Q and A

Research for Impact is one of the core strategic themes in SU`s Vision 2020. How does your research relate to that?

Impact means delivering benefits to stakeholders and beneficiaries outside of the university system: The results from research must be useful and meaningful to practitioners and policymakers, not just to other academics. Our work aims to deliver not only academic novelty, but also results that are meaningful to external stakeholders that make decisions on policies, investments, industrial expansions and climate-responses.

Please give us your impression of the role that research and innovation can play in the betterment of society?

Although training of students and contributions to the body of scientific knowledge do serve to advance society in broad terms, research and innovation should also deliver benefits much closer to the realities faced by government and companies. In a sea of alternatives, these stakeholders seek meaningful results from research that will advise them on “what to do next,” to achieve the goals of socio-economic and environmental development.

What would you regard as the most important aspects to consider to effectively support researchers?

Innovative researchers need to have “free hands” to pursue new ideas, in an environment that supports and rewards “out of the box” thinking and acting. A research environment is dynamic and ever-changing, following the trends and priorities of the world outside the university. Planning for an unknown future can be difficult in the academic system.

What do you enjoy most about your job and what are the aspects that you find challenging?

Chasing new ideas and opportunities is both challenging and enjoyable – although the never-ending pursuit can be exhausting.

What is the biggest piece of advice that you would give early-career researchers?

Pursue a handful of possible niche-areas for you to specialise in, until you find one or two that can sustain a meaningful research effort -- based on priorities set by the external world. Be open to change these priorities and niches at unexpected and uncomfortable times; an opportunity comes only once, and you have to be ready to grasp it at short notice. Fortune favours the prepared …

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the way we work. What, from your point of view, is the most pertinent change and how will this affect your work in the future?

We have become comfortable with online meetings and work-relationships in a manner that would never have happened without the pandemic. This has made network building much easier, but also limits the scope of relationship-building and the quality of interactions. We will probably go back to a system where really important meetings are held face-to-face.

What do you do for fun (apart from research!)

Kitesurfing