Infrastructure – an important issue for Carina Mallard.

Wants better career paths for more staff

Research funding, internationalization and clear career paths for more groups, these are some of the important issues that Carina Mallard wants to address as the new deputy vice-chancellor for research. – One of my first tasks, however, will be to meet all the deans and try to familiarize myself with the many issues faced by the different faculties.

CARINA MALLARD, Professor of Experimental Perinatal Brain Injury Research, was until July 31, Head of Core Facilities, a university-wide resource at Sahlgrenska Academy with some of Sweden’s most advanced techniques and analysis tools for research in the medical field.

Until now, she has also been a member of the Swedish Research Council’s Council for Research Infrastructure, but will now sit on URFI instead, Universitetens Referensgrupp för Forskningsinfrastruktur (the Universities’ Reference Group for Research Infrastructure). And she considers infrastructure to be one of the most important things she can do as Deputy Vice-Chancellor. – Many people probably think that research infrastructure is mostly about costly facilities within medicine, science and technology, such as the Max IV Laboratory in Lund or the SciLifeLab national centre. But all fields of science need good infrastructure. These also require educational initiatives, both for senior and young researchers, as well as for other members of staff, and this is important to invest in, of course.

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT and clear career paths for the technical staff are matters that are close to her heart. – The people who work with our various facilities are talented people, often doctoral researchers, who develop new methods, different projects and also participate in the education. If these important employees have a more obvious path to advancement, it will facilitate both recruitment and their willingness to stay at our universities, which in turn will strengthen our research.

On August 11, Tobias Krantz, former Minister of Higher Education and Research, submitted the report Stärkt fokus på framtidens forskningsinfrastruktur (Enhanced Focus on Future Research Infrastructure) to the government. Among other things, he proposes the establishment of a new authority for research infrastructure of particular national interest and an authority for digital infrastructure. – That sounds reasonable. Infrastructure of particular national interest entails substantial costs and the amount

We should also be better at supporting the researchers who coordinate major international projects, which are demanding commitments that take both time and resources.

CARINA MALLARD

Carina Mallard

Currently: New Deputy Vice-Chancellor. Background: Received her PhD in 1995 at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, Post-doctoral fellow 1996–1998 at the University of Melbourne, Australia, Professor of Experimental Perinatal Brain Injury research at the University of Gothenburg since 2006, Director of Studies at Sahlgrenska Academy 2006–2015, Visiting Professor at Kings College London 2015–2019, Director of Core Facilities 2018–2021. Family: Husband and two children. Lives in: Pixbo.

What are your hobbies?

I have two dogs that help me enjoy nature in all kinds of weather. Travelling to explore new places and meet family and friends. of research data is enormous, and also increases all the time. It cannot be the responsibility of each individual university to be responsible for all the processing and storage.

Research funding is another important issue for Carina Mallard.

– AMONG OTHER THINGS, we should be better at seeking international funding, not least from the EU. The University of Gothenburg has actually received a lower level of funding from the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 compared to previous initiatives. Applying for funding from the EU is not that easy, but we have several talented employees at the Grants and Innovation Office who help, and whose expertise can be utilized even more. We should also be better at supporting the researchers who coordinate major international projects, which are demanding commitments that take both time and resources. Carina Mallard is also involved in the career opportunities of young researchers. Among other things, she would like them to have significantly longer to obtain their qualifications.

– I WAS A RESEARCH assistant for four years after a four-year post-doctoral period, which gave me the opportunity to publish, become familiar with the field and get started in general. So a reintroduction of something similar with these research assistant positions I think would be valuable to many people at the start of their careers. The role of deputy vice-chancellor is 80 percent. – This means that I will still be part of the research world, something I think is very important.

Text: Eva Lundgren Photo: Johan Wingborg