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Awards

Each year, The Faculty of Science and Technology at University of Gothenburg recognizes four achievements. These are awarded with one of four prizes – the Research Prize, the Thesis Prize, the Educational Prize and the Synergy Prize.

Research Award

The Research Award is given for developing a research line that significantly contributes to novelty of the research at the Faculty of Science and Technology. The award holder will receive a diploma and a prize of 250.000 SEK for research.

Research Award 2024: Sebastiaan Swart

Department of Marine Sciences

Motivation for the award:

Sebastiaan Swart’s research has shed new light on the intertwined mechanics of ocean physics and exchange of heat and carbon across the ocean-atmosphere interface in the Southern Ocean. He has introduced cutting-edge autonomous observation platforms and modeling approaches that are revolutionizing the way we collect ocean data and thereby our understanding of the ocean-climate system. He has built an extensive international network, plays a significant role within the scientific community, and contributes to science-to-policy impacts through ocean-climate reports. 

His nurturing, kind nature has ensured that not only leading researchers have access to his laboratory, but also students and researchers from developing countries. His unique tools, insights, and influence reach well beyond his closest collaborators. 

Sebastiaan Swart embodies our faculty’s core values of international collaboration, research excellence, public engagement, and respect for the next generation. He is a true inspiration within and outside his community of polar ocean science. 

Awardees The Research Award 2008–2023

2023

Giovanni Volpe
Department of Physics

Motivation for the award:

"Giovanni Volpe is a world-leading researcher in the fields of microscopy and spectroscopy of living systems, artificial living matter and in machine-learning algorithms to analyse complex and biological systems. It’s in the latter area Giovanni realized an enormous untapped potential of these methods to be applied for the characterization of the broadest scope of living biological systems studied across the Faculty of Natural Sciences and other faculties of the University of Gothenburg.

He is also a highly regarded mentor and educator of the next generation of researchers, is active in shaping the policies of the graduate education at large and is active in communicating his research to the public as well as spinning it off commercially.

He inspires the people around him, always striving to lift his research environment to the highest international level."

2022

Isaac Santos
Department of Marine Sciences

Motivation for the award:

"Isaac Santos is an outstanding scientist who has made major contributions in the field of the marine carbon cycle, including the development of new methods, and resolving hidden carbon transport pathways.

He inspires and is a mentor to many students and effectively engages in public debate to protect marine ecosystems. Isaac has built a large, diverse, and highly productive research group.

He is conducting research at the forefront of an emerging field, using new infrastructure, and is creating a culture of excellence and collaboration. Isaac’s innovative research relies on his vision of taking the lab to the ocean to obtain high-resolution observations of carbon chemistry."

2021
Henrik Nilsson, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences

Motivation for the award:

"Henrik Nilsson studies the fungi kingdom using molecular methods. He was quick to see the paradigm shift face approaching mycology as more and more fungi species and fungi groups were detected through DNA sequencing of soil and wood but without observable structures by humans. Together with colleagues, he developed a DNA reference database (UNITE) to ensure the just classification of these fungi in the fungi kingdom.

Today, UNITE is a standard tool within mycology, and the botanical code seems to be headed toward a reworking based on UNITE’s principles. In addition to scientific breakthroughs, Henrik’s research has led to new tools and applications. His high-quality scholarly output is interdisciplinary and unique, and includes around 130 articles and around 25,000 citations, making him one of the most cited researchers at the University of Gothenburg year after year.

It is not just his outstanding research that makes him an excellent candidate to receive the Faculty's Research Award. His collegiality and enthusiasm as a teacher, course director, supervisor and communicator of science are also greatly appreciated."

2020
Karl Börjesson
Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology

Motivation for the award:

"Karl Börjesson’s research is in the intersection between physics and chemistry. His research focus is basic photophysics of organic molecules and primarily has two specialisations: non-coherent photon upconversion and strong exciton-photon coupling with organic molecules. Being able to change the energy of a photon could allow increasing the maximum efficiency of a solar cell from 30 to 40 per cent through absorption of more of the sun’s photons. This possibility of being able to change electronic energy levels could, in the future, lead to much more efficient organic electronics and thus contribute to a more sustainable society.

