Great leaders don’t just solve problems, they inspire others to do the same. Kaveh Madani has done just that. He first arrived in Lund on a cold February day in 2004 to pursue a master’s degree in water resources. In November 2024, he came back to Lund, this time as the Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health (UNU-INWEH), to launch the new UNU hub Water in a Changing Environment (WICE) –a hub dedicated to training the next generation of change-makers.
Professor Kaveh Madani, Lund University alumnus and Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health (UNU-INWEH) 2024 and international student Kaveh Madani, Lund University 2005. Photo left: Helga Heun. Photo right: Private
Madani grew up as an only child in Iran, with both parents working for the water sector. He often accompanied his mother to work, and as he grew older, it felt like a natural choice to follow in his parents footsteps.
A four-year-old Kaveh Madani (left) together with his cousin and a friend in Tehran. Photo: PrivateCaptured during a 5th grade science competition, Kaveh Madani sits with two classmates. This moment marks the start of a shared journey in which each of the three would go on to earn PhDs, one at MIT, one at UC Davis and one at Windsor. Photo: Private
Before becoming the Director of UNU-INWEH, he worked at both Yale and Imperial College London, served as Iran’s Deputy Vice President and Deputy Head of Iran’s Department of Environment, as well as Vice President of the United Nations Environment Assembly Bureau (which oversees the world’s highest level decision-making body on the environment) from 2017 to 2018. Yet, his work is not about flaunting an impressive CV; it is about science diplomacy: building international bridges and addressing global challenges. As he has stated, “Water is the most essential and pervasive element of life. Yet nearly half of humanity will face water scarcity by 2030 due to climate change and population growth,” a challenge that has shaped his mission to create sustainable solutions.
A Pivotal Moment: The Gateway to the West
Kaveh vividly recalls walking through the automatic glass doors at Kastrup Airport in 2004, what he now calls “the gateway to the West.” “It was dark and cold, and I was trying not to slip,” he laughs, remembering his first moments in Sweden. “Meanwhile, I admired my classmate riding her bike like it was nothing.” That memory has stayed with him, returning each time he passes through those doors again.
Only four hubs in the world – one is now in Lund
As an alumnus, Madani recognises Lund University’s excellence, citing its commitment to quality and global impact. “I initiated the conversation about starting this UNU hub in Lund because I saw the opportunity. Lund University is a very credible institution, and we have mutual trust between us,” he explains. Madani emphasises that the alignment with the UN University’s mission of empowering the Global South made Lund an ideal partner for collaboration.
The Swedish Classroom: A Lesson in Collaboration
A course in Lund on Systems Dynamics, where he learned to model and analyse the behaviour of complex systems over time, had a significant impact on Madani’s thinking. It deeply influenced his work in activism and policymaking, as well as teaching—often using game theory in his own classroom when working as a faculty member at Imperial College London before his public service. Thinking back on his days in Lund, he also cherishes the memories of student life, including living in student housing and enjoying the social life at the unions.
Captured on Kaveh Madani’s last day in Lund in September 2005, just after defending his Master of Science thesis before departing for PhD studies in North America. Pictured alongside his roommate and undergraduate classmate from Iran, Ali Mirchi, who had just arrived in Sweden to begin his studies in the same program. Ali Mirchi is now an associate professor in water resources at Oklahoma State University. Photo: Private
One aspect of the “Swedish classroom” that surprised him in 2004 was the group assignments. Initially, he struggled with not being able to choose his own team members. In his first group assignment, he received a lower grade due to a teammate’s lack of computer skills. However, in a later assignment, the roles were reversed (he was the one struggling with the software that they had to use) and he realised the value of learning from each other. “In the real world, you won’t always get to choose the people you work with; you have to adjust. For my second assignment, my Swedish classmates knew something I didn’t, and it helped me get a good grade. This really taught me that in a societal setting, we work best together,” he says.
Living in Exile – Where is Home?
Kaveh Madani’s life took a dramatic turn in 2018, forcing him into exile after a series of alarming events. Invited to take a cabinet position in Tehran, he left his job in London, only to eventually be arrested, interrogated and accused of being a Western spy. After repeated detentions, a public attack by the regime made him fear for his life. He made the difficult decision not to return after completion of a diplomatic trip, escaping a paranoid political system—but leaving behind the country he had hoped to help address its growing water and environmental problems. Madani has written several texts about the pain and disconnection he has felt from living in exile.
Today, Madani lives in Canada with his wife, whom he met backstage at a TEDx Talk. “We’re both workaholics,” he says with a smile, reflecting on how they met. “I’m very thankful for someone who can tolerate my work schedule. It’s not easy.”
Lund University and the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) are establishing a joint hub, focusing on water. Photo: Kennet Ruona
We are thrilled to highlight one of Lund University International Podcast‘s first alumni guests, Michael Bossetta. He is a Lund University alumnus and now an Associate Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication Studies. In this podcast episode, Michael shares his unique journey, from his early studies in philosophy in the United States to his academic career in Sweden, becoming a well-regarded voice in media and political communication research. In fact, he even won the 2021 Research Grand Prix!
After completing the International Master’s programme in European Studies at Lund University, Michael’s academic path led him back to the University – this time as a lecturer. His career, however, has been far from conventional. With experiences spanning countries and disciplines, he delves into the vibrant and diverse classroom environment in Lund and reflects on Swedish cultural nuances, offering invaluable advice to prospective and current students on navigating academic and career pursuits in an international setting.
Hosting his own podcast
In addition to his role as an educator and researcher, Michael is the host of Social Media and Politics, an interview-driven podcast that communicates cutting-edge social media and political research to a global audience. The show, with over 200,000 downloads across 150+ countries, exemplifies Michael’s passion for making academic insights accessible to the public.
