Forum-alumn: "Seek sparring with each other!"

A generous man ahead of his time

A man ahead of his time who made important contributions to computer science and who was ever willing to share his knowledge. The description is that of Harold “Bud” Lawson, founder of a scholarship at Linköping University.

Industrial design – between creativity and efficiency

Good design requires balance. It must be new, but not too deviant, while at the same time satisfying considerations of economy, function and market needs. It must also be easy to use for new products and easy to adapt to future needs. 

A breakthrough that enables practical semiconductor spintronics

Future quantum computers might use electron spin to process information. Researchers have now constructed a component in which information can be efficiently exchanged between electron spin and light – at room temperature and above.

The cost of a uterine transplantation

Sweden’s acclaimed research on uterine transplants has taken a new step forward – into the field of health economics. Researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy and LiU have for the first time estimated on a scientific basis the cost of the treatment.

Creative collaboration with human rights organisation

LiU Innovation and the human rights organisation Civil Rights Defenders have been working together for two years on new innovation processes. LiU students have played a central role in the work.

Two projects receive grants from Horizon 2020

LiU has been awarded two EU-funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships for international postdocs. The projects will look at soft microrobots and how cancer spreads to the bones.

Sweden’s fastest supercomputer for AI now online

Berzelius is now Sweden’s fastest supercomputer for AI and machine learning, and has been installed at NSC at LiU. A donation of EUR 29.5 million from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation has made the construction possible.

New material promising for making renewable energy from water

One prospective source of renewable energy is hydrogen gas produced from water with the aid of sunlight. LiU researchers have developed a material that exhibits promising properties to capture solar energy and split water for hydrogen gas production.

Schools play an important role in revealing violence in the home

The government wants to define forcing children to witness intimate partner violence as a crime. A new book published by two LiU researchers discusses the responsibility of preschools and schools when children experience violence in the home.

Research to combat designer drugs

Researchers are involved in the campaign to make designer drugs illegal as quickly as possible. Henrik Gréen investigates how new psychoactive substances act, and why some designer drugs are more lethal than others.

A boost for interdisciplinary science turns 25

Some 200 doctoral students and 50 postdocs have attended the graduate school / network Forium Scientium positioned at the intersection of medicine, technology and science. For 25 years, Forum has gained momentum and maintained its relevance.

Tidy up: Feel better

During the corona pandemic, we have had to get used to spending a lot of time within the four walls of home. But do we feel comfortable in our homes? Social worker and LiU alumna Clara Johansson changed her life in midstream and became tidying coach.

Major new project for AI in digital pathology

The Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization participates in a major European collaboration for artificial intelligence in digital pathology. The project has received financing from the Innovative Medicines Initiative under Horizon 2020.

Foreign-born run greater risk of workplace bullying

The risk of being bullied at work is twice as high if you were born abroad. And if you come from a culture that is culturally dissimilar to Sweden’s, the risk is even higher. These are the results of a study from LiU.

Interview with vice-chancellor: Reduced travel can be effect of pandemic

LiU’s vice-chancellor Jan-Ingvar Jönsson sees many effects of the corona crisis. A reduction in travel might be a permanent one.

Clean fuels not always so green

A vehicle with zero emissions can  have a large impact on the environment when the complete life cycle is considered. A study shows the significance of electricity production for the emission of greenhouse gases from fuels. 

Technical Oscar for film industry improvements

Swedish company ftrack, with the three LiU alumni Fredrik Limsäter, Björn Rydahl and Mattias Lagergren at its head, has been awarded a scientific and technical Oscar for its project management system – a tool to improve the film industry.

Probiotics increase gut bacteria diversity in extremely preterm infants

Extremely preterm infants can suffer from a life-threatening inflammation of the gut. A new study has shown that supplements of a lactic acid bacterium may have positive effects by increasing the diversity of intestinal bacteria in these infants.

Student Health is there for the students – even in distance mode

Student Health meets students who, for instance, feel isolated and have problems with motivation. The questions haven’t changed but the problems are increasingly corona-related.

