Welcome to Karlstad University

News

• 2025-09-04

  Burglary in the IT department

  The IT department at Karlstad University was hit by a burglary at half past seven on Wednesday evening. A security guard on site alerted the police, who quickly arrived on site.

  During the evening it turned out that it was a minor burglary. No one was injured, but it did lead to some material damage to the premises.

  – Our security procedures have worked well, says IT manager Mats Möller.

  The extent of what was stolen is unclear. The police are now investigating and will examine the premises on Thursday morning.

• 2025-09-03

  Words from our senior management: An exciting and challenging autumn

  We are now in the midst of starting a new semester. Most of the colleagues that I have spoken with since the summer break have shared that they had a good summer, with time for rest and reflection. At the same time, many of you have pointed out that there is no shortage of work and challenges ahead this autumn.

  This includes the proposal for a new teacher education programme, work on models for allocating research funding, reconstruction projects and the Swedish Defence University renting space at our campus, as well as the first tentative steps in shaping our long-term strategy and vision for 2040. However, I would like to pause for a moment on the financial challenges that we face, which coincide with the constant need to develop and strengthen our academic offerings.

• 2025-09-03

  New book on children's needs and parenting

  Kjerstin Almqvist is one of the authors of the new book Attachment in Social Work: On Parenting Capacity and Children's Needs which is based on several years of research and practical experience from social services.

  The book provides an introduction to attachment theory and explains how children form emotional bonds with their caregivers – bonds that influence their development, sense of security, and relationships later in life. It also explores how attachment evolves over time and how the theory can be applied in practice, for example, in custody cases, placements, and support interventions.

• 2025-09-01

  Update about cyberattack on system provider

  Miljödata’s investigation of the consequences following the cyberattack continues. The investigation shows that the hackers have been able to access parts of Miljödata’s data, but so far, there is no evidence that data has been stolen.

  Miljödata announced that they will restart the systems and open them to customers again on Friday 29 August. However, Karlstad University has asked Miljödata to hold off connecting the university to the system Adato. 

  – We want to wait until the investigation of the cyberattack is complete, so that we can make a full assessment of the incident and feel assured before asking them to restart the system for us, says Head of HR, Ingrid Ganrot.

• 2025-08-28

  The music industry and education for street children in new research on services

  Muhammad Murtaza Ali recently presented his licentiate thesis in business administration, where he identifies connections between the digitalisation of the music industry and educational initiatives for street children.
  – Services shape human capabilities and well-being and it’s often the practical details that determine if a service actually is inclusive, says Muhammad.

  What led you to focus on the connection between the music industry and educational initiatives for street children?

• 2025-08-27

  New research: Challenges in measuring cognitive difficulties in exhaustion

  Exhaustion disorder is complex and difficult to measure. People’s experiences cannot always be captured through limited tests, as demonstrated in a recent doctoral thesis by Andreas Nelson, researcher at Karlstad University.

  – These are complex processes. Cognitive functions, such as memory and attention, are difficult to measure, just like exhaustion. There are so many factors involved. My thesis specifically examines the subjective experiences of cognitive dysfunction, says Andreas Nelson.

  His research findings show that there was no correlation between self-reported cognitive difficulties in everyday life and the results of cognitive tests. This was also observed among healthy individuals.