Fredrik Tersmeden, honorary doctor of philosophy and archivist at the University Archives, shares the story of Hans Wilhelm Lindstedt, who in 1774 became one of Lund University’s first students with a non-European background. With a Swedish father and a ‘black mother’ from Batavia (now Jakarta), his situation was unique for its time, as he was neither a slave nor a heathen, but the son of a Swedish father and sent to the University for studies like other young men from prominent families.
Please note: Language and phrases used in this text are part of the historical record.
Hans Wilhelm Lindstedt’s name in the University’s student register for 1774. Source: Lund University Archives
In December 1774, newspaper readers in Sweden could read about an event that had taken place in Malmö:
Last Sunday saw the baptism of a Blackmoor here, whom a Swede named Lindstedt sent here from Batavia some time ago, and who will later be sent to Stockholm. On this occasion there were festivities and ceremonies, which many people from the surrounding area came here to see.
“Moor” or “Blackmoor” was a common term at the time that lacks a direct modern translation. It referred in a broad sense to people of colour, perhaps primarily to indigenous sub-Saharan Africans, but could also be used for, for instance, Arabs and the Berber peoples of North Africa. And as can be seen from the notice above, it could apparently also be applied to people from Asia; Batavia is the former name of Jakarta, the capital of what was then the colony of the Dutch East Indies.
We can be fairly sure that the “Blackmoor baptism in Malmö” was a special and exotic event for the congregation and other spectators present. However, it was not without contemporary counterparts; rather, “Moors” were most fashionable in 18th-century Europe, including Sweden. Especially the royal courts were happy to feature them; the most famous Swedish example is Gustaf Badin, a freed slave from the West Indies who was given to Queen Lovisa Ulrika in 1760 to be brought up together with the queen’s own children, including the future Gustaf III. Incidentally, the youngster who was baptized in Malmö – a 15-year-old named Johan Fredrik – is said to have been sent to the court in Stockholm soon after this event.
Gustaf Badin (c. 1747–1822) was the most famous Swedish “Blackmoor” of the 18th century. He was close to king Gustaf III, reached the rank of a secretary of the court, and was an active member of several fraternal orders. Painting by Gustaf Lundberg. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Even locally in Skåne (Scania) there are other examples from this time of “Moors” who were brought to Sweden and baptized. For instance, the rich and powerful baron Fredrik Ruuth, who owned several Scanian estates, in 1786 had a 15-year-old “Black Heathen” freed from slavery, taught Christianity and subsequently baptized by the local vicar in Skårby.
However, even though the baptism in Malmö in 1774 was not a completely unique event, the newspaper article about it ends with a short note that can definitely be said to be so:
The aforementioned Mr. Lindstedt also has a son, who was born in Batavia to a black mother and is now a student at the Academy in Lund.
Fencing and private lessons
The fact that Lund University had a student of partly non-European descent already in the 18th century – more specifically, exactly 250 years ago this year – came as a surprise to me and my colleagues at the University Archives. This fascinating piece of news reached us by way of Johanna Berg who works at The National Museums of World Culture. She had come across this unusual student through the aforementioned 1774 newspaper article. Curious to know more, she contacted the Archive to ask if we had any more information about him, which we did: his enrollment data appears in the central student register from the that year. Here one could read that his full name was Hans Wilhelm Lindstedt, and that he was enrolled at the University on 15 February. There was also a note in Latin: “natus parente consiliario dispensatore in India”; that is, he is identified as the child of a parent who was an adviser in India.
After that, there was unfortunately not much else to be found in the University’s own official documents. Both the series of enrollment documents and the so-called term tables have large gaps in the 1770s, and Lindstedt could not be found there. Fortunately, however, the University Archives also keeps the documents from the Scanian student nation in which Lindstedt was also enrolled, and this source turned out to yield a significantly richer amount of information. Above all, the nation’s archive contained copies of the term tables that were missing from the University Archives, i.e. the detailed term-by-term accounts of all its members that the nations were required to send in twice a year.
To begin with, these tables gave us information about Lindstedt’s background beyond the single sentence in the enrollment register. Here we learned that during his first term in Lund, he was 14 years old and that his father was a merchant and “Member of the Council of Justice in Batavia”. Furthermore, it appears that he had not yet made a future career choice and that he “provided for through cash payment”. In the data for the autumn term of the same year (1774), he has turned 15 years old, and since the tables are dated, we can conclude that Lindstedt must therefore have been born between February and November, 1759. In this context, it may be noted that neither in the term tables nor in the enrollment register is anything said about Lindstedt’s mother or about the boy’s general ethnicity; hence, had it not been for the information in the press that he was the son of a “black mother” the natural assumption, based on the archive documents and the young man’s name, would incorrectly have been that he was the son of native Swedish parents who just happened to be living abroad at the time of his birth.
We can also follow Lindstedt’s studies term by term. During his first spring term, he claims to be attending language master Kraak’s public lectures in French and German, as well as taking private lessons with the University’s fencing master, Porath. In the autumn of the same year, he continues to follow Kraak’s and Porath’s teaching, but, above all, he enjoys the privilege of “private information”. In other words, Lindstedt had a private tutor. Often this person was a slightly older and more experienced student who replenished his coffers with these teaching assignments.
The information about which lectures Hans Wilhelm Lindstedt and Gude Axel Gedda attended during the spring term of 1774. Source: Lund University Archives.
Lindstedt seems to have been absent from the University in 1775, since his name is missing from that year’s tables. In the spring of 1776, however, he is back, and now he attends professors Colling’s and Stobaeus’ lectures in Law and Latin respectively, and also takes private lessons in mathematics from a Master Cronholm. However, this is the last time Lindstedt’s name appears in a term table; after that he definitely disappears from the records of both the University and the student nation.