Börjesson is a trained physical chemist and has developed an innovative experimental research field at the Division for Organic Chemistry that links physical chemistry and organic synthesis in an innovative way. Through top-notch research, an eager interest in both undergraduate and doctoral education, and greatly appreciated collegial generosity, Börjesson is significantly contributing to renewal, innovation, and collaboration within the faculty."

2019
Christine Bacon
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences

Motivation for the award:

"Christine Bacon’s research advances our understanding of plant systematics and its evolution by demonstrating macroevolutionary patterns in the diversity of species in tropical rainforests. Systematic biology and research into biodiversity will continue to be a driving force in finding solutions to the mass extinction of species, which requires knowledge on many levels, including ecosystems, diversity of species and genetic variation.

Christine Bacon’s research aims to categorise the status of the threat to species and enable their protection through national and international legislation, and is thus of global benefit for conservation biology.

She is developing and integrating automated tools for conservation analyses through robust new molecular methods. As such, Christine Bacon has contributed to the vitality into biodiversity research at the University of Gothenburg."

2018
Anna Godhe
Department of Marine Sciences

Motivation for the award:

Anna Godhe is a marine ecologist with specific expertise and research interests in the molecular ecology of phytoplankton. Her pioneering research brings together conventional disciplines in widely differing research projects, together with national and international colleagues from vastly differing disciplines.

Anna Godhe has discovered and uses a system where she can revive diatoms to life from sediment that is several hundreds of years old. This makes it possible to study both currently living and very old individuals of the same species from the same place and to compare them to discover how the environment and climate have impacted them. Anna Godhe has created a dynamic and successful research environment around this approach.

2017
Rebecka Jörnsten
Department of Mathematics

Motivation for the award:

Rebecka Jörnsten is a biostatistician who works across the entire field from basic statistical theory and method development to applications in close collaboration with medical scientists and biologists. She deserves much of the credit for introducing the new big data paradigm in the previously more traditionally-oriented mathematical statistics environment in Gothenburg. In this way she has had a crucial vitalizing effect on this research environment.

She has made significant contributions to the theory of large scale modeling, dimensional reduction, variable selection and network methodology, as well as to applications in bioinformatics, cancer research and systems biology.

2016
Orsola Tommasi
Department of Mathematics

Motivation for the award:

Orsola Tommasi works in the field of algebraic geometry and specialises in the study of so-called moduli spaces. She has made relevant and well-recognised contributions in a research field of central importance in modern number theory and theoretical physics.

By providing counterexamples to fundamental assumptions, her research stretches the frontier to the unknown within mathematical theory. In this way she has established herself as a first-class mathematician. Orsola Tommasi is outgoing, has broad interests and contributes through her knowledge to fruitful collaborations and the development of research in her own and adjacent fields.

2015
Alexandre Antonelli
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences

Motivation for the award:

Alexandre Antonelli is a leading researcher who has built up a new interdisciplinary research area at the Faculty of Science: Evolutionary biogeography. He has quickly established a strong and creative platform through his broad networks and international recruitments, where he combines advanced technology, large amounts of data and development of methodology.

The result is excellent publications, prestigious grants and visibility in the media. Alexandre Antonelli combines the ability to collaborate and inspire with innovative research of the highest quality in a very impressive way.

2014
Sam Dupont
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences

Motivation for the award:

Sam Dupont is a leading researcher in a very urgent research area: how marine species and ecosystems are affected by global warming and ocean acidification caused by high carbon dioxide levels. With independence, accuracy, integrity and excellence, he has contributed to basic understanding of these complex issues.

He has also renewed the laboratory operations at Kristineberg by developing the Ocean acidification laboratory.

