Johan Tielman, Honorary Doctor at the Faculty of Health, Science and Technology
Johan Tielman was born and raised in Linköping and grew up in a family with a keen interest in sports. His father was self-employed and his mother worked as a teacher. His lifelong interest in nature was sparked by visits to his grandparents in the Santa Anna archipelago.
A longing to understand and learn more about aquatic life determined his academic direction. He studied to become a fisheries consultant at the University of Gothenburg, and later supplemented his studies with courses in limnology in Lund and business administration in Halmstad.
"In connection with my studies, I interned at Sydkraft salmon farm in Laholm, which later led to a permanent position. From there, it was a natural step to work with environmental issues related to hydropower, which I have done in various ways throughout my professional career."
Johan Tielman has played a crucial role in the development of the River Ecology and Management Research Group, NRRV, at Karlstad University. He and his current employer Uniper have, together with NRRV, initiated several research projects for the design, implementation and evaluation of environmental improvement measures at hydropower plants.
"In recent years, we have begun evaluating a combined hydropower turbine and fishway, as well as conducting a follow-up on a large dam removal project. Since hydropower has a significant impact on the aquatic environment, we as a power company have a great responsibility to mitigate these effects."
Johan Tielman says that society now faces two major challenges – the climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity, which of course are interconnected. Finding smart and effective solutions that address both of these issues is therefore crucial.
"Generally speaking, there are no brand-new hydropower plants being built in Sweden today. It would otherwise have been exciting to be involved in the design and development of a completely new facility where the latest technology is used to minimise the environmental impact as much as possible."
With extensive expertise in the environmental challenges of hydropower, covering both technical and biological aspects, Johan Tielman has been the initiator of several innovative collaborations between industry and academia. For these achievements, he is now awarded an honorary doctorate.
"I am deeply honoured and surprised."
Johan Tielman enjoys being outdoors as much as possible, hiking, working in the garden and supporting Halmstad Bollklubb in the Swedish football league. Travelling around the world together with his wife also adds extra zest to life.