A fellow student became a “foster brother-in-law”
One thing you notice when you follow Lindstedt through the documents is that the same name keeps appearing right after his: that of Gude Axel Gedda, three years his junior. Not only are the two youngsters enrolled in the nation on the same day, subsequently appearing together in the term tables; they also attend exactly the same lectures and enjoy the same private tuition. It, therefore, seems reasonable to assume that the two boys were sent to University together and lodged together in the company of the same tutor. This assumption is supported by the fact that not infrequently the term-table notes for both Lindstedt and Gedda appear to be written by the same person – probably their tutor.
We also know that another clear connection between the two fellow students would appear later. Hans Wilhelm and Johan Fredrik, baptized in Malmö, were far from the only children that Lindstedt’s father sent to Sweden from his post in the East Indies: Johanna Berg has discovered three more, Apollo Doljalil, Pluto and Daphne, believed to have arrived in Sweden in 1777 in connection with Lindstedt Sr himself returning home, at least temporarily. Of these, the first two seem to have been of pure Asian descent, but Daphne – who in Sweden came to be known as Fredrica Dorothea – was of mixed birth like Hans Wilhelm. Her father was Fredrik Tott of Skabersjö, a Swedish nobleman, who was also in Dutch service in the East Indies, while the mother was said to be a Portuguese woman named Rita Brengman. However, Johanna Berg has doubted the latter information and leans towards the opinion that Fredrica Dorothea’s mother also belonged to the local population. The following contemporary account of her speaks for this:
In the house lived the son, captain Gedda, an educated man, but aloof and dignified, married to a Hindu woman, who called herself Tott and was said to be the daughter of a seafarer of that name, black and yellow in the face, slender and light as a feather.
As the reader may have already guessed, the “Captain Gedda” that Fredrica Dorothea married is identical to Hans Wilhelm Lindstetdt’s younger student friend. It can therefore be said that the two gentlemen over time became some kind of “foster brothers-in-law”.
The coat of arms of the noble family of Gedda depicts a northern pike, “gädda” in Swedish. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
In time, Gedda not only got married, he was also ennobled in 1801. Lindstedt was not, looking at his and Gedda’s time in Lund, one sees an image of what was customary when the aristocracy and other upperclass parents sent their sons to University. One such distinctive feature is that, even by the standards of the time, they were so young when they were enrolled: 14 and 11 years respectively. Another is that, at least initially, they did not engage in any more advanced academic studies but focused on basic private tutoring and practice in social skills such as being able to fence and speak modern foreign languages. Last but not least, none of them graduated; something that was often considered unnecessary for the groups who stayed at the university more to get a general education than to invest in an academic profession. The statement that Hans Wilhelm and Gude Axel were provided for through “cash payment” also indicates that they, unlike many other students of the time, were financially independent. In short, they should have lived a pretty good life at University.
Back to the motherland
We are fairly well informed about how things later went with Gedda, thanks to the fact that he was ennobled and thus entered into the carefully kept rolls of the Swedish nobility. He became an officer in the navy (where he ended up as a major) and the owner of two estates in Småland, Öjhult and Grimarp, before dying in 1828. On the other hand, the information about Hans Wilhelm Lindstedt’s later life that both Johanna Berg and other earlier researchers have been able to find is very sparsely flavored. What is essentially known was actually summarized already in 1897 by the industrious personal historian Carl Sjöström in his printed register of the members of the Scanian nation:
[…] traveled to Amsterdam in 1781 to take up service in the Dutch army, but changed his mind and instead went to the English army in the East Indies, from where he wrote home around 1790 that he was a lieutenant there; has not been heard of since […]
The last traces of Lindstedt include that in 1807 he was wanted in the press on the grounds that he had an inheritance from a Mrs. Christina Elisabet Höppener to collect. However, there is no indication that this notice reached him, and we are thus forced to leave Hans Wilhelm here without final certainty about his further fate.
The first non-European
Hans Wilhelm Lindstedt was, as stated, far from the only person of colour in 18th-century Sweden; on the other hand, he was an unusual kind of non-white Swede of the time, both in that he was not a freed slave or “pagan” but had a Swedish father, and in that he was not kept as some kind of exotic curiosity at a court or in some noble family but was sent to University like any other young man from a better family at the time.
Nor was Lindstedt Lund University’s first wholly or partly foreign student. Already during the University’s first year of operation in the 1660s and 1670s, the student population had a distinctly international character. There were many Danish and German students, but also occasional youngsters from what is today Great Britain, the Netherlands and Austria. The unifying factor, however, was that they were all Europeans, and especially native Protestant Europeans. Lindstedt, on the other hand, was by all accounts the first Lund student with a partly non-European background and with at least one parent who was not white or perhaps even a Christian. And for thus having broadened the University’s international recruitment framework in this way, he should certainly be considered worthy of being lifted out of oblivion just in time for the 250th anniversary of his enrollment!
Fredrik Tersmeden Ph D h c, archivist at the University archives
With sincere thanks to Johanna Berg, who provided much of the “extramural” information about Lindstedt and his family, and to my archivist colleague Henrik Ullstad, who helped with the archival research. Thanks also to my beloved wife Kiki Lindell Tersmeden, senior lecturer in English literature, for help with the translation of the text.
Lund University provides many opportunities for professional development by offering a significant portion of courses that are part-time and online without physical meetings, which suits mid-career individuals. And some of these courses are taught in English. In addition to stand-alone courses, there are tailored commissioned education programmes and MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses).
Stand-alone courses offered by Lund University – application opens 16 September
The application period for stand-alone courses and programmes starting in spring 2025 is open from 16 September until 15 October 2024. Commissioned education programs and MOOCs have varying application deadlines.
A few select examples of courses taught in English
If you have any questions about a course, please contact the contact person on each course page. Use a translation service if the information is not in English.