2013
Sofia Thorsson
Department of Earth Sciences

Motivation for the award:

Sofia Thorsson's research on urban climate contributes to renewal within the Faculty of Science. This is especially true in her close collaboration with psychologists, medical practitioners and logistics, which has given knowledge about links between weather, well-being, health and mobility.

Sofia is a great research leader – she is innovative and successful in collaborations within and outside the academy and has an excellent ability to receive external funding in fierce competition.

2012
Göran Hilmersson
Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology

2011
Johan Åkerman
Department of Physics

2010
Richard Neutze
Department of Chemistry

2009
Hans Linderholm
Department of Earth Sciences

2008
Henrik Pavia
Department of Marine ecology

Doctoral Thesis Award

This award is given for successful and novel research that has been presented in a well written thesis. The award holder will receive a diploma and a prize.

Doctoral Thesis Award 2024: Oskar Allerbo

Department of Mathematics

Motivation for the award:

Oskar Allerbo's thesis reflects a deep scientific curiosity regarding the connection between machine learning- and AI-methods and statistics. In this thesis, Oskar has developed methods for increasing the interpretability of neural networks. He has also proposed Elastic Gradient Descent, a methodological work centered on the link between gradient descent with early stopping and ridge regression, and similarly coordinate descent and lasso regression. Oskar has investigated kernel ridge regression and introduced kernel gradient flow. He has here shown that, by using a time-varying bandwidth, one observes a double descent behaviour, as is frequently seen for neural networks.

Taken together, Oskar's thesis has contributed to new insights in how complex neural networks learn by coupling these to classical statistical methods.

Oskar is passionate about his research but is also dedicated to the academic environment as a whole. Oskar has represented the PhD students in the research education board at the science faculty and has engaged in first cycle education as a lecturer and course examiner.

Awardees The Doctoral Thesis Award 2010–2023

The Pedagogical Award

The Faculty of Science’s Pedagogical Award is awarded annually to focus attention on good efforts within education. The award consists of a SEK 100.000 operational contribution.

After 2012 The Pedagogical Award transformed from being an Award for the entire university to be an Award at each Faculty.

Pedagogical Award 2024 in Science: Zareen Abbas

Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology

Motivation for the award:

Zareen Abbas is a highly valued teacher among both students and colleagues. He teaches in the Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology and is also involved in teaching in the Department of Conservation. In addition, he contributes to programme development in Conservation, Pharmacy and Chemistry.

Zareen has adapted his teaching in the conservation programme to the interdisciplinary content and problem-oriented pedagogical approach of the programme. The conservation of historical artefacts and environments requires good knowledge and skills in chemistry.

Zareen is a responsive teacher with great integrity. He recognises the specific conditions of his students and tailors his teaching to their needs. He makes sometimes difficult chemistry accessible and exciting.

Pedagogical Award 2024 in IT: Fredrik Svahn

Fredrik Svahn at the Department of Applied IT is awarded the IT Faculty Pedagogical Prize for 2024, after getting four different nominations for the introduction of new AI-based tools in the courses "Technology" and "Methods".

From the nomination text:

”Over the last year, Fredrik has invested an enormous effort into introducing innovative technology into his teaching in the Digital Leadership Master’s Programme (Courses Technology and Methods). The most significant of these has been the integration of generative AI in the learning process. While a lot of university teachers around the globe have been experimenting with these tools, Fredrik’s accomplishments go above and beyond anything else I have seen elsewhere. Fredrik developed four bespoke tools based on OpenAI’s API: 1) CourseGuru – A chatbot helping students navigate course content, requirements, and instructions; 2) TalkTopics – a tool to summarize, assess and visualize student discussions related to seminars in the Canvas Forum; 3) GroupGist – An app that allowed students to recordings of their group discussions, and received a written summary of their discussions and feedback based on the concepts and material related to the assignment of the week; 4) PyPal – a digital assistant helping students to install and configure Python on their computers, and to write their first Python program.”

