Why Diversity and Mobility Matter in Academia, and What We’re Doing About It
Mobility is key to sustaining diversity. International collaboration and academic exchange bring fresh ideas and connections, but access to mobility remains uneven. According to the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT), internationally mobile researchers in Sweden are generally more productive and cited, yet women are still significantly underrepresented. Family responsibilities, financial constraints, and institutional structures often limit mobility for researchers of all genders, especially those with caregiving duties. To address this, the School of Engineering Sciences at KTH is launching the SCI Sabbatical Program, which covers travel and family-related expenses, such as school fees for children. While remote work helps some, relocating a family remains a major hurdle, especially for early-career researchers.
The aim of initiatives like the SCI sabbatical program isn’t to tick a diversity box, it’s to build a more sustainable, equitable, and globally connected research environment. That’s the academic culture we should be working toward. Read Sandra's blog |
Faculty members at the School of Engineering Sciences will now have the opportunity to apply for travel grants for sabbaticals abroad. During the years 2026-2028, a total of SEK 4.5 million will be allocated to the initiative, which provides support for longer research stays at foreign universities. The aim is to promote international exchange and scientific renewal. Who can applyFaculty members: assistant professors, associate professors and professors. Planned sabbatical of at least one semester at a foreign university.
What can be funded?The application should include- Invitation from the foreign university.
- Letter of support from the Head of Department.
- A development plan (max. 2 pages) describing the planned research and/or educational development during the sabbatical.
- Detailed budget with justification of the amount requested and the need for school funding.
Application process- Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year
- Applications should be sent to skolchef@sci.kth.se at least three months before the planned departure.
- The school's management group will go through the applications and make a decision within one month.
Read more and applyLäs mer och anmäl dig | | | | | Professor Waclaw Gudowski | |
Waclaw Gudowski awarded the 2025 Borelius medalThe Borelius Medal for 2025 is awarded to Waclaw
Gudowski for his visionary development of research and teaching in nuclear
energy related research and teaching at KTH, and particularly the creation of a
highly successful Master’s Programme in Nuclear Energy Engineering.
The Borelius Medal Ceremony will take place at the annual SCI School Party on 4 June. Come along to congratulate Waclaw in person.
| | | | | The Borelius medal is awarded by the School of Engineering Sciences and recognises outstanding contributions to the development and success of engineering sciences at KTH.
| | | | | Information from the SCI Faculty Board | Nils Wikström, PhD representant on the SCI Faculty Board | |
What role can an international advisory board play at SCI, and how can KTH ensure equal representation in faculty committees when the gender balance is uneven? These were some of the key questions discussed during the latest meeting of the SCI Faculty Board. The board also considered how to better manage student choices within the “Open Entrance” programme, given the challenges posed by high competition for certain specialisations.
The discussions reflect a broader ambition to strengthen international perspectives, promote gender equality and improve the student experience, all crucial components in the faculty’s ongoing development work. Interview with Nils Wikström
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TekMek Research Days Highlight the Strength of Engineering Mechanics After two intensive days filled with presentations, lab tours and discussions between researchers and industry representatives, the 2025 TekMek Research Days have come to a close. “It’s been two inspiring and productive days. I’m very pleased with how the event turned out and with the strong engagement from both researchers and external participants,” says Zuheir Barsoum, Professor and Vice Head of the Department of Engineering Mechanics. The event aimed to highlight the breadth of engineering mechanics, foster new connections and set the way for future collaborations. TekMek Research Days was held for the first time in 2025, but
the hope
is that it will become a recurring event.
| Academic Productivity and Sustainable Work Methods
We are pleased to offer a new series of workshops for doctoral students at KTH wishing to enhance their skills in academic productivity, writing and sustainable working methods. Read more | | | | | Disruptive Technologies for Drugging the Undruggable
Mark your calendar for the SciLifeLab Science Summit 2025, an event focusing on novel technologies as drivers to find new modalities for disease intervention and drug innovation for precision medicine. Read more and register | | | | |
News from the SCI PhD Student CouncilNew SCI PhD Student Council Elected The elections for the SCI PhD Council have successfully concluded, and the new council was officially announced on January 7th. They took over responsibilities from the previous council members during the Council Handover Meeting on January 30th, marking the official start of their term by a kick-off meeting on February 17th! You can find the names of the board members here and the PADs here. Welcome Event for the SCI PhD council and Pizza Night On February 18th, the SCI PhD Council hosted a Welcome Event & Pizza Night at FA32, Albanova. The event provided an opportunity for PhD students to meet the new council members, learn more about their work, and engage in discussions about PhD student representation. Students also had the chance to meet their PADs and connect with fellow PhD students.
