Agne Swerin, Professor of Chemical Engineering

Agne Swerin comes from scenic Bollnäs in Hälsingland. After he finished upper secondary school, he studied Chemical Engineering at the Royal Institute of Technology, KTH. He followed that with doctoral studies focused on paper technology processes. He conducted research at a research institute that is now part of RISE, and thanks to experimental equipment he was afforded big opportunities to gain understanding of processes, for example through the use of an experimental paper machine. Since then, Agne Swerin has worked in the forest industry as well as at a research institute, and he has been connected to KTH as a supervisor via an adjunct employment. He was hired as Professor of Chemical Engineering at Karlstad University in September 2020. He also teaches courses as well as conducts research via doctoral students.

"I lead the research and education environment Pro2BE, Processes and Products for a circular Biobased Economy. I focus on processes and products in the forest industry, an area that is very important to Karlstad University, our forest-rich region and its industries. More than 40 researchers from four different fields at the University, are connected to Pro2BE. My job is to further develop this research environment, parallel to my own research and teaching within Chemical Engineering, specialising in sustainable processes and products."

Agne Swerin’s research in sustainable development can, on a general level, be described through the UN climate goals. He is driven by the development of biobased processes and products that contribute to a sustainable development and adaptation of both society and industry.

"Society and the industry continues to grow, and research which lays the foundation for the use of fewer finite resources and non-renewable resources, is very important. The forest industry sector, which also includes big commitments from municipalities and regions, is central to making this possible. The research is about energy savings or savings in terms of consumption of raw materials. It is also about choosing green and biobased raw materials and materials instead of, for example, petroleum based variants."

The research environment Pro2BE is working with our own strategic development in order to make it an active part of the strong innovation environment, both internally and externally. There is on-going work with new strategies, both in collaboration with the region regarding smart specialisation, and together with the Paper Province cluster.

"All this is the basis of future research and education, and in my first year at Karlstad University, we have participated in a number of new applications, among others one for a competency centre together with Linnaeus University. My own research will focus on sustainable development in an interdisciplinary perspective involving several disciplines, and in close collaboration with industries and other organisations."

Agne Swerin spends his free time with his family and on the new home they moved to this summer. Nature walks is a daily routine and he likes to read books, watch good movies and listen to music.