Please note! Even though the courses mentioned below will be taught in English, several of them are presented in Swedish on the University’s website.
Artificial Intelligence The course introduces artificial intelligence with a focus on reasoning, game programming, machine learning and language processing. 7.5 Academic credits, 50%, Lund Application through antagning.se Teaching language: English
AI, Business & the Future of Work How AI can improve your decision-making, automate processes, and help you capitalize on industry opportunities. MOOC, 0 Academic credits, Study at your own pace, Remote Application through Coursera.org Teaching language: English, with several language subtitle choices
Artificial Intelligence: Ethics and Societal Challenges Explores ethical and societal aspects of the increasing use of artificial intelligence. MOOC, 0 Academic credits, Study at your own pace, Remote Application through Coursera.org Teaching language: English, with several language subtitle choices
Programming in Python: Basic and Preparatory Course Master the fundamentals of the programming language used for AI and machine learning. 5 Academic credits, 50%, Remote Application through antagning.se Teaching language: English
Circular Economy: Sustainable Material Management Where do the key materials in our everyday products come from, and how can they be used more efficiently, last longer and be recycled? MOOC, 0 Academic credits, Study at your own pace, Remote Application through Coursera.org Teaching language: English, with several language subtitle choices
Sustainable Cities and Communities Specialization Enhance your knowledge, understanding and skills in urban development and the creation of sustainable cities. MOOC, 0 Academic credits, Study at your own pace, Remote Application through Coursera.org Teaching language: English, with several language subtitle choices
Digital Business Models Explore the business models of software companies through a structured framework. MOOC, 0 Academic credits, Study at your own pace, Remote Application through Coursera.org Teaching language: English, with several language subtitle choices
Economics for Managers Understand and apply concepts and models of business economics in public and non-profit organisations. 3 Academic credits, 25%, Remote Application through antagning.se Teaching language: English
Comprehensive list
For a full list of all stand-alone courses given by Lund University in Swedish and English, please visit: Stand-alone courses at Lund University (link in Swedish)
Please note! If you have any questions about the course, please contact the contact person on each course page. Use a translation service if the information is not in English. Even though the above-mentioned courses will be taught in English, several of them are presented in Swedish on the University’s website.
MOOCs and Company-sponsored professional education
Lund University also offers Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which are open to anyone interested in the subject. These courses are free and have no admission requirements. For a full list of all MOOCs by Lund University, please visit: MOOCs | Lund University
Professional or comissioned education provides training opportunities for professionals sponsored by their company or organisation. For a full list of Lund University Commissioned Education please visit: Lund University Commissioned Education | Lund University
Having trouble making a decision? Contact our general study guidance counselors
The study guidance services offer guidance and information when you are in the process of making educational or professional choices. We help you to clarify what your interests and abilities are prior to and during your studies. You are welcome to contact the study guidance team for example:
– If you are unsure about your choice of studies – If you have questions about the application and admission rules – If you want to know more about the professional areas that different programs can lead to – If you wonder how you can combine stand-alone courses to achieve a valid general degree
Members in the Alumni Network get a 20% on this opera!
Verdi’s opera about France’s national heroine Joan of Arc is a masterpiece with grand choral sections, passion and drama. It is a modern and visually striking production, unlike anything you’ve seen before. With beautiful music, the tale of the unlikely hero who became a legend in her own lifetime is recounted.
Did you know that you always have a 15% discount on Malmö Opera’s productions? (Please note that this discount does not apply to premieres, touring productions or performances contracted externally; and it cannot be used in combination with other discounts.)
Log in to your alumni page to access the discount code you can use when booking on Malmö Opera’s website.
See more information about your alumni offers and how you can take advantage of them further down on this page.*
More information about all the upcoming operas and musicals can be found on Malmö Opera’s website.
Remember your other alumni discounts!
As a member in the Lund University Alumni Network, you receive attractive offers from the University’s cultural centres and exclusive discounts from our partners. New collaborations are added continuously, so it is a good idea to visit your alumni page regularly to view all the latest offers and discounts.
Discount codes are available for: Lund University Botanical Gardens Odeum Music Center Vattenhallen Science Center Lundagård student magazine Malmö Opera GoinGlobal – international career tool Electrolux
*How can I access the discounts?
1. Log in to your alumni page using your email address here. No password is required. 2. Verify your contact details via the email sent to you when you log in. 3. Check that the information on your profile is correct and click “Register” at the bottom of the page. 4. You will now have access to the link called “learn more about the membership card and your alumni benefits”, which includes your exclusive discount codes. 5. Download your digital membership card and save it. You will also receive a confirmation email, containing a direct link to your membership card.
Feel free to contact us at info@alumni.lu.se if you have any questions or issues accessing your alumni discounts.
Not yet a member of the network?
To gain access to the offers, you first need to register in the Alumni Network. Register here. After registering, you will have access to the page showing the discount codes.
Blomsterkrans, sommarkrans, blomkrans
Sommar i P1 2024
Foto: Mattias Ahlm/Sveriges Radio
Every year, the Swedish public service radio broadcasts the very popular programme Sommar i P1. Ever since its start in 1959, it has been a staple on the airwaves every summer. It features a range of fascinating storytellers and each host has free hands to create their own 1.5 hour-long show – choosing their own music and what they want to talk about. Being a host on Sommar i P1 is quite an honour, so don’t miss this year’s episodes featuring Lund University alumni! Sommar i P1 (in Swedish)
Lasse Berg. Photo: Elinor Wermeling
28 June – Lasse Berg, Journalist and Author |LU Faculty of Social Sciences’ Honorary Doctor, 2004 Lasse Berg has been called Sweden’s most optimistic journalist, with stories about people, culture and politics from all corners of the world. He lived and worked in Asia in the 1960s and in Africa in the 1980s, and these experiences are reflected in his latest book, Tillsammans: Människan som människans räddning. He is also known for the critically acclaimed Gryning över Kalahari about human evolution and nature.
