Sustainability at the core
SEI Stockholm Environment Institute
SEI Stockholm Environment Institute has successfully worked with thesis students from KTH for a long time. Sustainability and development issues are at the core, topics that resonates deeply with many KTH students.
Eileen Torres Morales completed her thesis work at SEI in fall of 2022 and is now Research Associate in the Energy and Industry Transitions team at SEI. Eileen holds a master's degree in Sustainable Energy Engineering from KTH with a focus on energy system policy and management.
SEI`s motto ” bridging science and policy” aligned with her educational background and was one of the things that drew her to SEI.
Eileen was also particularly fascinated by the fact that SEI is a global organization with a center for Latin America based in her hometown, Bogotá, Colombia.
Degree project at SEI
Eileen's first encounter with SEI was during her first semester when she for a course project, had to use a software called LEAP, Low Emissions Analysis Platform. This software, developed by SEI, piqued her interest in the organization, and when she explored SEI's website she discovered their internship program.
"I applied for internships in 2020 and 2021, and I had my first interview in the summer of 2021. I wasn't selected, but I continued trying with the goal of doing my thesis work at SEI," Eileen recounts.
During the thesis project fair which is organized by KTH, IVL, and SEI each fall, Eileen met the person who would later become her supervisor. Eileen learned about the longstanding collaboration between KTH and SEI and a thesis project that was available within the energy systems division at KTH.
Positive experience working with KTH students
Maria Xylia, Senior Research Fellow at SEI and affiliated faculty to KTH Energy Technology Department, says that they have positive experiences collaborating with KTH students. KTH students who conduct their thesis work with them bring interdisciplinary interests and can employ various methods for project execution. The thesis students become integral parts of their teams and collaborate with SEI colleagues as needed.
"It has been incredibly rewarding to gain these fresh perspectives in our projects. These can range from new methods or tools to connections with local stakeholders and ideas for communicating our research results," says Maria.
In addition to the thesis project fair, SEI participates in other KTH events to present thesis opportunities and career prospects.
"We also invest heavily in sharing thesis announcements through social media and via the KTH Degree Project Portal. And we are in dialogue with program managers at KTH in areas that closely align with SEI's areas of interest," says Maria.
Text: Malin Nordin Bartlett