South African universities are participating. A research and innovation seminar will be held in Pretoria from 14-18 May. MIRAI – Connecting Swedish and Japanese universities through research, education and innovation, is a collaboration between seven Swedish and eight Japanese universities. The collaboration is financed by the participating universities, STINT and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. MARCH 2018 GUJOURNAL
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PEOPLE
Help with accommodation, information about childcare and tips about weatherproof clothes. Welcome Services helped with both big and small things when the American visiting research fellows Sarah Bowen and Mark Nance came here with their two children last summer. “Gothenburg is a great city to live in with children”, says Sarah.
AT THE BEGINNING of February, Gothenburg is showing its worst side. It is grey and the wind makes the sleet blow sideways. The few people who have dared to navigate the pavements around Vasaplatsen crouch over and hasten forwards with their gaze persistently fixed on the ground. It is easy to feel a bit pessimistic and think more than one evil thought about the city in which we live. But a stone’s throw from Vasaplatsen, in a cosy apartment in one of the beautiful stone buildings, the gloomy feeling dissipates. This is where the American family Bowen/ Nance have lived since July last year. In addition to Sarah and Mark, the family consists of the children Simon, 7, and Anna, 4 and a half.
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“The children love living in Sweden. Cosy Friday evenings and candy on Saturdays are definitely traditions they will continue with when we go back to the US”, says Mark. “Everything is so well organised for children here. They get to play more and spend much more time outdoors in preschool and school”, Sarah adds. AFTER SEVEN MONTHS, the whole
family feels at home in Gothenburg. However, it took some organisation before the visiting research fellow year at GU was settled. First the parents needed to get time off from their positions at North Carolina State University and secondly their respective research projects in
Gothenburg had to match in terms of time period. Sarah Bowen finally managed to postpone her project at the Department of Food and Nutrition, and Sport Science so that it fitted with her husband Mark Nance’s project at the Department of Political Science. Furthermore, the children’s schooling had to be arranged, the house at home in Raleigh, North Carolina, needed to be rented out and new accommodation in Gothenburg had to be organised. The latter was something the couple worried about a great deal. “We had heard that it was nearly impossible to find accommodation here. But we contacted Welcome Services and after only three days we were offered this apartment”, says Mark.
Actually, Swedes have incredibly practical clothes. SARAH BOWEN
“We wanted to give them the chance to quickly get emersed in a new culture and learn another language. Furthermore, we wanted to increase their understanding of what it’s like to come to a new country as an immigrant. The children have foreign classmates at home and it feels valuable to get a chance to show them what it’s like to not understand the language and the prevailing norms”, says Mark. AT THE SAME time, he points out that the family is privileged in comparison to other immigrants, both in their roles as visiting research fellows and because they speak a language most Swedes understand. Swedes can almost be too keen to speak English, in their opinion.
The American guest researcher family lives in Vasastan. Sarah and Mark together with the kids Anna and Simon.
There are several visiting researcher families in their building and the children and running up and down the stairs to see their friends from Brazil and China. IN ADDITION TO Welcome Services
organising accommodation, the couple also received useful tips on different subjects such as how different Swedish authorities work and how to best dress in winter. “At first I thought the video with advice on how to dress was a bit exaggerated. But now that I have experienced Gothenburg during the winter months it was not so bad after all”, Sarah says. “Actually, Swedes have incredibly practical clothes. In the US, we don’t even have waterproof clothes. Here
our children have two sets of waterproofs and even waterproof gloves, something we were advised about from the preschool.” Sarah and Mark believe that the Swedish preschool and school that the children Anna and Simon attend have really opened the door to Swedish society. Here you get to directly experience all Swedish traditions such as Lucia, the children get to learn Swedish and eat Swedish food. “First day of school they were served black pudding”, remembers Sarah. That dish is perhaps not our children’s favourite but they like meatballs. For Sarah and Mark it was natural to enrol the children in a Swedish school.
How did the children react when you said you would be moving to Sweden for a whole year? “Only positive. But we had prepared them properly. Partly because we made a trip to Sweden with the whole family the year before we moved here. But also by talking very positively about Sweden and all the fun things we would be doing here”, says Mark. Their time in Gothenburg has also become like a big adventure for the entire family. They love walking around the city, taking the tram, making a trip to Slottsskogen, going into the archipelago or canoeing in Vättlefjäll. The family has already managed to travel to Mora, Kivik and around Bohuslän and in a few weeks they will take the night train up to Kiruna and Abisko to experience proper winter, cold and snow. “It’s very easy to live in Sweden with children. There are playgrounds everywhere, good communications and as a parent you feel safe with the childcare you receive and you even get time off to stay at MARCH 2018 GUJOURNAL
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PEOPLE
The Bowens
Mark Nance and Sarah Bowen are pleased to have received so much help and support from the Welcome Services.
home with the children when they are ill”, Sarah says. Working life also differs quite a lot. Mark Nance is an associate professor of political science and during his year as a Fulbright Schuman researcher at the University of Gothenburg his studies include how Sweden, Germany and the USA managed the crisis in the car industry during the latest global financial crisis around 2008. Even though the work of a researcher itself does not differ significantly between Sweden and the USA there are other differences. Time off for example. “Swedes are good at taking coffee breaks, have time off on the weekend and get the opportunity to take long holidays. Yet I feel that they are more efficient and get more done than many Americans”, he says. And his wife agrees. Sarah Bowen particularly likes to mention the Swedes’ coffee breaks. As an associate professor of sociology with a focus on subjects involving health, food and inequality, she has
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a special interest in Swedish food culture. During her year as a visiting research fellow at the University of Gothenburg Sarah is studying dietary changes among Somali immigrants to Sweden. Something she is also able to connect to her study of immigrants’ changed dietary habits in the USA. THE TIME IN Gothenburg has defi-
nitely given them an appetite for more. Both Sarah and Mark have lived abroad for periods before they started a family and they are now open to taking the children on other adventures abroad at some point in the future. “We would love to stay another year, but we have to move back in summer. But we have already started thinking about where we would like to move the next time”, Sarah says with a secretive smile.
Text: KARIN FREJRUD Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
Name: Sarah Bowen, soon 40, Mark Nance, 41, Simon, 7, Anna, 4 and a half. From: Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. Lives: Vasastan, Gothenburg. Occupation: Sarah is an associate professor of sociology at North Carolina State University. At the moment she is working as a visiting research fellow at the Department of Food and Nutrition, and Sport Science. Mark Nance is an associate professor of political science at North Carolina State University and a Fulbright Schuman researcher at the University of Gothenburg during the academic year 2017/2018. Hobbies: The family likes to travel, take walks and eat good food. Swedish curiosities: Sarah found her Swedish relatives in connection with a work trip to Sweden 14 years ago. “I went to the village in Halland where my grandmother came from and visited a graveyard to look for names of old relatives. When I found a gravestone with their names, suddenly a couple came and put flowers on the grave. It turned out they are my relatives. Since then I keep in contact with my Swedish cousins who live in Halmstad, Lerum and Laholm”, she says.
Welcome Service facts Welcome Services is a university-wide service function for visiting research fellows, international personnel and for students. They help visiting research fellows and international personnel with starter accommodation and a personal welcoming at arrival. They also provide information about Sweden, Gothenburg and the University of Gothenburg as well as organising activities and information seminars.