Jennie Walldén. Photo: Mattias Ahlm
5 July – Jennie Walldén, TV Chef |LU degree: Bachelor of Social Science, 2001 Jennie Walldén became famous when she won Sweden’s MasterChef and now cooks on TV4’s Kökets middag, spreading the joy of cooking on social media. As a restaurateur, she runs the restaurant Namu and the cocktail bar Gaji in Malmö. She has written five cookbooks, including Nudlar, and her sixth cookbook, SMAK, is coming soon.
Malena Ivarsson. Photo: Mattias Ahlm
7 July – Malena Ivarsson, Sexologist |LU degree: Sociology For nearly forty years, Malena Ivarsson has guided the Swedish people on matters of sex and relationships. This is also the theme of the podcast Till sängs, which she hosts together with Samanda Ekman. The duo has also written the book Till sängs med kulturen. Malena Ivarsson is a social worker, authorized clinical sexologist and author. She has studied Jungian psychology and answers readers’ questions in Aftonbladet and the magazine Senioren.
Zećira Mušović | Photo: Andreas Svensson
10 July – Zećira Mušović, Football Goalkeeper |LU degree: Bachelor of Science in Business and Economics, 2018 Zećira Mušović is the goalkeeper of the Swedish national football team and a professional player for the English club Chelsea FC. She made her debut in Division II at the age of thirteen and was quickly recruited to the top team FC Rosengård, where she contributed to winning nine titles, including four Swedish championships. During the 2023 World Cup in New Zealand and Australia, Zećira Mušović emerged as a key player when Sweden defeated the reigning champions, USA, in the tournament’s round of sixteen.
Olof Lund. Poto: Mattias Ahlm
19 July –Olof Lundh, Sports Journalist | Studied economics, history and political science at Lund University Olof Lundh is a sports journalist and columnist at TV4. He initiated the website “Fotbollskanalen” and also writes columns about sports and business in Dagens Industri. Lundh has shed light on the darker sides of football and the game beyond the field in five books. Following Templet i öknen – så köpte Qatar världens största sport, he was nominated for the Swedish journalism prize Stora Journalistpriset. He has also won the popular trivia show Alla mot alla.
Karin Olofsdotter. Photo: Anton Silver
22 July – Karin Olofsdotter, Sweden’s Ambassador To Russia |LU degree: Bachelor of Social Science, Psychology, 1991 She is the Swedish Ambassador in Moscow and was previously the Ambassador in Washington, D.C., USA. She represented Sweden at the funeral of regime critic Alexei Navalny in March. Karin Olofsdotter has worked at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs for 30 years. She has also been Ambassador to Hungary and was posted in Russia during the 1990s.
Jens Bergensten. Photo: Mattias Ahlm
9 August – Jens Bergensten, Lead Designer of Minecraft |LU degree: Master of Science in Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, 2009 He is the Creative Lead Designer at Mojang Studios, the company that develops the video game Minecraft. With 300 million copies sold, Minecraft is the best-selling game of all time. Jens Bergensten has been named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.
Susanne Osten. Photo: Foto: Mattias Ahlm
18 August – Susanne Osten, Theatre & Film Director |LU Faculty of Humanities’ Honorary Doctor, 2000 She is one of the country’s most prominent directors for theater and film, and a pioneer in the field of children and youth. She founded the department Unga Klara at the Stockholm City Theatre and served as its artistic director for 30 years. She has received an honorary Guldbagge Award and is currently involved with the film Love Duet, where she explores the genius cult around Ingmar Bergman. In 2021, her autobiography Who Does She Think She Is, Suzanne Osten was released.
Is there anything better than losing yourself in a good story? We don’t think so.
Vacation time means Book Club time in the Alumni Network. The books are written by alumni, and the authors are scheduled for author talks (in Swedish) in the autumn.
If you are confident in your Swedish language skills, then we suggest that you instead read the following page about the Book Club: Read more about the Book Club in Swedish
If you are still working on your Swedish skills, have no fear!
Photo: Emil Hornstrup Jakobsen / Netflix | The film, An Honest Life, starring Simon Lööf, Nora Rios and Peter Andersson and directed by Mikael Marcimain will premiere on Netflix in the near future.
If you’re not able to read Swedish, you can still enjoy some of the works by at least one of our Book Club authors in English and immerse yourself in the stories regardless of any language barriers. The book: An Honest Life, is also set to premiere as a film adaptation on Netflix in the near future. You can watch the official film trailer here.
Book titles by Joakim Zander available in English
The Book Club Books
Swedish publisher: Bonnier | The book has been described by the major daily newspaper critics as enjoyable, frightening and thoroughly fascinating reading.
Synopsis: Eden
At the end of the spring semester, Elise has only written the theoretical part of her master’s thesis in art history. Her relationship with Johan seems to be over. He thinks she has a dark view on life and always needs to talk about the nervous system. Elise herself wishes she were a mollusk or a tree and wants to revert to an earlier stage in evolution. When she meets Johannes and Fredrik, who study extinct languages, she feels an unusual sense of belonging. In search of a community beyond the limitations of modern civilisation, they follow the highway down through Europe.
About the author
Isabelle Ståhl. Photo: Mira Wickman
Isabelle Ståhl, born in 1988, was raised in Ängelholm but now resides in Stockholm. She has studied literature and practical philosophy in Lund, and the novel is also set in the world of academia. She is an author, literary critic and a doctoral student in the history of ideas at Stockholm University. Her debut novel Just now I am here from 2017 was nominated for both the Borås Newspaper debutant prize and the August Prize.
