The GU Journal has a free and independent position, is made according to journalistic principles.
Editor-in-chief:
Eva Lundgren
Phone: 070-969 10 14, e-mail: eva.lundgren@gu.se
Editor: Allan Eriksson, e-mail: allan.eriksson@gu.se
Photographer: Johan Wingborg, Phone: 070–595 38 01, e-mail: johan.wingborg@gu.se
Layout: Anders Eurén, Phone: 073-257 62 40, e-mail: anders.euren@gu.se
Address: GU Journal, University of Gothenburg, Box 100, 405 30 Gothenburg , Sweden. E-mail: gu-journalen@gu.se Internet: gu-journalen.gu.se ISSN: 1402-9626
Fish analysis
Academic freedom
Dentist professor
Former dean
The GU Team Struck Gold in Brussels
s a starting point for the strategy to "increase external research funding from the EU", the university management and deans carried out a trip to Brussels at the end of November. The Research and Innovation Office had put together useful and packed days, and we had the opportunity to meet many relevant, knowledgeable and influential people. We visited, among others, Sweden's representation in Brussels, the Commission, VGR's Brussels office and the VUB university. There was time and opportunity for reflection on how we can advance our positions and support more of our researchers to apply for funding within Horizon Europe's three "pillars": Scientific excellence, Global challenges and European industrial competitiveness and Innovative Europe.
Especially in pillar two, global challenges, we see that there are great opportunities to become stronger through more collaborations with partner universities around Europe, for example with the universities that are part of our European university alliance Eutopia. Our days in
Brussels will be followed up by the management council and a European strategy will be developed.
This December, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your commitment and good efforts during the year. There are so many exciting, important and high-quality activities going on at the University of Gothenburg that we can all look forward to. Our combined efforts mean that the University can contribute stability, knowledge and analysis in an unfortunately too troubled world.
Christmas is just around the corner and for most of us, some time off awaits. I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Replenish your energy and relaxation in the way you want. For my part, it will be some cozy cooking, hanging out with family, relatives and friends in different constellations, board games and skiing in Norway. See you again in 2025!
AI as an opportunity and problem
he new AI tools, which in almost no time at all can create texts, images and film, do not cease to fascinate. How they can be used in research, teaching and to facilitate administration, however, is not so obvious. In recent days, GU has adopted a direction of digitalization precisely to encourage employees to investigate what the new technology can entail.
At the same time, two researchers, Davide Girardelli and Amy Wanyu Ou, are looking for tips and ideas on how AI can be used in teaching. They believe that there are certainly several colleagues who have come up with exciting teaching methods but who may not have thought of spreading the ideas in articles to teachers around the world. Therefore, they are now hoping for contributions to the special issue Teaching and Assessing with AI: Teaching Ideas, Research, and Reflection in the journal Frontiers in Communication.
Vice Chancellor MALIN BROBERG
Other researchers have raised the problem that AI tools require large amounts of energy and water.
Sweden's first report on the prevalence of threats in academia shows that most unpleasantness comes from within. Not least, teachers are exposed by threatening students.
This issue is also, among other things, about the importance of international networks, especially for young researchers.
The GU Journal wishes all readers a merry Christmas and a happy new year!
A lot of work when IT-departments change faculty
From January 1, 2025, the IT Faculty will cease to exist as an independent unit and its two departments will merge with the Faculty of Science. So, currently there is intense work ongoing to adapt policies, policy documents, procedures and other details to the new organisation. One of the more important tasks is trying to find new jobs for the staff that remain at the IT Faculty office.
SEVERAL EMPLOYEES at the IT Faculty office have already left but three employees will need to be reassigned, says Dick Stenmark, Dean at the IT Faculty.
– I am hoping it will be resolved. But finding new assignments is not an easy undertaking – not even for very skilled employees.
The faculty is also working on identifying all the matters that need to be concluded before the merger, or that need to be transferred to a new system.
– It involves agreements that need to be rewritten and finding common procedures for various matters. Some matters that have been handled at the faculty level is at the departmental level at the Faculty of Science, and vice versa; so we need to decide how to address it.
Finances will be managed separately during 2025, aside from the fact that the faculty will have a joint office that all nine departments contribute to. And the physical relocation of staff and students will also take place
later. It is not entirely clear yet when it will happen, but definitely not during 2025, says Dick Stenmark.
– Chalmers have started relocating their operations from Hisingen to Johanneberg and the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, which is integrated with Chalmers, will probably also relocate, but no earlier than 2028–2029. But where the department will end up is still uncertain; there has been talk about a new building but we could also be moving to existing premises.
As regards the Department of Applied IT, there is an ongoing investigation aimed at identifying future potential premises, says Göran Hilmersson, Dean at the Faculty of Science.
