A team with a holistic approach - Risk and environmental studies
Finn Nilson is a professor in Risk Management at Karlstad University, Head of Subject in Risk and Environmental Studies, and director of the Centre for Societal Risk Research. In his own research, he often assumes the individual’s perspective and believes that it is important to view crises from a holistic perspective.
- It is easy to focus on one detail, says Finn. In the event of a fire, for example, the engineers focus mostly on the cause. Nurses check for burns.
But the cause of the accident and the damage are more complex and it requires that risk research covers the entire picture and that different elements can be understood as a whole. In order to create good conditions for success, research conducted at the Centre for Societal Risk Research is highly interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary. This contributes to a greater understanding of the risk as a phenomenon, which is also the aim of the research. Working based on different, supplementary areas and perspectives is valuable.
Open research environment that inspires
The fact that research takes such a broad approach has generated an open environment. The researchers have different research backgrounds and ways of doing things, which Finn describes as positive.
- The key to our success is that we can work with people that are different from ourselves. People with different ideas regarding method and data collection. We inspire each other!
The exchange of knowledge and collaborations that take place have created an unpretentious working environment. People are happy about the success of their colleagues in a genuine way. The team is now looking to recruit and welcome another staff member as associate senior lecturer. The hope is that the successful candidate will bring a breath of fresh air.
A constantly developing university
- We want this person to further our research activities with new ideas, complementing what we already have. Someone who can bring different perspectives and ways of looking at things, especially when it comes to our main research issues, says Finn.
Thanks to the university’s young age, there are no old structures and traditions to take into account. It is an innovative university that is constantly developing and progressing. This provides good opportunities to contribute, not only to the research group but also to the university’s journey forward.