Swedish publisher: Wahlström & Widstrand
Synopsis: An Honest Life / Ett ärligt liv
At a violent demonstration in Malmö, a young, lost law student meets a woman who introduces him to her eccentric friends. Their lives are built on radical and exciting ideals, but also on lies and great risks. When he finally discovers what he has been drawn into, it is already too late to escape. An Honest Life is a thriller about truth, betrayal, and the allure of living outside the law.
About the author
Joakim Zander. Photo: Viktor Fremling
Joakim Zander, born in 1975, resides with his family in Lund and works at Lund University as a visiting lecturer and university lecturer. For ten years in Brussels, he has been active in several EU institutions and earned his doctorate in law at Maastricht University. During his upbringing, he lived partly in the Middle East and the USA.
Johan Stenfeldt, Chairman of the Academic Society, with a sample of what the new names will look like.
Photo: Minna Wallén-Widung
The row of notable Lund University alumni inside the AF building is set to be expanded with new names. Now the public is invited to nominate an alum that they believe deserves one of these prestigious spots in the Great Hall. There are two non-negotiable criteria.
Along the balcony inside the Great Hall, the very heart of the AF building, runs a frieze. It is decorated with names of several former Lund students and was created using the technique of intarsia, where thin pieces of wood veneer are glued onto a solid base. Well-known individuals such as Carl von Linné, Axel von Fersen, Otto Lindblad and Esaias Tegnér have had their names immortalised here.
“There are several clergymen, generals, scientists, and cultural figures here. The initiator was historian Martin Weibull, who decided on the first names back in the 1860s, just in time for the University’s 200th anniversary,” says Johan Stenfeldt.
Stenfeldt himself is an associate professor of history and has been the chairman of the Academic Society for just over a year. He is also the one who has now initiated the addition of new names to those already present.
“Names were added in 1911, 1930 and most recently in the 1950s, during a renovation. But since then, nothing has happened,” says Johan Stenfeldt.
Everyone is welcome to submit suggestions
These updates are set to happen in the near future. A project group has been established, and now the public – individuals, companies and organisations – is invited to suggest which Lund University alumni should have their names in the hall.
“Our ambition is to gradually add two names per year, like growth rings.”
So, who can be considered a notable Lund alum?
Essentially, there are only two criteria that the project group strictly adheres to. The person (1) must be an alum, meaning they must have been enrolled as a student at the University and (2) they must be deceased.
“We are continuing the tradition that has been established, and these are the criteria that apply. Other than that, there are no specific criteria, and we want to have a wide mix of individuals from all fields. The movitvation letter should be written in a free text format.”
Planning a symposium
30 September is the deadline for nominating one’s favourite alum. After that, the project group, consisting of Johan Stenfeldt, former Vice-Chancellor Göran Bexell, University Lecturer in Legal History Elsa Trolle Önnerfors, and the AF Executive Director Johan Jörlert, will choose the names with the best motivations. The chosen names will be revealed on the society’s annual day on 30 November.
“Our ambition is then to follow up with events in the form of symposiums where we invite experts to discuss who these people were and what they did in their lives. We want to manage this a little better.”
Is there a name you would like to see yourself?
“Absolutely, many names come to mind. Both former prime ministers, cultural figures, and Nobel laureates have been students here. But I also hope to be surprised by the suggestions that come in.”
More information about the project and how to nominate can be found on the Academic Society’s website.
It is now possible to nominate new names for this name frieze. Your nomination should include:
Name of the nominee, along with birth and death years
The nominee’s enrollment year at Lund University (after 1898)
A movitation letter, maximum 150 words
The mandatory criteria includes the following: (1) the nominee must have been enrolled as a student at Lund University and (2) must be deceased.
Contributions in all subject areas and fields of activity are meritorious. The contributions can be nationally, internationally or locally significant.
The nomination should be sent by 30 September 2024, to namnfris@af.lu.se
The next doctoral conferment ceremony will take place on 31 May 2024. Photo: Kennet Ruona
Every year Lund University awards a select few with an honorary doctoral degree. These doctorates often hold lectures just prior to the annual doctoral degree conferment ceremony, which takes place on 31 May this year. If you’re in Lund, take this opportunity to listen in! Please note that some lectures require registration.
29 May at 16:15-18:00 LUX:C126, Helgonavägen 3, Lund
16:15-17:00 | Professor Peter Hallberg: Livets estetik. Språken, städerna, konsten och minnet. This lecture will be held in Swedish. More information here.
17:15-18:00 | Professor Jan Grabowski: The Long Shadow of the Holocaust. More information here.
Faculty of Theology
30 May at 10:15-11:00 LUX:C126, Helgonavägen 3, Lund
Welcome to an open lecture with Professor Terje Stordalen, honorary doctor at the Faculty of Theology. The title of the lecture is Biblical Narrative in a Century of Newspapers.
Faculty of Science and Faculty of Engineering (LTH)
30 May at 09:30-11:30 IKDC, Stora Hörsalaen, Sölvegatan 26, Lund
At this year’s seminar you will learn about successful study techniques and the latest breakthroughs in the exploration of the mysteries of the Milky Way. You will gain insight into cutting-edge attosecond physics, a field that was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics last year. One of the honorary doctors talks about environmental governance with a focus on climate change, another about why science is amazing. Register here!
The stage will be shared by two honorary doctors from the Faculty of Science (N) and three from LTH:
Harriet Bulkeley, Professor of Geography at Durham University and Utrecht University (N) R. Michael Rich, professor and astronomer at the University of California Los Angeles (N) Björn Liljeqvist, civil engineer, lecturer and author in study technique (LTH) Sabeth Verpoorte, Professor of Analytical Chemistry at Groningen University (LTH) Eva Lindroth, Professor of Theoretical Atomic Physics at Stockholm University (LTH)
Disclaimer: Researcher David Alcer’s views and opinions expressed in this text about civil disobedience are those of David Alcer as a private person. Lund University and the Alumni Network do not support or promote engagement in activities punishable by law.