The mystery of the missing energy – solved

The efficiency of solar cells can be increased by exploiting a phenomenon known as singlet fission. A research group led by scientists at Linköping University has discovered what happens during singlet fission and where the lost energy goes.

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The corona-year that changed LiU

A year after the outbreak of Covid-19, LiU’s co-workers and students can look back at a rapid realignment to distance mode. Time to reflect over what has happened since March 2020.

AI creates texts for people with reading difficulties

The aim of the TextAD research project at Linköping University is to better understand different types of reading difficulty. This knowledge can then be used to develop digital tools that automatically adapt texts to the needs of readers.

Practical tasks and closemonitoring improve engineering education

The use of physical items in teaching and digital monitoring of student performance are two ways to improve engineering education. Studies must change to keep pace with changes in the industry. These are conclusions of a new thesis.

Robots aid in remanufacturing

Remanufacturing is a way to preserve the value of products that have already been manufactured. Researchers at Linköping University, LiU, have shown the potential of automation in repair and remanufacturing. 

Men obstructed from entering female-dominated occupations

Job applications from men are disfavoured when they apply for work in female-dominated occupations. Reaching the interview stage was most difficult for men applying for jobs as cleaners. 

Doctoral students a vulnerable group during pandemic

Reduced productivity, social isolation and anxiety about one’s career. Many doctoral students are suffering during the pandemic. The result, from a study conducted at LiU, is in line with experiences from other universities.

Aeronautical engineering of the future

The control systems in aircraft have been essentially unchanged for over 50 years. Now, however, the future of aeronautical engineering is taking shape at LiU. Researchers here are using an “iron bird” from Saab, equipped with the latest technology.

A rude robot designed by students

A group of LiU students has built a prototype of a robot intended to help visitors to the Östergötland Museum. The students gave it one friendly personality and one slightly unpleasant one.

Children who became researchers – their stories in a new book

The children’s book “Forskardrömmar” (“Dreams of Research”) opens the door to the university and tells the stories of children who became professional researchers. Two researchers from LiU describe their childhood and how they ended up as researchers

Return trips of adopted children fill a need for the adoptive parents as well

It used to be common that adopted children made return trips to their birth countries. Today such trips are made where the entire family travels. A doctoral thesis has studied return trips and found that in many ways the focus is also on the parents.

IT support helps volunteersincrease security

Citizen responders can make a big difference to increase security and safety in sparsely populated areas. Also, the initiative has positive side effects. But there are major challenges, not least with respect to IT support for the volunteers. 

Big increase in exam cheating

During 2020, the pandemic year, the number of students found guilty of cheating almost doubled – from 149 in 2019 to 292 in 2020.

Let´s celebrate Forum Scientium!

In the year of 1996 Forum Scientium was founded. That we would like to celebrate during 2021. On this web page we will publish news, events and interviews with Forum members from then and now.

Health survey conveys messages on how we should live

The questions in a health survey aimed at young people raise issues of status and convey norms about what people should own and how they should be. This is according to a study from Linköping University.

Biosensors monitor plant well-being in real time

Researchers at LiU have developed biosensors that make it possible to monitor sugar levels in real time deep in the plant tissues. The information from the sensors may help agriculture to adapt production as the world faces climate change.

Good supply of student housing

The supply of student housing is unusually good, both in Linköping and Norrköping. One reason is the pandemic, which has led to far fewer international students coming to Linköping University.

Long-term stress linked to increased risk of heart attack

Can stress lead to heart attacks? Most people would probably answer in the affirmative, but the scientific evidence of this is scarce. A new study, measuring a stress hormone in hair, suggests that long-term stress is a risk factor for heart attacks.

Malmstens mirrors contrasts in central Stockholm

A rare thing these days: a physical indoor event that is actually being held! The final-year students at Malmstens Linköping University have packed up their best work and taken it from the quiet Lidingö campus to Sergels torg in central Stockholm.

Possible models for a sustainable economy

What are the factors that influence the introduction of a circular economy? How would such a conversion affect the environment and business? And how can you make such predictions – is it even possible? These questions are the focus of a new thesis.

