News

  • 2024-10-31

    Words from our senior management: Together for change – how collaboration can strengthen research, education and society

    During the spring, I had the benefit of working with a national evaluation for the Swedish Higher Education Authority, with a focus on collaboration between higher education institutions (HEIs) and the surrounding community. By analysing self-evaluations from 37 HEIs, I can confirm that collaboration is a powerful tool.

    Academia carries a vision of creating value and contributing towards a positive societal transformation. This vision is in line with the Higher Education Ordinance from 2021, which stipulates that “the mandate of higher education institutions shall include collaboration for mutual exchanges with the surrounding community, as well as ensuring that the knowledge and expertise found at the higher education institution bring benefit to society.” However, in our daily work, not everything we do needs to have immediate social relevance or a direct connection to external stakeholders.

  • 2024-10-30

    The administrator – a professional role with potentially unlimited character

    Behind administration, we find the administrators. A professional group that David Regin Öborn, new doctor in working life science at Karlstad Business School, has focused on in his research. And the starting point was an explosive outburst during a meeting.

    David Regin Öborn, you have a personal background as an administrator – what inspired you to pursue reach in this area?

    – Partly, a curiosity about this group, as the type of administrative service work that these administrators can be classified under is quite poorly researched. I think there is a tendency today to write and talk a lot about administration and administrators, but we don’t often talk with the administrators themselves, in the form of research.

  • 2024-10-28

    Dangerous technology in children’s literature

    New technology is something threatening and often dangerous. At least that is the picture presented if you read modern children’s literature.

    – This is contradictory. Technology is becoming an increasingly integral part of everyday life, including in literature. But at the same time, there is often a concern or a hidden threat in technology, says Jakob Olsson, researcher at Karlstad University.

    Jakob Olsson has studied 249 books, published between 2000 and 2019. And his findings show how technology is becoming an increasingly natural element in literature, but also that the adult world often wants to problematise and depict new technology as dangerous. 

    – It is clear that a negative image is portrayed. The problematising narratives clearly outweigh the positives and often tend to lean towards extremes, says Jakob.

  • 2024-10-24

    The secret life of molecules unveiled

    Research on organic solar cells has been conducted for a long time. Recent advancements in understanding their molecular structures are now paving the way for the development of highly efficient solar cells.

    – By using atomic force microscopy-infrared spectroscopy, AFM-IR, we’ve been able to create clearer images of the morphology or structure of the material, says Ishita Jalan, postdoc in physical chemistry and main author of a recently published scientific article. This structure and how it can be controlled determines the effect of the solar cell. In this way, these new findings can contribute to more efficient organic solar cells.

  • 2024-10-24

    Decision-making Challenges Inspire Research in Disaster Risk Management

    Research on justice in connection with disasters and sustainable development is becoming increasingly important in a world where climate change and social inequalities create new challenges. Mathilde de Goër de Herve, a researcher at the Center for Societal Risk Research, CSR, has explored these critical areas through her work, contributing new knowledge on how crisis management can support a fairer and more sustainable development.

    Mathilde's academic journey began in 2012 with studies in economics at Université Lumière Lyon II in France. She came to karlstad university, Kau, during her bachelor (as an exchange student). Her interest in global issues and disaster risks led her to further her education in sustainable territorial development through an international master’s degree.

  • 2024-10-22

    Study shows that data from meetings with patients and users does not always represent their needs

    Petter Falk, new doctor in Political Science at Karlstad University and the Service Research Centre (CTF), sheds light on conditions and grounds for datafication in his doctoral thesis “Assemble Care // Align Data”.
    – What surprised me the most was that datafication is intuitively accepted, despite a kind of intellectual resistance, says Petter Falk.

    The term “big data” is frequently used nowadays, but your research emphasises the importance of the small details. Why is that?

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