Newsmakers at KTH – March 2023
Who has received what when it comes to funding? What findings, results and researchers have attracted attention outside KTH? Under the vignette Newsmakers, we provide a selection of the latest news and events at KTH.
Award for innovative mathematics
Kathlén Kohn , Assistant Professor in Mathematics, has been awarded the 2023 L’Oréal–UNESCO For Women in Science prize. She won “for innovative use of algebraic methods in computer vision and her ambitious vision for an interdisciplinary research environment”. The award recognises women who have shown great potential in science and technology, and is presented jointly by L’Oréal Sweden, the Swedish National Commission for UNESCO and the Young Academy of Sweden.
Diagnosing kidney diseases
David Unnersjö-Jess , a researcher in Biophysics, has been awarded funding by Njurfonden, the Swedish Kidney Foundation, for research in advanced optic microscopy and profound learning for precision renal diagnostics. The Swedish Kidney Foundation raises money and awards funding to research in the field of kidney disease and kidney transplantation.
Vice president a force in mining and steel
Annika Borgenstam , Professor of Physical Metallurgy and Vice president at KTH, is among the 40 most powerful women in the mining and steel industry, according to a list compiled by the Swedish Association of Industrial Employers and others. Borgenstam’s work involves the structure of alloys at the nano and micro level, and the judges commented that she “has long been a true leader of change in a male-dominated field of research”.
Göran Gustafsson Prize to two researchers
Two researchers from KTH are among this year’s Göran Gustafsson Prize winners. Tuuli Lappalainen , Professor of Genomics at KTH and SciLifeLab, receives the prize in molecular biology for her research into how our genes impact diseases and human characteristics. Fredrik Viklund , Professor of Mathematics, receives the prize for mathematics. He uses interdisciplinary mathematical methods to understand fascinating mathematical structures. The Göran Gustafsson Prize comprises a research grant of SEK 5.7 million and a personal prize of SEK 300,000.
Industry-based research receives funding
Four projects in a collaboration between KTH, industry and the business sector are receiving funds from the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research. As part of the Strategic Mobility programme, four researchers from KTH will conduct their research at various companies for a period of time.
Gunnar Malm , Professor of Physics, will be at Ericsson to study spintronics in communication systems for 6G. The other three projects are in the field of materials science. Song Lu will be at Thermo-Calc Software to conduct atomistic studies of interfaces in technical alloys. Wangzhong Mu will be at ABB examining how clean steel with no contamination particles can more effectively be produced. Xiaoqing Li will use calculation modelling to study plasticity in technical materials at Alleima.
KTH alumni among the most successful in Europe
Several tech entrepreneurs who studied at KTH and have received support from KTH Innovation are on the latest Forbes list of Europe’s most influential people under 30. In the Social Impact category is Hamza Qadoumi, founder of Ecobloom, which specialises in monitoring food production from seed to harvest. The Manufacturing and Industry category includes Ramtin Massoumzadeh and Thibault Helle, founders of Quandify, which manufactures intelligent water meter systems with the goal of reducing consumption and energy.
Architecture and welfare politics
Helena Mattsson , Professor in History and Theory of Architecture, has published a new book entitled Architecture and Retrenchment. The book focuses on the touchpoints between architecture and other fields, such as economics, consumption and welfare research. It describes, for example, the significance of architecture and the built environment in the radical restructuring of welfare state politics during the 1980s and ’90s.
Tribology research rewarded
Akepati Bhaskar Reddy , researcher in Systems and Component Design, has received the Young Tribologist Award at the International Conference on Industrial Tribology in New Delhi. Akepati Bhaskar Reddy was given the award for a scientific article describing the research group’s latest progress and discoveries in the field of tribotronics. The conference was organised by the Indian Institute of Technology.
Eco-friendly sanitary products
Antonio Capezza , a postdoc at the Division of Polymeric Materials, and his research team working in the startup SaniSOLE, which is supported by KTH Innovation, have won the Grand Prize for Engineering in Innovation, awarded by Vattenfall. Using biopolymers from farming-based biomass, they are developing eco-friendly alternatives to sanitary products such as nappies and sanitary towels.
Professor receives award for medicine
Sophia Hober , Professor of Molecular Biotechnology, has received the Westrup prize for groundbreaking biotechnical research that gives proteins beneficial new properties. The judges’ comments highlight the development of medicinal products used in the treatment of cancer, psoriasis, rheumatism and MS, and targeted protein drugs that can be used as markers in diagnosing breast cancer. The Westrup prize is awarded every five years by the Royal Physiographic Society in Lund.
Better public health in African countries
Olle Bälter , researcher in Media Technology and Interaction Design, has received prolonged funding from the Swedish Institute for an international education programme called OneLearns. An online course, the programme aims to increase knowledge about health among government officials and others in Rwanda, Ethiopia and Kenya. The initiative is part of the Swedish Institute’s programme for supporting the 2030 Agenda, the United Nations’ action plan for sustainable development.
Text: Christer Gummeson