SEK 12 million for research into serious eye disease

Neil Lagali coordinates a research project that has received SEK 12.5 million from the European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases. The researchers will evaluate experimental treatments for a rare eye disease that affects sight directly from birth.

Design for a more sustainable lifestyle

His own experiences growingup in Wuhan in China and case studies of astronauts and exchange students formthe basis of Chu Wanjun’s doctoral thesis. The central question: how can designbest make it easier for people to live in a sustainable manner?

Accurate drug dosages with proton traps

Researchers at LiU have developed a proton trap that makes organic electronic ion pumps more precise when delivering drugs. In the long term, the ion pumps may help patients with symptoms of neurological diseases.

LiU student gets important child rights appointment

LiU student Rita Riadh-Issa, 23 years old, is a new board member for theWorld’s Children’s Prize Foundation, which manages the world’s largest educational programme for children’s rights and democracy. 

DNA networks in research into autoimmune renal diseases

Daniel Appelgren is investigating a type of renal disease in which the immune system attacks and damages the kidneys. He has been awarded a grant of SEK 1.25 million from the Ingrid Asp Foundation to carry out renal research at LiU.

From LiU-research to LEAD-business

Many researchers and students have ideas that can grow into companies of benefit to society.But how do you determine whether an idea is good?A tip from the business incubator LEAD is to dare to talk about it early, and to assess interest.

Immune cells are behind the depression experienced in inflammation

The findings from a new study on mice suggest that special immune cells found in the brain, microglial cells, contribute to the negative mood experienced during several neurological diseases, and maybe also depression.

Successful mentoring project brings hope

Lower secondary school pupils with better grades, a prouder gaze, and enhanced self-confidence. These are the results of the LuMiNk academy. LuMiNk has been underway in Norrköping for almost six years, and plans to make it available to more pupils.

Programming their future colleague

What can an engineering career involve? First-year master’s students of applied physics and electrical engineering are gaining experience through their first development project – programming the Yumi collaborative robot from ABB.

Blue-light stride in perovskite-based LEDs

Researchers at Linköping University, have developed efficient blue light-emitting diodes based on halide perovskites. The new LEDs may open the way to cheap and energy-efficient illumination.

Visitor information about Swedish national parks gives a problematic picture of humans and animals

Researchers have studied visitor information for Swedish national parks. The results show that, perhaps against its purpose, the information fuels the notion that humans are not part of nature.  

Laypeople have difficulty estimating severity of blood loss

Researchers have studied whether laypeople realise the severity of the situation when someone in their proximity begins to bleed. The results show a discrepancy related to the victim’s gender: for a woman losing blood, blood loss were underestimated.

Researchers critical to flawed Covid-19-models

Reports from Imperial College regarding the spread and the effects of Covid-19 had considerable policy impacts in several European countries. But the models that informed the reports have considerable flaws, according to LiU-researchers.

Career support programme offers an opportunity for a growing job-market 

Linköping University's pilot-project career support programme has finished for 31 international second-year programme and PhD students, with great results.

The road from democracy to autocracy

Several factors can cause democratic societies to move towards authoritarianism. Modern and liberal welfare states bear the seed of their own transformation. These are the conclusions of a cross-disciplinary doctoral thesis from Linköping University.

Research collaboration in Östergötland to increase shipping efficiency

LiU and the Swedish Maritime Administration have established research collaboration to develop more sustainable, efficient and safe shipping operations based on such technology as artificial intelligence and interactive visualisation. 

Research to promote sustainable design

Advanced methods are not enough if industry is to improve its  sustainable design. Knowledge of how to use the tools is at least as important. This is the conclusion of a new thesis that also levels some criticism at previous research.

Amanda Borneke is leading climate adaptation in the construction industry

The construction and demolition industry is facing many sustainability challenges. However, with communication and an impressive innovative spirit, alumna Amanda Borneke has shown that the industry is ready for climate adaptation.