Winners of the Faculty of Science Pedagogical Award 2005–2024

2023

Maria Henje
Department of Conservation

Motivation for the award:

Maria Henje has been a fundamental force since the education in garden crafts was built up in Mariestad in the 1990s. In her teaching of composition and composition with a focus on perception and creative processes, she conveys a passion that infects both students and colleagues. Her teaching work was reinforced in the academic context that the education came to be part of from 2006 when the craft school became part of the University of Gothenburg. Since then, Maria has in a unique and innovative way further developed her teaching in drawing and artistic sketching methods as tools for interpretation and understanding of plants, cultural landscapes and buildings. Not least, her pedagogy is certified as unique, innovative and attractive, through the extremely popular summer course Botanical Illustration with around 1,000 applicants.

2022

Ulla Dinger
Department of Mathematical Sciences

Motivation for the award:

"Ulla Dinger has been deeply involved in the department's undergraduate education during her long tenure at the Department of Mathematical Sciences. For several years, she was both the education officer and the programme manager for the Mathematics Programme and subsequently for the Basic Science Year.

Ulla has also been a driving force in course development. Many years ago, she developed the introductory course in the Mathematics programme into a problem-based format. The course is often highlighted by students as an important, motivating and fun course where the format strongly contributes to their early development as mathematicians. She has also been an examiner for over twenty years on an advanced level analytics course which is a key course for advanced level study. Here she has built on the idea of the importance of students being trained to communicate mathematics. She has also done a great deal of work in developing the mathematics courses in the foundation year and pioneered the introduction of partially digital examinations.

In conclusion, no one can match Ulla in terms of commitment to the development of the content, form and quality of undergraduate education at the Department of Mathematical Sciences."

2021

Heather Reese, Department of Earth Sciences

Motivation for the award:

"Heather Reese began teaching at the Department of Earth Sciences in 2018 and quickly introduced remote sensing with drones as an obvious part of undergraduate courses and projects. She has also integrated her expertise in programming, AI and big data in her teaching, which provides the students with highly in demand skills when they enter the workforce.

Heather is being recognised with this award for using her educational expertise and creativity to develop new courses, both on campus and online, where she has succeeded in communicating the state of the art in a way that everyone can understand. Her courses are greatly appreciated by both students and teaching colleagues, who in turn benefit of the students’ knowledge of the subject."

2020

Donald Blomqvist
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences

Motivation for the award:

"Donald Blomqvist has a long and greatly appreciated teaching career within ecology and biostatistics. Donald has also been active for several years as the director of studies and the chair of the advisory council for biology and molecular biology. On several occasions, he has been nominated and twice received the Pedagogical Award from the Göta Students’ Union.

The students’ award statement includes words like enthusiasm, playfulness, and, not least, Gothenburg humour. Donald has succeeded in ways no one else has been able to in making statistics tests and mathematical modelling accessible even to students who have not yet come very far in their mathematical understanding. He can explain difficult concepts so that they are both exciting and graspable.

Donald shows concern for student learning, takes the bachelor’s programme very seriously, and never compromises on quality. He always has an unwavering focus on the student perspective and has been a driving force behind the department’s continual dialogue with students that has contributed to developing the department’s teaching and that students feel seen and enjoy studying at the department."

2019

Stellan Östlund and Hampus Linander
Department of Physics

Motivation for the award:

"Taking a pedagogical perspective, Stellan Östlund and Hampus Linander have developed software that supports students’ understanding and provides rapid feedback that drives the learning process forward.

The software prompts the students to become learning resources for each other, as discussions and troubleshooting are part of what the program offers. It also encourages the students to adopt a more active way of working. Furthermore, it supports lecturers so that they can give rapid feedback on assignments and more clearly measure the progress of students as the course continues.