– I see several advantages to being located in Natrium or some other adjacent building at Medicinareberget. When the Department of Applied IT eventually relocate to Medicinareberget, this will certainly lead to new partnerships with Sahlgrenska Academy and the hospital, not least considering how rapidly the use of AI is growing within healthcare.
Throughout the autumn semester, employees from both IT departments have been guest directors on the board of the Faculty of Science and various committees. After New Year, they will become directors, says Göran Hilmersson.
– It is very positive having all nine departments on board, and the meetings are held in a very good atmosphere. Our departments have previously not had
much collaboration with the IT departments but I think we will be seeing much more of that in the future.
In connection with the two IT departments being transferred to the Faculty of Science next year, the Faculty of Science will change its name to the Faculty of Science and Technology.
Text: Eva Lundgren Photo: Johan Wingborg
Göran Hilmersson is happy about the new IT-staff at the faculty.
The threats come from within
Sweden’s first report on threats and hate in academia challenges many notions about who are subjected to it, and how. Researcher David Brax thinks it is time for the universities to base their actions on facts: that attacks primarily stem from within universities, and mainly in a teaching context.
– I am hoping that the study will lead to a greater focus on resource shortages, stress and the academic work environment, he says.
HE WILL SOON PRESENT the final report from a survey of threats, hate and harassment in academia, based on 3,000 responses from members of SULF. It shows that almost 40 percent of the country’s researchers and university lecturers at some point have been subjected to threats or harassment. This happens in all fields and subjects, not only the ones considered charged or controversial, and a considerable majority of the attacks come from students or employees at the same department.
The investigation was headed by David Brax at the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research at the University of Gothenburg. He finds the results thought-provoking, particularly the fact that exposure in your own workplace is significantly more common than external threats.
– THER HAVE BEEN preconceived notions about what threats and harassment in academia stem from, which
I am hoping this survey can shed some new light on. Even though the representativeness should not be exaggerated as the response frequency is quite low, the results still clearly indicate that we need to focus more on internal situations, workplace climate and the work environment at universities when it concerns exposure to these things within academia.
FROM THE perspective of central management, it may be easier to manage and talk about external threats than internal ones, David Brax thinks.
– The figures about internal threats and harassment probably hide a number of complex situations that are difficult to deal with, while at the same time there is employer’s liability for all parties involved.
Almost half of the attacks come from students. It turns out that teaching situations are risk situations, and highlight issues concerning teachers working alone and how the teaching is dimensioned, David Brax point out.
– Many teachers have sole responsibility for courses, and there is much to indicate that some have an untenable teaching situation. Stress or a bad work environment will create risks. If there is no room for recovery or time to explain a decision, such as a grade, it can easily result in tension and friction that may lead to threats and harassment.
The consequences of the fear of attack are numerous, and many of them threaten the scientific freedom. A quarter of those who have
been subjected to threats or harassment state that they avoid becoming involved in certain issues. Other consequences include hesitancy before making decisions, or refraining from opining on certain subjects or issues.
DAVID BRAX believes that awareness of what the situation is like at universities needs to improve, both at the central level as well as among researchers and lecturers.
– It is easy to resort to symbolic or figurative measures, but it is essential to ascertain where resources need to be deployed in order to counter threats and harassment. I am hoping that the report will lead to a greater focus on the internal work environment within academia.
Ulrika Ernström
→Facts:
• The survey is the first of its kind in Sweden with an overarching approach to hate, threats and harassment in the academic world. It was designed using the same method as BRÅ’s Crime Survey about safety for politicians.
• The most common forms of threats and harassment include threatening emails, followed by threatening statements in person and attacks on social media.
• 45 percent of women have been subjected and 32 percent of men.
• No less than 75 percent of perceived threats come from inside the university world.
– Stress and bad work environment are some risk factors within academia, says David Brax.
Photo: JOHAN WINGBORG
Networking brings success
Jonathan Roques’s involvement in the Swedish-Japanese network MIRAI has given him new research perspectives, more funding and a successful collaboration with a Japanese researcher.
– It truly has boosted my career, he says.
BIOLOGIST JONATHAN Roques has been involved in MIRAI –meaning “future” in Japanese – since 2018, and has no plans to sever his contact with the network. He is hoping that more young researchers will discover MIRAI and other international networks at the University of Gothenburg, and the opportunities they can make available.
– It is an excellent chance to present your research to a different audience, to
encounter other cultures and discover new ways of working within research and reaching. In that sense it is also an inspiring way of breaking out of your “comfort zone” and getting new thoughts and ideas.
HOPEFULLY, such involvement in an international network will lead to exciting partnerships with researchers in similar fields or complementary disciplines.
– This is what happened to me, and it has meant so much to my development as a researcher, he says.
