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News

• 2026-02-23

  Computer Science recognizes its first Excellent Teacher

  Muhammad Ovais Ahmad, Associate Professor of Computer Science, has been appointed the title of Excellent Teacher. He is the first at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science to receive the distinction and the fourth at Karlstad University.

  The title Excellent Teacher is appointed to educators who develop their teaching by integrating it with research and who help students understand and think in new ways. For several years, Muhammad Ovais Ahmad has worked to connect his technical research with innovative teaching methods:

  “This academic distinction shows how important it is to make complex and abstract systems accessible and inspiring for the next generation of innovators”, he says.

  In what ways do you develop your teaching?

• 2026-02-23

  VR supports training for crises that unfold across national borders

  Crises Lenses: Extending Cross-Border Crisis Training into VR is a part of INCREDILAB and make training for floods, wildfires and other large-scale events that demand coordination between regions, organisations and stakeholders possible.
  – Building that coordination before a real crisis occurs is both difficult and essential, says Ala Sarah Alaqra, docent in information systems at Karlstad Business School.

  Crisis Lenses is a virtual reality (VR) training game developed within INcreased Climate Resilience Education and DIgital transformation Lab project (INCREDILAB).

  – Crises Lenses is built on our joint work in the project of the board game Collaborate or Collapse, which was designed to support collaborative decision-making in cross-border crisis scenarios, says Ala Sarah Alaqra. While the board game encourages structured discussion around a table, Crisis Lenses explores how immersive digital environments can add new dimensions to learning and training.

• 2026-02-19

  New Study – Can Giftedness Mask Dyslexia?

  When we talk about dyslexia, many people think of difficulties with reading and writing. But what happens when students have both dyslexia and giftedness? These students may perform well on standardised reading comprehension tests when comprehension is assessed through multiple-choice questions. In this way, the decoding problems typical of dyslexia are not detected. This may mean that the difficulties remain invisible to teachers, students and parents.

  A new dissertation by Tove Ekelund, PhD of Educational work at Karlstad University, examines exactly this: how can we detect dyslexia in students withgiftedness? The research focuses on the concepts of stealth dyslexia and twice‑exceptionality – students who have both strengths and challenges that influence each other. The study is based on results from reading and writing tests, rating scales for giftedness, and interviews with 24 students aged 10 to 16. Several of them had previously undergone cognitive assessments showing IQ scores above 120 and had a dyslexia diagnosis.

• 2026-02-19

  Annual report and annual accounts for 2025 adopted by the University Board

  The University Board has adopted the annual report and annual accounts for 2025. A year initially characterised by an unexpected pensions forecast and financial restraint, but also by factors that influenced the finances in a positive direction.

  The annual report and annual accounts for 2025 were adopted by the University Board on 18 February. The operational outcome was –10 million SEK, which is better than both the forecast and the budget.

  Ahead of 2025, the University Board decided on a budget of –29 million SEK. This planned deficit is part of recent years’ strategic investments in assistant lecturers and additional doctoral students. These investments are financed through the university’s agency capital.

• 2026-02-18

  The latest developments in system integration were presented at an international conference in Mexico

  The SII 2026 conference focused on system integration – how hardware, software, and various technical subsystems are combined into functional wholes. This is a central area within modern robotics, automation, industrial systems, and smart technologies, including applications in health, manufacturing, and energy.

  – I participated in this year’s conference as Program Co‑Chair, says Jorge Solis, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering. We received a record number of submissions: a total of 389 scientific papers and 49 Late Breaking Reports. More than 100 Associate Editors were assigned to review each submitted contribution.

  Based on the scientific peer‑review process, only about 73 percent of the submissions were accepted, resulting in a very high standard of presentations.

• 2026-02-17

  International Exchange within Physics Education

  Research and teaching environments were presented, along with good examples of teaching that promotes active learning and strengthens research‑based education.

  – Between 9 and 13 February, we welcomed a delegation from the Department of Physics at the University of Bucharest, Romania, says Andrea Muntean, Senior Lecturer in Physics. They visited us within the framework of Erasmus+ and as a continuation of a visit in 2025, when our colleague Lorena Solvang travelled to Bucharest. Our guests work at the Division of Matter Structure, Atmospheric and Geophysics, and Astrophysics, where Sandra Voinea serves as Prefect.