The software has been developed in open-source code to allow both university lecturers and upper secondary school teachers to use, modify and disseminate the program. It has been used very successfully on a number of courses, including the Physics Programme, the Medical Physics Programme and in Teacher Education Programmes at the University of Gothenburg, and Engineering Physics at Chalmers University of Technology.

The course directors, calculation exercise instructors and students who have worked with the software feel that it has made a very positive contribution to learning and understanding the course material."

2018

Kristina Luthman
Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology

Motivation for the award:

Professor Kristina Luthman has had a significant role in establishing medicinal chemistry in Gothenburg. Luthman has also contributed to ensuring dermatochemistry began as a subject at the University of Gothenburg.

With a leading medicinal chemistry programme at the university, the pharmacy and prescriptionist programmes were established as important professional programmes. Through her dedicated work in several significant working groups and committees, Luthman has had a major influence in how both these programmes have been designed since their start, which is also true for courses in organic chemistry.

Today, Luthman is a leading medicinal chemist in Europe and she has maintained a large amount of research activities over many years. In addition, in Luthman we see a very appreciated teacher, by both students and colleagues, who has shown great professionality in how she tackles her mission within undergraduate education. With a student-focused approach, she has created a balance of requirements and fairness, contributed with important expertise and eagerly driven development of her subject for the benefit of many programmes at the University of Gothenburg.

2017

Michael Axelsson
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences

Motivation for the award:

Michael Axelsson was awarded the Faculty of Science’s Pedagogical Award for his long-standing efforts as a pioneer, trendsetter and driving force for IT-based teaching in biology at the University of Gothenburg.

Since 1998, Michael has developed his own, the entire department’s and later the faculty’s and university’s understanding of IT-based education. Michael uses a wide-ranging of interactive IT-based teaching and, early on, he began using recorded material in his instruction. Michael has also built up an ALC room at the department and is pushing to spread its use with colleagues.

2016

Gunnar Almevik
Department of Conservation

2015

Kerstin Wiklander
Department of Mathematics

2014

Anne Farewell
Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology

2013

There was no award in 2013.

2012

Maria Sundin
Department of Physics
Received Gothenburg University's Pedagogical Award 2012.

2005

Anne Farewell
Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology
Received Gothenburg University's Pedagogical Award 2005.

Winners of the IT Faculty Pedagogical Prize

The Synergy Award

The Synergy Award recognises positive efforts within the Faculty of Science’s community outreach. The award is in the form of a SEK 250,000 grant to the recipient’s department for appreciated and successful community outreach efforts. The Faculty’s 2021 award will be presented on 2 December.

Synergy Award 2024: Angela Wulff

Department of Biological & Environmental Sciences

Motivation for the award:

Angela Wulff is an outstanding researcher and teacher in marine botany with microalgae as a research topic. But in addition to this, Angela has a vision that the research and knowledge she possesses should also be used. In 2014, together with the entrepreneur Sofie Allert, she started the Swedish Algal Factory, where diatoms are grown for various biotechnological applications. They have already developed the basic substance to produce organic skin cream, but an even more exciting project is the development of a component of diatoms that can be used to increase the efficiency of solar cells.

Angela also has an extensive popular science activity with many appearances annually in various public contexts, including school visits. Her research in the Arctic and Antarctic is of great interest and is another fascinating part of her business.

Recently, Angela together with Ellen Schagerström started a podcast, "Algpodden", to increase public education about algae and clear up some misconceptions. The podcast has become very popular with over 9000 streams.

Angela is also a scientific advisor for UF GRALG, where four enthusiastic high school students cultivate microalgae. GRALG won the national competition for young entrepreneurs in May 2024 and will represent Sweden at the European level.