Hello David Alcer, most known as the climate activist who ran onto the stage during the Eurovision winner Loreen’s live TV performance at the Swedish Melodifestivalen in 2023, with a banner that read “Restore the wetlands”. How are the wetlands doing these days, about a year and a half later, and why do you still think your message is important?
– It’s going so-so. As a result of Restore Wetlands persistence in raising public opinion on the issue, we now see it rising, moving higher up on the political agenda, and the governmental support for wetland restoration has recently been increased (in Sweden). However, harmful peat extraction on drained peatlands is still allowed, directly fueling the climate crisis. Peat is mainly used in gardening, agriculture, and as animal bedding, and peat extraction in Sweden is increasing today despite peat-free alternatives being available. Moreover, peat is still being burned to produce electricity and heat. Peat extraction contributes significantly to the climate crisis and should be banned – peat emits more greenhouse gases per unit of energy than coal, oil and gas.
There are so many factors affecting the climate, why do you think wetlands in Sweden are important?
– Over the past year, many reports have shown that we are much closer to critical climate tipping points than previously thought. For example, the stability of the Gulf Stream is at risk, and there is a significant risk that the Amazon rainforest is on its way to becoming into a barren savannah. Therefore, all emissions need to decrease rapidly, and banning peat extraction and restoring wetlands are among the most effective climate measures in Sweden, a country with large amounts of drained wetlands.
You work at Lund University, but your research area is in Solid State Physics, Nanoscience, and Semiconductor Technology, not directly in the specific area of “wetlands” – how come? Is there any common denominator here?
– My research focuses on the development of new types of solar cells. In the course of my work, however, I have come to realize that the bottleneck is not in climate and transition research, but in the fact that politics and the media are not responding adequately to the climate emergency and ecological crisis in which we find ourselves, and in some cases are even actively opposing the necessary transition.
Civil disobedience and the type of “coup” you carried out during the Swedish Melodifestivalen is debated in regards to a democracy (Debate in Lund has addressed the topic), what do you think about that?
– Civil disobedience is an important part of a healthy democracy as a means of raising issues of injustice. When majority rule does not respect the rights of a minority, civil disobedience can appeal to the moral compass of society to effect change. Historically, this could be the struggle for women’s voting rights, or today about the right to live on a habitable planet for young and future generations who are not represented in the parliament.
What was your punishment for storming the stage?
– The prosecutor dropped the charges, there was no trial. I believe I have not committed any crime, because we are in a climate emergency, where peaceful protest against the deadly course of politics is entirely justifiable and even necessary.
Slightly more than fifty years ago, in 1973, the pop quartet Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida – later thankfully shortened to ABBA – had their breakthrough in Melodifestivalen with the song “Ring Ring”. They finished third, but just the next year they got their revenge with “Waterloo”, a song with which they later won the Eurovision Song Contest. Slightly less than a hundred years before ABBA rhetorically asked “why don’t you give me a call”, and just about seventy years after the real battle of Waterloo, the question of telephone connections wasn’t just an issue for pop groups (to the extent that such things existed during the late nineteenth century) but also for Lund University.
The telephone had been patented by Alexander Graham Bell (the contributions of other scientists notwithstanding) in 1876 and spread to the rest of the world, Sweden included, soon thereafter. As early as 1883, certain Lund-based companies advertised their phone numbers in the Lunds Weckoblad newspaper, and it wasn’t long before voices were raised demanding that the University should embrace this newfangled technology.
On 17 July 1883, the shop ’Eskilstuna-Boden’ at Mårtensgatan 5 advertises their stock of pen knives and watch chains, and also states their telephone number
Just ten years after Bell’s patent, in 1886, the question of ‘connection to the state telephone network’ reached the University leadership; Professor Magnus Blix (physiology) and Professor Hjalmar Lindgren (anatomy) had, together with the Head of the University Library Elof Tegnér, applied to the King in Council for such a connection. The government referred the question to the University Board, which discussed the issue during their meeting on 4 December. At this meeting, the otherwise technologically progressive Professor of Botany Fredrik Areschoug declared that he was not in need of a telephone, whereas Professor of Astronomy Axel Möller immediately jumped at the opportunity to make calls to and from the University’s observatory. He was enthusiastically backed up by the librarian, Elof Tegnér, who declared that the University Library was ready to pay for their own telephone connection.
The board, apparently sensing a breath of fresh telephonic air, decided to put the question to all departments of the University, asking them if they were interested in joining in on the request for a telephone connection. At the next board meeting on 22 December 1886, the departments of physics and pathology – headed by Professor Albert Holmgren and Professor Maximilian Victor Odenius, respectively – had jumped on the telephone bandwagon. The board thus decided to apply to the King in Council for a connection from the state telephone network to the University Library as well as the departments of anatomy, astronomy, physiology, physics and pathology; and as a small bonus Professor Lindgren had managed to add a request for a telephone connection between the Department of Anatomy and his private home!
This request from the University Board did not, however, mean that the University was prepared to pay for the connection – there wasn’t enough centrally available funds for this. The Royal Telegraph Board was ready to give the University a good deal though – calls, maintenance and the telephones themselves were to be free, as long as the University was ready to pay the connection fee. The board thus happily left the issue of paying 200 crowns each to the library and the five departments, noted that neither Professor Areschough nor the University Chief Financial Officer felt that a phone connection between the Department of Anatomy and Professor Lindgren’s home was reasonable if it were to cost a further 200 crowns, and then recessed – most likely in order to enjoy the Christmas holidays.