Sustainability – one layer of atoms at a time

Driven by a vision of a sustainable world, Per Eklund is leader of a research group that develops advanced materials. His funding from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation has now been extended by five years.

SEK 10 million for research in children's medicine

The Joanna Cocozza Foundation has announced the recipients of research grants for 2020. Funding has been awarded in the form of establishment and consolidation grants, support for visiting researchers, and a further seven project grants.

Twelve million crowns from Horizon 2020

Two projects at Linköping University have received funding from the EU’s Horizon 2020 initiative. One is about equipment for monitoring air pollution; the other concerns interruption-free wireless communication.

Classroom assistants have unclear role

Classroom assistants are common in schools.  In an overview study from LiU, researchers conclude that it is not clear whether classroom assistants should be used as principal teachers for pupils who require special support.

New master’s programme in materials physics for nano and quantum technology

The new master’s programme in materials physics for nano and quantum technology is intended to prepare students for pioneering research in academia and industry, targeted at the development of the materials of tomorrow.

They examine our interaction in detail

It’s easy to think that communication consists mainly of speech. But much of it takes place through gesture, facial expression and sound. Researchers study how we use much more than words in interaction with other humans as well as with robots.

Entrepreneur with an eye for diversity

He has won awards for his work with suburban adolescents and his international projects. Hamza Mostafa, political scientist, is driven by a social engagement, with a focus on entrepreneurship as a means to foster development.

SEK 49 million from Swedish Research Council

Six LiU researchers will receive almost SEK 49 million from the Swedish Research Council’s latest round of funding. The projects concern areas such as epigenetics, mega coal-fired power plants, rehabilitation in conflict zones and tuberculosis.

The desire for children

Between 10 and 15 per cent of all couples who want children are involuntarily childless. Every year in Sweden, some 6000 children are born to parents who have received medical assistance with having children.

Christmas spirit comes also in 2020

The musical experience at Linköping University will be very different this year. No Lucia procession, no Christmas concerts. However, appropriately enough, Julstämning is being released, a Christmas CD from the three choirs based at Music at Liu.

"There's a possibility of success"

The global temperature increase must be limited to a maximum of 2 °C within 80 years. Urgent action is required. The UN has convened a summit on climate issues. This is how the Climate Negotiation Game begins, played by a group of students. 

Östergötland’s future – forest fires and drought?

The Climate Change Megagame was held on 21 November. This is a huge online game that simulates future climate change in Östergötland, with participants playing the part of various local actors.

Fossil freedom comes from LiU labs

The transition to fossil freedom can’t happen overnight, but it can go much faster than it is. The technology is available, and in many cases is commercially available or nearly so. The labs at Linköping University hold hope for the future.

Alternatives to throwaway thinking

We must change our patterns of consumption if we are going to reach global climate and environmental objectives, says professor Mattias Lindahl. He has since 2015 led a research programme in the circular economy and resource efficiency.

Kajsa’s particles seek their targets

Professor Kajsa Uvdal is a physicist who moves between chemistry, biology and medicine. She maintains that materials science is integral to all of these disciplines, and this has opened for collaboration with both the healthcare system and industry.

Research on children’s cultural heritage to receive SEK 16.6 million

Linköping University is to receive an additional SEK 16.6 million from the Swedish Research Council. The funding is for a project about children as creators of cultural heritage.

New method to discover ruptures after giving birth

A simple new method and early discovery can help obstetric personnel prevent problems with ruptures in the genital area. Women otherwise may experience problems long after giving birth.

Studying the role of sporting activities in social sustainability

Sporting activities have become common in socioeconomically vulnerable areas. Politicians hope they can promote integration and bring down crime. But research shows that other initiatives are necessary in long-term work with social sustainability.

Four LiU researchers among the most cited in the world

Four researchers from LiU claim places on the 2020 Web of Science list of the most highly cited researchers in the world.

LiU researchers receive nearly SEK 19 million from Formas

Six researchers at Linköping University have been awarded research grants from the Formas research council. The supported projects cover a wide range: the challenges facing municipalities, nudging, and the genetic properties of boar sperm.