For Jonathan Roques, it all started with an unplanned, free dinner on the ship, “Ostindiefararen”, where the university arranged a network meet with MIRAI. He was invited by a senior lecturer at the department to talk about the Swedish Mariculture Research
Centre (SWEMARC), before the Swedish and Japanese attendees. At the meet, he met two researchers, Professor Tomonori Kindaichi at the Hiroshima University and Federico Micolucci from Lund, who were working in fields that interested him.
And thus, a successful collaboration was born, which is still ongoing to this day.
– We discussed how marine anammox bacteria can be used to treat wastewater, and decided to start working together. I travelled to the Kindaichi lab in Hiroshima to study how they cultivated anammox bacteria and Kindaichi visited me at the University of Gothenburg.
OVER THE YEARS, they have applied for funding together and received several grants, which also led to Federico
Micolucci being employed by the University of Gothenburg to work on the project.
– This collaboration has broadened my research as well as opening more avenues to research funds, says Jonathan Roques.
SINCE THAT FIRST meeting, the researchers have met many times. In addition, doctoral students in both Sweden and Japan have become involved in the project and followed along on the many field trips that have taken place.
– These kind of exchanges widens your perspectives and places the research in a global context. My next step is to apply for funding to work as a visiting researcher in Hiroshima for 3–6 months.
Jonathan Roques is fairly active in MIRAI, but he stres-
Jonathan Roques hopes that more young colleagues will join international networks.
ses that it does not require any major investment in order to participate in an international network – unless you choose to do so.
– As a researcher early in your career you need to introduce yourself and your research, and hopefully it will lead to you finding good contacts in the network. MIRAI also assists in finding matches between Swedish and Japanese researchers that may have a good exchange.
IN ADDITION TO strengthening Swedish-Japanese relations within research, MIRAI is also about exchanges and collaborations around teaching. The network is currently developing a project for various teaching activities. Hopefully it will lead to an opportunity for teaching exchanges between the countries, involving doctoral student.
– It is good for you career to gain experience of “global teaching” and not solely teaching at Swedish universities.
For anyone who is curious about any of the international networks at the University of Gothenburg, Jonathan Roques message is: try it – you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
– Participating in one single activity can led to many things, and it will never be a waste of time. You will always benefit from presenting your research, and the network can give you plenty of new ideas. There are opportunities to find new contacts and collaborations that might have been difficult to do otherwise. In the best of cases, international networks may shape and change your research career, so it is definitely worth a try, he says.
Text: Ulrika Ernström
Photo: Johan Wingborg
Early career boost through international networks
Establishing international contacts early on can strengthen your career and increase the chances of getting research grants. The University of Gothenburg is collaborating with several international networks, and is hoping that more young researchers will take the opportunity to participate.
THE UNIVERSITY-WIDE international networks at the University of Gothenburg stem from two major global challenges and are interdisciplinary in nature. Both junior and senior researchers are welcome, but Karin Wallin, Project Manager at the International Centre, points out that young researchers may find them particularly beneficial.
– There is great value in starting early to build you international network, preferably during your doctoral period. In addition to valuable experiences all international contacts, regardless of length, will generate a more attractive CV and better chances of finding a postdoctoral position after your thesis defence, she says.
INTERNATIONAL experiences is frequently a more or less hidden criterion for research grants. The university’s international network can also open doors to new contacts which would otherwise have been difficult to gain access to.
– Participants in such international networks build relationships with many new
researchers, and will thus gain access to their networks as well. We have numerous examples of how participants were able to come into contact with researchers at a much higher level than they would have been able to without the network.
PARTICIPATING IN the networks’ activities means getting more eyes and other perspectives on your research. In many instances, the participation will lead to new, international partnerships.
– Through the networks, participants can gain access to more methods and be inspired to taking their research to new levels. It is common for researchers who have found each other through the networks to submit joint applications and set up joint research projects.
Karin Wallin stresses that it often does not require any great investment in order to participate in an international network activity. At least not in light of what it might lead to.
– It is often about shortterm activities, such as participating in a major international conference, and most networks also offer workshops, network meetings or poster presentations. There is usually travel grants. Many people maintain their network contacts throughout their entire career. So it is a good investment and can produce great outcomes, just from participating in one single activity, she says.
Text: Ulrika Ernström
Webinar about the international networks at the University of Gothenburg
On three occasions next the Grants and Innovation Office and the International Centre will hold lunch seminars about the university’s international networks and projects: January 24, March 21 and May 23. Find out more at the Staff Portal, under Support and Service.
Events in 2025
Examples if international opportunities: Chile
ACCESS Forum in Chile in January 2026: Attend a week of interdisciplinary workshops, applications will open in the spring of 2025. Travel scholarships are available. Focus areas: Health, sustainable cities, fighting climate change, life in the oceans and biodiversity.
