Karin Wastesson meets up at Kårallen on Campus Valla. This is where the University’s doctoral ombudsperson is based.
“I’m employed by the student unions to be an independent party, not a representative of the university. But I feel that LiU sees me as an asset and is keen to use me,” says Karin Wastesson.
The position as doctoral ombudsperson at LiU was created in 2022. Karin Wastesson has been in the job since February 2025.
“It’s been an educational first few months. I soon understood that the doctoral education and the situation of the doctoral students differs between different parts of the university. Although I have personal experience of doing a doctorate, I’ve had to learn how things work across the whole university now.”
Same but different
Karin’s personal experience comes from a being a PhD student at IBL’s Division of Education and Sociology, defending her thesis on the subject of work and working life, and a year of teaching on the Social Work Programme. Before that, she studied both the Bachelor’s and Master’s human resources programmes.
“The position as doctoral ombudsperson felt like a fairly natural transition; similar to what I was doing earlier but still new and exciting.
Among all her tasks, Karin Wastesson prioritises guiding individual doctoral students in various situations. This may concern anything from simple things such as questions about diplomas, or how to find what you are looking for in LiU’s organisation, to more complicated matters.
“Changing supervisors and conflicts with supervisors are recurring issues,” says Karin Wastesson. It could be that the supervisor does not have the right skills or not enough time, or is absent a lot. There are also serious issues such as sexual harassment, bullying and threats of retaliation.”
Navigating migration issues
But she also has a strategic and more outward-looking role. One of the issues that Karin Wastesson herself thinks are important to pursue is the situation of international doctoral students, where much of the problem is linked to stricter migration laws, a national problem that also affects foreign researchers.
“I put a lot of effort and time into navigating and providing support in these situations, and I think the university should be able to do more here. In some departments, international doctoral students are in the majority.”
Another important issue for Karin is mental health issues among doctoral students, a known problem at national level, but difficult and sensitive.
“Mental health issues affect the individual. But also the university,” says Karin Wastesson. “A good working environment is also a good learning environment. And we want the doctoral students to get their degree, not be on sick leave.”
Safety in numbers
The doctoral ombudsperson is also represented in the University’s various bodies, working groups, steering groups and committees. But it can sometimes be difficult to represent the body of doctoral students because their situation is very different in different parts of the university.
“I believe that if the doctoral students united as a group, they would be listened to more than as individuals. It’s also safer to be part of a group. Maybe every department or large division could have a doctoral student council.
Keeping her ear to the ground
Karin Wastesson tries to keep her ear to the ground and not just deal with what is in her mail basket. She has therefore become something of a liaison centre, and can see how issues are handled at different places in the organisation.
“AI in doctoral education is a new such issue. There are very different views on AI. Some scientific journals are very strictly against the use of AI while, for example, the Swedish Research Council has completely lifted its restrictions. There’s a lot of confusion and the doctoral students get caught in the middle.”
One way for the university to investigate how doctoral students feel and what they think is the doctoral student survey that is sent out every few years. The next one is due this autumn. And Karin Wastesson urges:
“Reply to it!”
