The autumn meeting of the EXACT industrial graduate school offered two days filled with discussions and workshops. This time, the theme was AI — its possibilities, but also its ethical aspects.
– It’s always a pleasure when the industrial graduate school can bring together PhD students, supervisors, and company mentors to discuss project progress, says Jörgen Samuelsson, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Director of the graduate school. Our autumn and spring meetings are important opportunities to exchange experiences and discuss ongoing research. It’s also a chance to talk about shared challenges in doctoral work, and this time we focused on AI.
The program included workshops led by Leonardo Martucci, Professor of Computer Science. These addressed how AI is used today, in light of the rapid developments in recent years. Several aspects were covered, such as ethics and how AI tools can be used offline to prevent corporate secrets from leaking.
– EXACT is an industrial graduate school in forest-based bioeconomy and digitalization, and we collaborate with several research groups at Karlstad University, eight companies, and multiple industry partners, says Jörgen Samuelsson.
In-depth Learning and Collegial Exchange
– It’s been a very pleasant gathering that brought together PhD students and supervisors from various fields such as computer science, chemical engineering, chemistry, environmental and energy systems, says Morassa Raouf, PhD student in chemical engineering. An excellent opportunity for us doctoral students to exchange ideas across disciplines while strengthening the sense of community within the graduate school. This year’s theme focused on AI support and its tools, with insightful lectures presented as a course for all EXACT participants. The talks were engaging and highlighted AI’s relevance across different research areas, offering valuable perspectives we can bring into our own work. Overall, it was a productive and enjoyable event that combined academic depth with collegial exchange.
EXACT is an industrial graduate school in forest-based bioeconomy and digitalization, a collaboration between the research groups Pro2BE (Processes and Products for a Sustainable Bioeconomy) and DAMI (Digital Adaptive Manufacturing for Industry) at Karlstad University, along with eight companies and several industry partners. The aim of the graduate school is to combine knowledge in process engineering and systems analysis with expertise in digitalization, to develop energy-efficient digitalized production processes and high-quality bio-based products. The vision is to contribute to a circular transition and future-proofing of the Swedish process industry through needs-driven research. The graduate school is funded by a grant of SEK 16 million from the KK Foundation, with additional funding from participating companies and Karlstad University.