Awardees The Synergy Award 2020-

2023

Maria Sundin
Department of Physics

Motivation for the award:

Maria Sundin is an outstanding, inspiring and incredibly active spreader of knowledge. Since the mid-90s, thanks to her versatility, she has acted within a broad scientific arena and many collaboration activities. Through her dedicated work, she shares news and knowledge about current research with the public, and at the same time she inspires an increased interest in science and technology in general. Maria manages to both entertain and teach about science in various channels and has reached an incredible number of people, of all ages. Maria creates seamless interdisciplinary connections between astronomy and areas such as art, history, ethnology, music, sport, social sciences, and sustainable development. Through this, she not only engages and motivates people who already have a strong interest in science, but also those who are less scientifically versed. She is frequently hired by TV, radio, news and popular science media as an expert and inspiration. In addition, she gives talks to the public and in schools, at science centres, companies, and authorities.

2022

Kristina "Snuttan" Sundell
Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences

Motivation for the award:

Kristina "Snuttan" Sundell's solid and long lasting commitment in the field of cooperation permeates her personality and academic career. Kristina regularly participates in scientific events for the public where she organises exhibitions about seafood, holds seminars, holds dialogue meetings with authorities and the business sector and arranges round-table discussions with companies and interest organisations. She meets children and school youth at, for example, Vetenskapsfestivalen, is part of SVT's long-running success Studio natur and has also been part of SVT's Vetenskapens värld.

Kristina is also a member of The Royal Swedish Agricultural Academy, which is a great honor and recognition for the aquaculture research she leads as director of SWEMARC.

Kristina "Snuttan" Sundell has clearly and with great enthusiasm demonstrated the synergies that arise when research and teaching jointly meet society's needs for public education and sustainable development. She treats people she meets with exceptional commitment, joy and ability to explain her research. Kristina also generously shares her knowledge, enthusiasm and time, is a constant source of ideas and inspiration, a role model for colleagues and a great asset to our organization.

2021

Deliang Chen, Department of Earth Sciences

Motivation for the award:

"Deliang Chen is a respected international scientist in Earth System Science and an excellent scientific communicator who has made great contributions to climate science and global sustainability.

His significant efforts to link science to policy making can be illustrated by his substantial engagement in leading or participating in several climate change assessment panels. These panels are instrumental for political decision making at the regional, national and global level. He was selected by the UN as Lead Author and Coordinating Lead Author of the IPCC’s fifth and sixth assessment reports. Furthermore, he has advised various governmental, intergovernmental and international non-governmental organizations as well as research funding agencies. Deliang is also a frequent voice in Swedish media.

A recent example of his engagement is his involvement in the Nobel Prize Summit entitled "Our Planet, Our Future" which explored the question: What can be achieved in this decade to put the world on a path to a more sustainable, more prosperous future for all of humanity? The summit resulted in a powerful statement, which has been circulated around the world and will have a significant future impact."

2020,

Kerstin Johannesson Department of Marine Sciences

Motivation for the award:

Kerstin Johannesson has led and developed multiple educational projects about the ocean and evolutionary biology for schools. Havsforskarna [marine scientists] is a 10-episode children’s TV programme where she works with preschool children to conduct marine biology studies. To illustrate her research on ongoing evolution and species development, Kerstin has developed an evolution experiment with seashells. The half-day experiment is conducted regularly with upper-secondary school classes on field trips to Tjärnö Laboratory and has also been used at the Science Festival. Kerstin has also worked actively with in-service training of teachers, including with the very popular course “The Ocean in the Classroom”.

As station chief for Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, Kerstin also works to informing the public and professional groups who work at sea, such as marine police, the coast guard, ship captains in training, and tourist companies. She was closely involved in the establishment of the Kosterhavet National Park, where she designed and led four-day courses in marine biology for 70 Swedish and Norwegian professional fishers.

Research led by Kerstin on the Baltic Sea’s genetic diversity has resulted in new findings of great importance for marine management. Kerstin was a member of the 2002 Marine Environment Commission appointed by the government, which studied the threat to Swedish marine environments and proposed several important measures, many of which were implemented. Kerstin has also participated as an expert in two environmental ministers’ environmental advisory councils and contributed with her expertise in several other political forums.

Last modified

27 November 2024