5 questions for Katrine Åhlström Riklund

Katrine Åhlström Riklund is the upcoming Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Umeå University.

Photo: Elin Berge

What's your spontaneous reaction?

"It feels really good. Umeå University is close to my heart and it has always been important for me to stay here although I'm committed in other parts of the World as well. Being Pro-Vice-Chancellor is a great responsibility and an important role. I'm convinced that the new management that is now being formed can safeguard the opportunities in the best way possible and handle the present challenges found at the University."

What are the greatest challenges at Umeå University?

"We need to continue to develop as a full-scale university with focus on both education and research. That's particularly important now that we've turned 50 and are joining the more established universities. Another challenge is to provide accommodation to our students. We need to be a university that students and co-workers choose as their first option."

Your background is at the Faculty of Medicine - but what do you know of the Faculty of Science and Technology?

"As a medical researcher and natural scientist, it feels really exciting to get more in-depth knowledge of the research and its prerequisites within science and technology. I already know a fair bit, and in terms of research, our fields are very similar, but I'm now looking forward to finding out more. Research is a fundamental condition for the success and survival of a University and it feels exciting that we've created a form of direct link between all faculties. Qualitative research is still an important issue for Umeå University."

At the Faculty of Medicine, you have worked a lot with a model for bibliometric analysis and measurement. What surplus values lie therein and do you think the entire University should use the same model?

"Bibliometrics is a way of statistically analysing written publications and their contributions to the World research community. The risk of comparing apples and oranges is constantly present and that's why a continuous work with analysing the bibliometrics is needed. What model to use for the analyses of contributions to science should regularly be analysed, and I doubt that one model is suitable for all research fields."

What are your most burning issues to take into the University Management?

"The underlying conditions for research as well as funding are two incredibly important questions to work with. But also questions such as research-related education and collaboration are important. I have positive experience of collaboration with the entire northern region thanks to regionalising the Medical Programme."