Japan
MIRAI Apply for seed funding to start up projects or write research applications. Research and Innovation Week 2026, Travel scholarships are available.
Focus areas: Health and aging, climate risks and adaptation, resilient cities, materials for energy conversion and storage
The Swedish Institutes in Rome, Athens, Istanbul Courses, seminars, research stays, writing retreats and much more. Scholarships and Erasmus+ staff mobility.
Focus areas: Humanities, art and social sciences.
In my field, such teaching-based articles are called “GIFTS: Great Ideas for Teaching”.
Davide Girardelli
Share
your
AI-teaching knowledge!
Have you lectured or examined with the aid of AI? Perhaps you would be interested in sharing your experiences?
If so, you can do this in the special feature planned by the journal Frontiers in Communication. The three editors, two of whom come from GU, hope to collect short articles with experiences, advice, and recommendations by colleagues from universities across the world.
STUDENT OPINIONS ON the new AI-technology is already well documented. Only last year did Amy Wanyu Ou, at the time a postdoctoral researcher at Chalmers before becoming an associate senior lecturer at GU, and two of her co-workers a survey on how students view ChatGPT and
other similar tools.
– The survey was responded by approximately 6 000 students throughout the country. It turns out that 56 percent of students were in favour of using chatbots to aid their studies, while 62 percent thought it was cheating to use Chat GPT during an examination.
At the same time, many students were worried about the risk of people cheating would lead to AI-tools being banned.
THERE STILL IS LITTLE research on what teachers think of and do with AI, though. Yet, the new technology is a topic often brought up in the workplace, explains Davide Girardelli, docent senior lecturer at the Department of Applied IT. – I often teach topics that are related to employability
skills, and AI is increasingly used in professional settings. Therefore, I often let my student experiment with AI in my courses, for instance in activities when they won’t be graded, or in parts of an assignment that are not really important for the final grade. Or I instruct students to use a chatbot to merely proofread their texts but alsoto point out common grammatical mistakes in these texts. I would describe my teaching approach as a low-level integration of AI. However, I know that a lot of colleagues here at GU are developing some great, innovative, and inspiring high-level teaching practices with AI, but they may not be aware that those innovative practices can be shared as peer-reviewed articles to inspire other teachers around the world. In my field, such teaching-based articles are called “GIFTS: Great Ideas
for Teaching.” That was the initial inspiration for our special issue: to create a platform to discuss AI-enhanced education and share thoughts and experiences.
ALONGSIDE ASSISTANT
professor Kelly Merrill Jr, University of Cincinnati, Davide Girardelli and Amy Wanyu Ou now plan to release a special feature in the journal Frontiers in Communication with the title Teaching and Assessing with AI: Teaching Ideas, Research, and Reflection. They are hoping to gather materials for this initiative from all over the world, and in particular from teachers at GU.
– We want short articles that preferably can be used in interdisciplinary contexts and are easy to share, Amy Wanyu Ou explains. These texts can be about efficient ways to use
generative AI or about student engagement, but they could also be critical discussions, for example about the digital divide. The deadline for summaries is the 31st of January, while the one for full texts is set to the 31st of March. After that point, we editors will compile the material and sometime in June we hope to have a finished issue ready for publication.
Perhaps the journal can be the first step towards creating a research centre focused on AI in higher education, Davide Girardelli suggests.
– Working with the PIL Unit in order to create an interdisciplinary centre with educators, linguists, computer scientists and others who might be interested to join could prove incredibly valuable. AI-tools are here to stay and there are many who have good ideas on how they can be put to further use.
Text: Eva Lundgren
Photo: Johan Wingborg
→Facts: Information: Teaching and Assessing with AI: Teaching Ideas, Research, and Reflection is a planned special feature of the openly available journal Frontiers in Communication. The editors are Davide Girardelli, Department of Applied IT, Amy Wanyu Ou, Department of Languages and Literatures, and Kelly Merrill Jr, University of Cincinnati. The editors are inviting articles from teachers with experience (or critical opinions) using AI during their lectures or examinations. In order to better collect new ideas, conversations, and educational experiments, they have elected a “short-paper” format, which will help make it easier to share the texts with a broader audience of both researchers and educators.
Deadline for summaries: 31st of January.
Deadline for full text: 31th of March.
More information: www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/67614/ teaching-and-assessing-with-aiteaching-ideas-research-and-reflections/overview.
The University introduces a student union for doctoral students
On the 1st of July next year, the University of Gothenburg introduces its fifth union, and in so doing becomes one of the few universities in Sweden with a union for doctoral students.
– Us doctoral students exist in a bit of a grey area between students and staff, and we need a voice of our own, explains Sanskriti Chattopadhyay, chairperson of University of Gothenburg Doctoral Committee (GUDK).