Hjalmar Lindgren (left) and Fredrik Areschoug (right); telephone enthusiast and doubter, respectively
The government apparently enjoyed the holidays, too, since it wasn’t until 28 January 1887, that the King in Council gave his assent to the University’s request for free (apart from the connection fees) phone connection to ‘those academic departments in Lund, for whom the connection would be, from the perspective of scientific interest or other societal utility, of comparatively large benefit’. Royal assent was however, perhaps not surprisingly, withheld from Professor Lindgren’s request for a free telephone between his home and place of work. Phone lines were drawn and sometime in early March (all the bills are dated 5 and 8 March) 1887 the talkative public could reach five University departments and the library by phone.
The perceptive reader will now note that in 1887 there was no way to call the University’s leadership or administration. This fact is made even more interesting when one considers that the University had inaugurated its new grandiose main building five years earlier, in 1882. So, when professors and librarians could call one another to their hearts’ delight the Vice-Chancellor and the chief financial and administrative officers were without such a connection. This defect was quickly realized, and in 1889 these two men received a shared telephone, subject to the same financial arrangement as the library and the five departments.
The lending desk of the University Library in the King’s House (the library moved to its present building in 1907) – perhaps the telephone was placed somewhere in this vicinity?]
The age of unlimited free telephony at Lund University lasted until 1902. The single shared telephone in the University Main Building from 1889 had by then proven to be inadequate, and the departments of botany (Areschoug had retired in 1898), zoology, geology and mineralogy, chemistry and medical chemistry also wanted in on the economically advantageous free telephone solution. However, these were different times, and in response to the University’s request for more telephone lines ‘on the same terms’ the King in Council decided that free telephone connections in exchange for only the connection fee was no longer on the table. Rather, ‘the establishment of the telephone connections in question may only take place in the regular manner’. And since then, Lund University has had to pay for its phone services.
Today, when Lund University has 8800 employees who – with few exceptions – have their own work telephones, it is difficult to imagine a time when the University as a whole only had six phones, none of which connected to the central administration. One also wonders how these 8800 employees could affect the outcome of the voting in Melodifestivalen if the University’s phone expansion hadn’t become chargeable in 1902 – just imagine the amounts of free votes that could have been cast!
Perhaps then, at long last, the right song would have won. 😉
Henrik Ullstad
Archivist at the University Archives (reachable at +46 46 222 16 70)
The author wishes to extend his gratitude to Lukas Sjöström for helping with proof reading, as well as to archivist Fredrik Tersmeden for good cooperative archival research, and helping with proof reading.
Guest writer, alumna Emilie Schafferling, is a 27-year-old Dane now residing in Ottawa, Canada, whose career trajectory evolved from journalism studies at Lund University (2019-2021) to a role in communications and PR within the tech industry. Her degree from Lund University provided Emilie with the tools to shape inclusive narratives to advocate for women in tech and contribute to the global remote work discussion.
The writer is responsible for the facts, sources, analysis and viewpoints presented in the text.
Lund University provided Emilie Schafferling with the tools to shape inclusive narratives to advocate for women in tech and contribute to the global remote work discussion.
My job is to advocate for women in tech through PR
My journey from studying journalism at Lund University to working in communications for tech companies has been all about exploring how communication and gender intersect.
What has driven me to tech, an industry relatively foreign to journalism, is the gender dynamics within the field, which has carried over into my current role at a Canadian remote-first company (Alludo), where I work with highlighting the gendered aspects of remote work and advocating for women in tech through PR.
But what’s the connection between gender, remote work, and women in tech, you may wonder. Let me break it down and explain what that all has to do with my time at Lund University.
Gender is everywhere
One of the topics I work with is the gendered aspects of remote work – especially related to the recent pushback against remote work that is making headlines.
You’ve probably heard it before: remote work isn’t just convenient; it’s a game-changer for diversity too, and women are leading the charge. In fact, studies show that a whopping 9 out of 10 women prefer remote work. And it’s not just any women – it’s women of color, LGBT women, and those with disabilities who feel the difference even more.
So, when we talk about remote work and all the pushback it’s getting, we’ve got to see it through a gender lens. Insisting that everyone comes back to the office? It’s really about catering to the needs of white, straight, and able-bodied men. And we need to shine a light on that reality rather than ignoring the negative impact it has on diversity.
Seeing the remote work vs. return to office debate as a gendered issue is something I gained the tools to do during my time at Lund University, where diversity and gender-related aspects were always at the forefront of how we approached things. It’s an approach I later discovered to be unique to my program and school – an approach I couldn’t imagine not applying every single day in my work.
Certainly, part of the challenge lies in the pipeline, fewer women pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) studies, leading to a scarcity of female talent, which is exactly why we need more spotlight on the female role models within the field.
And we, once again, need to talk about that as a gendered problem rather than letting the status quo persist.
Words create our reality – so choose carefully
Effective communication can be a catalyst for change both when it comes to women in tech, as well as the discussion about remote work. It’s not just about conveying information; it’s about shaping narratives, challenging biases, and fostering inclusivity. As communicators, our words can amplify voices and dismantle stereotypes. That’s why it’s crucial to recognize the underlying biases that influence the narratives we choose. By actively challenging these biases, we can uplift and empower those who remain underrepresented in certain spaces.
My time at Lund University played a pivotal role in shaping my approach to representation and how I communicate about gender. During my journalism studies, we were encouraged to critically consider the representation of different genders and races in our work. We were prompted to question why we chose certain sources and whether less-represented alternatives were available. And our teachers challenged us on whether we were telling stories that further fueled the already existing biases and stereotypes deeply ingrained in society.
My four semesters at Lund University truly laid the groundwork for not only my current work in working with the gendered aspects of the tech industry and remote work, but also the future of my career as a communicator.
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