Summer job success, despite incomplete project

They didn’t manage to complete the project as intended, but the summer job at Newton Nordic still exceeded their expectations. “Now I’m sure that the education I chose was exactly right for me”, says LiU student Viktor Uvesten.

Eco-friendly transports - how?

More sustainable transport – how is it possible? Using new technology and fuel from renewable sources is not enough: how the transport is organised and how consumers act are just as important. Do you really need to have these goods tomorrow?

European collaboration for the future of learning

ECIU University is an initiative where students and researchers from all over Europe work together to create sustainable cities and communities. Linköping University is part of the initiative, which has been under way for one year.

Sustainable agriculture to reduce hunger and eutrophication

From farm to fork and back again – that’s how nutrients should travel in a cycle. Professor Uno Wennergren carries out research into how we can use fertiliser better in order to prevent both hunger and problems with eutrophication.

Tomorrow’s citizens learn about sustainable development

 The teachers working in some Norrköping preschools have been given a tough assignment: teach children aged from 1-6 years about sustainability. The work in the preschools is part of a research project at LiU.

Predicting the risk of severe side effects of cancer treatment

Some patients experience life-threatening side effects during cancer treatment. Researchers at LiU have developed a model that can predict which patients have a high probability of side effects.

Research into AI and climate change awarded SEK 6 million

Researchers at Linköping University have received nearly SEK 6 million in a joint initiative from Formas and Vinnova. The grant is for a research project to develop AI-based methods as part of an early warning system for extreme weather.

Looking into living cells

A microscope with super-resolution allows researchers to follow life’s processes in living cells, down to the level of individual molecules.

Digital apps for sustainable health

It starts even before birth. Many aren’t aware that physical acitivity can affect the baby during pregnancy. Digital tools can support both child and parents.

How municipalities can make a difference

Agenda 2030 was adopted by the world’s leaders in 2015. “We have to make these disparate goals manageable in practice. Municipalities are extremely important in achieving this”, says researcher Sara Gustafsson.

“LiU is helping to build a sustainable society”

Sustainable development is and must be a strong profile element at Linköping University. “We are already doing a lot. LiU has excellent researchers contributing knowledge that benefits society”, says Vice-Chancellor Jan-Ingvar Jönsson.”

Biogas solves several environmental challenges

Biogas doesn’t solve just one or two of the world’s huge environmental challenges: it solves three! Or it would, if countries used the Nordic model. In fact, biogas can play a part in achieving all 17 sustainable development goals.

Autonomous drone flight between Linköping and Norrköping in 2022

Two years from now, Sweden’s first test flight of an autonomous drone will be made between Norrköping and Linköping. LFV, LiU and IBG are collaborating in a project to demonstrate the societal benefits of drone-supported services.

Lead-free magnetic perovskites

Scientists at LiU working with the perovskite family of materials have taken a step forwards and developed an optoelectronic magnetic double perovskite. The discovery opens the possibility for rapid and energy-efficient information storage.

Measuring muscle mass with neural network

Alexander Karlsson has been awarded the Christer Gilén Scholarship for 2020 in statistics and machine learning for a master’s thesis in which he uses a neural network to improve a method of measuring muscle mass.

SEK 21 million to research in humanities and social sciences

Four LiU researchers will share more than SEK 21 million from the Swedish Research Council’s funding for the humanities and social sciences. Also, three LiU-based journals will together receive SEK 2.2 million.

Master’s programme in protein science now open for international students

Linköping University will open its Protein Science master’s programme to international students starting next year. The programme combines theoretical and practical components, with a heavy emphasis on laboratory work.

Mathematical modelling brings brain insights

Can we see what is happening in the brain? Yes, we can in a sense, using imaging technology. But the processes in the brain remain to a large extent mysterious. Researchers are now using modelling to help understand these processes.

Nearly SEK 43 million for research in medical and health sciences

Thirteen researchers at LiU have received grants totalling SEK 42.6 million. This is the result when the Swedish Research Council has awarded nearly SEK 1 billion in research grants for the medical and health sciences.