SANSKRITI Chattopadhyay brings up how doctoral students, who are still students while being employed at the University, in part follow a different set of rules compared to students at a bachelor’s and master’s level.
– It can be in regards to the work environment, which can often cause a lot of stress when you’re trying to finish your dissertation, or if you’re having problems with your supervisor, a matter that would be particularly sensitive to us, or just questions regarding ambiguous rules. Unlike the other unions, ours will be joint across all of GU, which will make us stronger.
The forming of a new doctoral student union is supported by the present four unions at GU, says Hampus Haugland, chairperson of the University of Gothenburg Student Unions (GUS).
– GUS’s purpose is to
bring the unions together, but beyond that we don’t really have an opinion on which unions there actually are. All the same, we have taken note of the strong support of there being a union for the doctoral students and we agree that there definitely exist difficulties that are exclusive to them. Once it’s formed, GUS will represent this new union as well.
The union that currently has the highest number of doctoral students is the Sahlgrenska academy Student Union (SAKS), where Noa Galan Frick is chairperson.
– When GUDK told us that they wanted to apply for a student union status, discussions obviously arose. Us losing members will lead to an economic loss on our part, but the money won’t just disappear; it’ll go to the doctoral students instead, which, of course, is also good. The doctoral students have matters of their own to tackle, for example, they tend to face discrimination to a somewhat higher degree and often find themselves in situations where the regulations become unclear. Undoubtedly, we will continue our contact with GUDK.
PER HAGLUND, coordinator at the Student and Educational Support, is the one who has evaluated the application.
– According to the Swedish Higher Education Act and the Ordinance on Student’ Unions, students’
associations need to apply for a student union status every third year. This year there were five applications instead of the usual four, the new addition being the doctoral student union. After conducting an evaluation with one of the university legal advisers, and arriving at the conclusion that all five unions fulfil the required criteria, it was an easy decision for the University Board to give its approval on the 4th of December.
BEFORE NOW, there were only two doctoral student unions in Sweden: Lund Doctoral Student Union, established in 1996, and the Malmö Doctoral Student Union, established in 2012. Next year, the University of Gothenburg joins them with the third Swedish doctoral student union.
Eva Lundgren
→Information: The University of Gothenburg today has the following unions: Göta studentkår, the Student Union of the School of Business, Economics and Law, The Student Union for the Artistic Faculty, and The Sahlgrenska academy Student Union. They are all part of the collaborative body, the University of Gothenburg Student Unions (GUS).
The University of Gothenburg Doctoral Committee (GUDK), today part of GUS, will become a union of its own on the 1st of July, as per the University Board’s decree on the 4th of December.
The gymnast who became a dentist
Dentist, orthodontist, investigative expert, teacher, researcher and, for the past six months, also professor – Anna Westerlund has a long list of titles to choose from.
She actively chose dentistry, not just once but twice, while her interest in research grew out of random chance. →
Text: Eva Lundgren Photo: Johan Wingborg
When Anna Westerlund started studying dentistry in 1990 she started working as an administrative assistant during her first term, first at the department of anatomy and later at the department of histology. She did not even know the meaning of the term “thesis defence” at the time, but soon got curious about what research might involve. This early contact with the world of research has subsequently benefited her in all kinds of situations, not only later as a doctoral student, but also in the many assignments she has had.
For example, she is currently involved in a project funded by the Västra Götaland region, concerning the right age for straightening children’s teeth. The answer is connected to the development of the jawbone, and bone growth is one example of knowledge that Anna Westerlund picked up during her time as an assistant.
– Previously, there was one common treatment code for all the different braces, which meant that you could not map out the care given to different patients. In 2019 i contributed to the development of different codes in order to be able to follow up the different alternatives. This means that in a few years we will have answers to whether early straightening is a good thing or whether we have to redo it after a few years. The project is also linked to a study on the connection between dental development and jawbone and facial growth at the MunH-Center where I work with rare health conditions.
Anna Westerlund is also clinically responsible for the Precaries VR project which concerns the importance of genes in developing caries. This is a partnership between ten clinics from Umeå to Kristianstad and involves more than one thousand patients undergoing teeth straightening.
In addition, she is collaborating with SBU (the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services) in producing documentation for predictive models for the National Board of Health and Welfare.
– The reason is the report presented by Veronica Palm in 2018 about dental care being provided to those who need it the most. I have also been involved in drafting the latest national guidelines for dental care.
That Anna Westerlund also has the time to be the subject coordinator and section head at the department of odontology is down to her ability to focus, set goals och not get stressed.
This is something she learnt during childhood in the small town of Vinslöv in northern Skåne. You see, her greatest interest growing up was gymnastics.
– I was training artistic gymnastics on the elite level with a team that competed in both the Swedish and the European championships. Most of the people I knew thought it was obvious that I would go on to become a PE teacher. But I did not find teaching pupils who might not be interested particularly appealing, so I started thinking about doing something different.
