Newsmakers at KTH

Vice President wins work environment prize

Jan Gulliksen , Professor in Human Computer Interaction and Vice President for Digitalisation at KTH, has won the 2022 Levi Prize. The distinction was awarded for his great dedication in the field of work environment and digitalisation. Throughout his career as a researcher, Jan Gulliksen has focused on digitalisation and digital working from a work environment perspective, while driving user-centred development of digital systems.

Professor rewarded for waste management

Bo Cederwall , Professor of Nuclear Physics, has received the Euratom Nuclear Innovation Prize 2022. The award recognizes the invention of a novel 3D radiation imaging modality for special nuclear materials applied to radioactive waste characterization. The method localizes nuclear materials with high precision inside shielded radioactive waste containers using their correlated emission of neutrons and gamma rays (i.e without the use of standard X-ray techniques). The innovation, called ARCTERIX, simplifies and speeds up the safe handling of the large quantities of radioactive waste in temporary storage worldwide. The prize is awarded under the Euratom Research and Training Programme

IT Professor becomes Honorary Doctor

Kristina Höök , Professor of Interaction Design, has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Gothenburg University Department of Applied Information Technology. Her work putting Sweden on the map in human-computer interaction strengthens Gothenburg University’s development in the field, as the university writes in a comment on the decision. Höök is an internationally recognised researcher, and was for example behind the Mobile Life Centre, the research centre which for ten years was run in a cooperation between the private, public, academic and research sectors.

New PhDs receive postdoc grants

Three new PhDs have received Swedish Research Council grants to work abroad as international postdocs. The three are, in the field of natural and engineering sciences, Filip Samuelsson , a researcher in astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology, and Kian Shaker , medical device engineering, radiology and imaging, and in the field of humanities and social sciences, Johan Fredrikzon, researcher in technical history.

Renewable transition awarded

Stefan Stankovic, who defended his PhD thesis at KTH, has received the Junior Prize for Best Thesis 2021, awarded by Svenska Elektro- och Dataingenjörernas Riksförbund, Sweden’s national association of electronic and computer engineers. The thesis looks at the challenges faced by power systems in transitioning from conventional to renewable energy sources. Stankovic analyses the move from high-voltage grids to underlying medium-voltage distribution and partial transmission systems, which presents a great many challenges in electricity production.

Research for sustainable construction

Johan Silfwerbrand , Professor of Bridge Engineering, has been awarded research funding for Sweden’s national construction automation project. Research projects have been awarded funding as part of a programme aiming to increase resource efficiency and sustainability in urban development, using the opportunities offered by digitalisation. The funding comes from Smart Built Environment supported by Vinnova, the Swedish Energy Agency and Formas – a Swedish government research council for sustainable development.

Text: Christer Gummeson