Margareta Friman

Margareta Friman is Professor of Psychology. Her research focuses on transport psychology, with particular emphasis on how everyday travel influences subjective well-being, perceived accessibility, and individuals’ opportunities to participate in society.

Her work has contributed to a shift in transport research towards a stronger focus on experiential and psychological dimensions of mobility, including the development of the Satisfaction with Travel Scale and the concept of perceived accessibility. More recently, her research integrates future-oriented perspectives, examining how factors such as autonomy and hope shape travel behaviour and enable sustainable mobility transitions.

Her research contributes to the development of more human-centred and socially sustainable transport systems.

In psychology and business administration. 

Margareta Friman is actively engaged in collaboration with both private and public sector organizations. Several of her research projects are conducted in partnership with stakeholders from industry and public authorities, ensuring relevance and application in real-world contexts. She also collaborates with international partners, contributing to cross-national research on transport, behavior, and well-being.

Margareta Friman completed her doctoral training in psychology in Gothenburg (Licentiate 1998; PhD 2000) and was appointed Associate Professor in 2004 and Professor in 2010 at Karlstad University. In 2014, she received the Håkan Frisinger Award for Excellence in Transport Research.

For ten years, she was involved in initiating, developing, and leading the transport research group SAMOT at CTF.

In addition to her research, she holds several national and academic assignments. She is a member of the steering group for the national CoARA initiative, where she also chairs one of five working groups focusing on the recognition of collaboration merits. She also chairs the SUHF expert group on broadened merit and career assessment. Furthermore, she holds internal leadership roles at her university, including chairing the quality council and the research ethics committee.