After upper-secondary school Anna Westerlund
worked for one year with her father who was a dental technician. That was when one of her father’s colleagues told her about how Gothenburg was a good place to become a dentist.
– I found out that odontological research and training in Gothenburg were among the best in world. So I applied to the University of Gothenburg, and I got in. But I continued to do gymnastics 4–6 times a week and competed with a team in Höganäs. I graduated in 1995.
When Anna Westerlund had worked as a dentist for five years, she had a serious accident when she was working with a log splitter. The right index and middle fingers got cut off and was suddenly lying on the ground!
– When I came to the hand surgeon in Malmö the doctor, Lars Ekerot, asked if they should reattach the fingers, and of course I said yes. But they told me that I would never get very good mobility or sensitivity back again.
For a dentist, having good movement of the fingers is of course essential. So Anna Westerlund started thinking about changing careers.
– But I really didn’t want to! So for the second time, I chose to continue as a dentist. I was used to training a lot so I started practising my finger movements. And what should not be possible, to completely restore both sensitivity and mobility, I managed to achieve using through hard graft and after one year I could start working for a trial period, and six months later I was back completely.
But the curiosity about research that had arisen in her so many years ago was still there.
In 2001, Anna Westerlund became a doctoral student at the biomaterials department and the following year she started her specialized training in orthodontics. In 2004 her daughter Thea was born, in 2005 she ´became an orthodontist and in 2006 she defended her thesis and was employed as a teacher at the University of Gothenburg.
– There was a lot going on at the same time. I managed it very much because I already knew quite a bit about research. But without the support from my husband Anders and my parents, it would not have been possible.
In 2008, her son Max was born and two years later it was time for a proper adventure.
– In 2010, my husband had the opportunity through his employer, Ericsson, to work in Ottawa. We moved there and had two amazing years! Our neighbours called us the Traveling Wilburys as we spent almost all of our time off travelling, from the Rocky Mountains in the west to Nova Scotia in the east. At the same time I was working for the University of Gothenburg and travelled home every ten weeks.
Being an orthodontist is fun most of the time, says Anna Westerlund.
– Back in the day, young people could be forced to
undergo teeth straightening, but not anymore. On the contrary, I more or less always meet positive children and young people who are happy to come to the clinic. Over a period of two years I meet with the patients every eight weeks or so, and we have the opportunity to talk about all kinds of things. But it is tough being young today. Many young people with teeth that are only slightly aslant want their teeth straightened. Then you need to explain to them that straightening is only for those who really need it and that treatment is not always a good thing: Both the risk of caries and of shortening roots will increase.
Even though Anna Westerlund always works a lot she stresses that it is important to do other things as well.
– If you enjoy your work, you risk forgetting other aspects of life, such as being with family and friends. And to have other interests is also important; I do not compete in gymnastics any longer, but I have run four marathons, skied in Vasaloppet, cycled Vättenrundan, swum Vansbrosimmet, among other things, and I regularly train at Fysiken. That was something that was reluctant to in the beginning, as I thought it would be full of young students, but that is not the case at all, there are people of all ages and it is a lot of fun.
Travelling is also important to Anna Westerlund.
– For example, recently my husband and I went to Miami. But she does not have to travel far to find it interesting; it is enough to go Stockholm over the weekend or just drive to their summer house on Hamburgö island and enjoy a quiet walk in the forest.
ANNA WESTERLUND
Works as: Professor of orthodontics (teeth straightening), orthodontist and dentist, expert in various inquiries. She lives in: Toltorpsdalen, Mölndal.
Family: Husband Anders, children
Thea and Max.
Latest book: Anna currently mostly reads theses and other peer review work, but she loves reading fiction, preferably detective stories.
Latest film: Släpp taget by Josephine Bornebusch.
Favourite food: Sushi.
Hobbies: Travel, training, being with family and friends.
With focus on toxics in fish
On October 14–18 the University of Gothenburg hosted a workshop within the EU programme Contrast which was held at the Kristineberg Centre. Eighteen researchers from eight countries gathered to try to find new tools for measuring the effect of hazardous chemicals on marine environments.
– In joint projects it is common to have short mini meetings in order to go through results. But during this week, we had time to really discuss it, says Joachim Sturve, Professor of Ecotoxicology.
The origin of Contrast is the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) which means that all EU member states with a coastline must maintain a good environmental standard and have environmental monitoring in place.
– The directive lists a minimum requirement for EU members regarding water quality and access to water. However, not all countries fulfil their obligations, explains Joachim Sturve who is responsible for number 7 of the 8 work packages in Contrast.
For many years now, environmental monitoring has mainly been about chemical analysis.