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SCI PhD Event: Laser TagOn March 28th, the SCI PhD Council organized a Laser Tag event at Laserdome Stockholm – a fun and action-packed opportunity for PhD students to connect outside the lab! During the event, students teamed up and competed in three thrilling 20-minute games over an hour. It was a nice chance to meet new people and play together.
| | | | SCI PhD Event: Painting in CeramicsThe SCI PhD Council organized a cozy and creative Ceramic Painting evening at “Kärlek å Keramik” in Stockholm on April 30th! It was a relaxing activity for the participants to unwind and express themselves artistically. They spent two focused hours turning plain ceramics into personalized works of art. It was a great opportunity for them to meet with fellow PhD students over brushstrokes and show that in engineering sciences, creativity has a place!
| | | | New Subject Coordinator Positions at the Program LevelNew subject coordinator (ämnesansvariga) positions are being introduced for the doctoral programs: Applied Physics and Mathematics. These coordinators will serve as key contacts for PhD students, providing support for eISP, course accreditation, and general PhD-related questions. After nominations are gathered, also with the help from PADs, interviews took place. The new subject coordinators will be announced soon. Stay tuned for more updates! |
Photo: Biel Morro on Unsplash
| | PhD course: Sustainable energy transitionsThe course
Sustainable Energy Transitions –Technology and Management Perspectives
is an interdisciplinary PhD course package offering a training in innovation and technology management, sustainable business and entrepreneurship, as well as policy processes related to sustainable energy transitions. Apply by 30 June. Sustainable energy transitions – FME3550 | | | | | | Support for course development after course evaluationsDo you want to develop your course based on students' feedback on course evaluation? Need support to get started? Here you will find various forms of support that can help you with the development of your course Support for course development after course evaluations
| | | | | Fika Chat with THS Teacher of the Year Paris CarboneTHS awarded Paris Carbone Teacher of the Year 2024 for his experimental and innovative teaching methodology. Marcus Lithander and Anna Jerbrant in a discussion in English. Listen to Paris’ Fika Chat #60 live 4 June at 15:00 | | | | | Fika Chat from Storträffen Meetup for education and KTH SoTLMarcus Lithander meets teachers, students and staff at Storträffen Meetup. This spring event has the theme "Teaching for the future - with today's resources and challenges" and is co-organised with the higher education pedagogy conference KTH SoTL 2025. Find links to Fika Chat #59 from Storträffen | | | | |
Kopps is replaced by education planning in Ladok from 1 JuneKopps, KTH's current system support for course and programme planning, is replaced with new functionality for education planning in Ladok from 1 June 2025. The shift mainly affects educational administrative work processes. Changes when Kopps is closed down
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The University of Oxford is the Academic Partner of the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance, and host of the Summit with UN Human Rights.
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KTH at the Right Here Right Now Global Climate Summit
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During this year’s Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit, the KTH Climate Action Centre will lead a 30-minute panel discussion on reframing the SDGs for a post-2030 world that is centred in human rights and planetary health. This will be KTH’s first contribution as a new official content partner for the summit.
Save the date and make sure to watch it online! | | | | | | Foto: Juliana Wolf Garcindo
| Lecturer and Inclusion Expert Viktoria Saxby will share her knowledge and insights on how we can ensure that our use of AI makes us better at anti-discrimination, equality and inclusion, rather than worse. Some of the topics the session will cover: • Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in a changing world - what is happening and why does it matter? • Why can AI risk increasing biases, exclusion and discrimination? • Is AI really better at bias-free recruitment than humans? • How do we ensure that our AI tools, training data, and questions minimise risks and maximise opportunities? • Concrete, industry-specific tips and tools for creating and implementing inclusive AI • Relevance for KTH in general | | | | | | Seminar Series on Democracy and Academic Freedom: The American university systemWelcome to the fourth seminar in the series on democracy and academic freedom. The speaker is Dag Blanck, Professor at Uppsala University. In Swedish! | | | | | | Seminar on EU Climate Policy
Join us for an overview of how EU Climate Legislation works today, and some insights on key pieces of regulation that will be reviewed and re-negotiated within the next couple of years, with Magnus Nilsson, one of Sweden's most knowledgeable experts in the field. This will be followed by a discussion with Christofer Fjellner and Jytte Guteland, drawing on their own extensive experience in national and EU climate politics. | | | | | | | | Open science – how to make research more openInterested in how open science is changing the research landscape and how you can have more open research practices? Join this workshop to learn how you can be as open as possible. | | | | | | | | | | Public defences of doctoral theses, licenciate seminars and docent lectures
| | | Festival concept to counteract unwelcome behaviour
KTH has trained 700 students and staff in “Dare to Care”, a concept developed to create a safer environment at festivals. It includes active bystander behaviour - how to intervene in situations where someone else is at risk of harm.
Festival concept to counteract unwelcome behaviour | | | Crowded on KTH campus this autumnFrom this autumn, all KTH students from Kista and Södertälje will attend KTH Campus at Valhallavägen, except those on the foundation year programme in Södertälje, who are moving to Flemingsberg. Read more | | | | | KTH and Elekta strengthen collaborationThe KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Elekta are deepening their collaboration in innovation, research and education in medical technology. The signing of a letter of intent will take this collaboration to an even more strategic and systematic level.
Read more | | | | | Nästa nyhetsbrevKom ihåg att skicka in dina tips senast tisdag 13.00, samma vecka. | | | | |
