Lena Gumaelius

I, Lena Gumaelius, am employed as a lecturer in Engineering Education within the Department of STEM Education at KTH. Since spring 2023, I have also been tasked with leading KTH's Global Development Hub. I am interested in exploring how we can make technology and engineering education more relevant, attractive, and accessible for all. Currently, my main passion lies in researching questions pertaining to how we can design engineering education so that our graduating students are equipped to drive the societal change needed to achieve a sustainable future. As the director of GDH, I have the opportunity to address this issue in an international context as well. In our engagement with our African partner universities, we are exploring together how to develop new forms of education that lead to key competencies for sustainable development and new approaches to thinking about and implementing innovation. Other research areas in my portfolio include increasing interest in technology and natural sciences. Within this field, I am involved in the Marie Curie project SellSTEM, which examines how strong spatial ability can facilitate studies in STEM. The development of technology education in schools has also been a part of my research interest for several years. I was awarded my docent degree in 2019, specializing in "attractiveness and outreach in STEM." My background is in chemical engineering, and I obtained my PhD in biotechnology. Throughout my academic career, I have held several leadership roles. Currently, I lead the operations at KTH's Global Development Hub. From 2020 to 2023, I served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Acting Vice-Chancellor at Mälardalen University. In 2019, I received a Fulbright scholarship, enabling me to conduct a guest stay at Virginia Tech in the USA. From 2011 to 2017, I worked as the Head of the Department of Learning and also as the School Manager for the School of Engineering Sciences' Communication and Learning, which was discontinued at KTH at the end of 2017. From 2006 to 2012, I served as the director of Vetenskapens Hus, a very interesting and exciting assignment that sparked my interest in pedagogy and research in this field.