– Even if chemical analysis is good, it has limitations. Partly, it would be far too expensive to measure all the thousands of chemicals that we release, so you need to focus on a small number of them. And
it is also difficult to ascertain what effect a toxic substance will have in combination with other chemicals or in a certain environment. A researcher can measure a disconcerting level of a substance, only for the result to show that it is not particularly relevant to the area being investigated.
A complementary way of measuring how harmful a chemical is, is to examine biological effects on individuals in a certain population, such as biochemical or physiological changes, so-called biomarkers. These effects can also subsequently be confirmed in lab experiments where the organisms are exposed to the same chemical substance in a controlled setting, says Joachim Sturve.
– I mainly do my research on fish, but there are several other interesting areas
of investigation. One example, which is something my colleague Ingela Dahllöf is involved in, is the meiofauna in sediments, that is invertebrates that are larger than bacteria but too small to see with the naked eye. In a healthy marine environment the meiofauna can be surprisingly abundant while it is much poorer in polluted areas. There are several advantages to studying sediments, such as their being unaffected by the weather and being easy to collect for laboratory testing.
One purpose of Contrast is to draft strict recommendations for marine environmental monitoring, such as for the Ospar convention which protects the environment in the north-east Atlantic and for the Helcom convention which is intended to protect the environment in the Baltic Sea, Joachim Sturve explains.
– One problem is that researchers in different EU countries investigates different species of fish, for example. But in order to obtain good, comparable data, everybody needs to use the same methodology. One method is a so-called ring
Studying toxics in fish.
trial. This involves a reference institute sending identical samples for analysis of specific parameters to a number of laboratories; the trial is successful if all labs achieve the same results. Creating that very type of trials is one of the main aims of work package 7. Another aim is to create a template for future strategies concerning marine environmental monitoring.
Contrast involves collaboration between researchers at ten institutions in eight countries, Sweden, Belgium, France, Italy, Greece, Norway, Spain and Great Britain. Thus, the October workshop turned into a very international gathering which included laboratory work, such as the sampling of fish and sediments, Joachim Sturve explains.
– When you collaborate on a project you frequently have fairly short meetings that mostly focus on presentation of results, and this is of course important But to occasionally have the time to discuss, exchange experiences and working together is incredibly valuable. So when I planned the workshop I made sure the schedule was quite loosely held together in order for the participants to have time for other things; among other things we had dinner together in the evening and also had time for other social activities. The next workshop will be held in Murcia, Spain.
Text: Eva Lundgren
Photo: Johan Wingborg
»But in order to obtain good, comparable data, everybody needs to use the same methodology.«
JOACHIM STURVE
Facts: Contrast is an EU-funded project aiming to improve our understanding of how chemicals harm marine organisms in order to be able to improve the protection of marine ecosystems and biodiversity. The project is a collaboration between institutions in Belgium, France, Italy, Greece, Norway, Spain, Great Britain and Sweden (the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, the University of Gothenburg).
Academic leader and film enthusiast
After close to 14 years as the Dean of the School of Business, Economics and Law, Per Cramér finally has a diary that is not crammed full of meetings. However, it is not completely empty either: among other things, he is involved in Queen Silvia’s professorship in Global Child and Adolescent Health, Chair of the Jonsered Manor Committee and the Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, and is also about to start a new research project.
In addition, he is on the board of the Göteborg Film Festival.
He has been on it since 1980, one year after the film festival was launched.
– I have followed the development of the festival from an altruistic initiative at the Gothenburg students’ film studio to the cultural institutions it is today. I have always been passionate about the festival programme and its seminars that are intended to reflect events within the film
over past year, but also to act as a mirror for societal trends.
Digitalisation has led to revolutionary developments for film, Per Cramér points out.
– The glamorous film studio is but a distant memory, now it is mostly about faster productions from companies such as HBO and Netflix. This has radically increased the supply of moving pictures that are easily accessible from the TV couch. But the question is whether quality films with a critical eye on society, often made in Europe partly using public funds, will be able to handle the competition from an ever stronger commercial entertainment industry.
Going from a 14-year-old jam-packed schedule to being fairly much in control of your own time requires a certain transition period, Per Cramér explains.
– I am confident that the new management taking over the School of Business, Economics and Law will continue to develop its operations. We are one of only around 110 business schools in the world that are Triple Crown accredited, an international seal of approval which I
am convinced we will retain.
Per Cramér’s new assignments include heading the collaboration group, comprising deans from the School of Business, Economics and Law, Sahlgrenska Academy, the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Education, that is working with Queen Silvia’s professorship in Global Child and Adolescent Health with a special focus on mental health.
– The person we are looking for should have a strong presence in their discipline but also be a context creator, able to create a cross-disciplinary context and at the same time work locally as well as internationally across different boundaries. The professorship, which was made possible by a donation from Carl Bennet in connection with the queen’s 80th birthday, provides a unique opportunity for the University of Gothenburg to truly contribute to developing knowledge within a very important field. Using the professorship as a hub, our ambition is to create a broad inter-faculty research environment. During a round-table talk, which entailed the first step towards establishing the professorship, the queen
Per Cramér
Currently: Stepped down mid-year as Dean of the School of Business, Economics and Law, chair of the collaboration group working on Queen Silvia’s professor ship in Global Child and Adolescent Health with a special focus on mental health, committee chair of Jonsereds Manor and the Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, head of the project Rättsliga förutsättningar för beredskap (Legal Prerequisites for Preparedness), member of the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences in Gothenburg as well as deputy chair of the board of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
Family: Wife, two children and four grandchildren.
He lives in: Käringberget.
Hobbies: Engaged in societal development, voracious consumer of film and other cultural expressions as well as an active outdoorsman.
Per Cramér is one of the film enthusiasts who in 1995 bought a chair at the Draken cinema.
»One of the most important roles of the School of Business, Economics and Law is therefore to teach these students that with power comes responsibility.« PER CRAMÉR
contributed with many valuable points, and representatives from the WHO, Unicef, UNHCR, the region and the city showed an active interest in the initiative.
The mental health of young people is a neglected field of research, Per Cramér observes. It currently has acute global relevance, both for stable, economically developed democracies as well as for states facing major political and economic challenges.
– The destructive conflicts in countries such as Ukraine, the Middle East and Sudan risk having significant consequences for the younger generation. It is not sufficient to just be reactive and try
to remedy existing problems, we must also examine what creates good mental health, where some key elements are trust and hope. If we are unable to support vulnerable young people in a judicious manner, we risk losing the energy and drive of the generation that will shape our future societies.
Research plays an essential role to major societal issues, Per Cramér stresses.
– When I took up my post as dean, the School of Business, Economics and Law was something of a vocational college with a strong focus on teaching. But in order to create a truly good education, which can pass on knowledge to the next generation, a connection to research is crucial. We have worked hard to expanding the research part which is currently funded by external grants to the tune of 60 percent. This is very positive, but also entails a certain risk. On an aggregated level we can manage the external dependency but for individual research environments a denied grant may mean their operations will shut down.
Still, the education programmes constitute the School’s most significant contribution to society, Per Cramér argues.
– We train the business leaders, economists, judges and attorneys of the future, who will be wielding a lot of power. One of the most important roles of the School of Business, Economics and Law is therefore to teach these students that with power comes responsibility, not only for your own situation, but also for the organisations where they work as well as for society as a whole. This is also the reason why our programmes have a very clear sustainability perspective.
Last autumn, a seminar was held in Vasaparken about the Israel-Palestine conflict. Arranging that type of meetings, where complex issues are being discussed by researchers who agree on the factual issues but still make different assessments, is part of the most important roles of the university, Per Cramér explains.
– The Jonsered operations, for which I am the new committee chair, hosted the event. This particular conversation is one example of what the Jonsered Seminars can be about, now that they move into the city. This is due to the university terminating their contract with Partillebo, who owns the Jonsered Manor,
but the collaboration will continue. We simply want to use the possibilities of the city more creatively and perhaps have conversations about biodiversity in the Trädgårdsföreningen Palm House, larger gatherings in Malmstensalen and also continue holding chamber music sessions in the manor itself.
The Israel-Palestine seminar also brought the question of the role of universities in a polarised world to the table.
– Employees and students have a responsibility to participate in public discourse but I would emphatically argue that the university as an institution should not be engaged in foreign policy or take a stand on political issues. It is also important to maintain academic partnerships, even in times of geopolitical tensions. As a former chair of the Nordic Centre Fudan i became aware of the importance of keeping a door open to China in order to understand what is happening there, but also in order to give our Chinese colleagues the safety valve that international collaboration can provide. Academic collaboration, including with colleagues and institutions in undemocratic countries, is of great importance, but it must never involve renouncing fundamental academic values.
13 years ago Per Cramér had a meeting with the city, the Transport administration and Akademiska Hus about a new construction with an entrance to Västlänken Haga station.
– Since then, the construction has been subject to unfortunate delays. But when the construction with an entrance to the Haga station eventually is completed it will have a great impact, not only on the School of Business, Economics and Law, but also on the Faculty of Social Sciences, Pedagogen and the 14,000 students who are active in the area. For a city suffering from a chronic shortage of student housing it will be valuable for students living in Alingsås or Kungsbacka to be able to get to the faculty in just 20 minutes. For the School of Business, Economics and Law, the new construction will provide an opportunity to create a campus of international prominence that is so exciting and vibrant that employees and students will be present not because they have to, but because they enjoy it.
