NEWS The Swedish Research Council has reviewed Swedish physics research and concludes that it is of high quality. Research at Umeå University is highlighted as a positive example in the recently published report.
The evaluation of the research subject physics was carried out by an independent expert panel consisting of a total of 14 experts, 12 of whom are from outside Sweden. The conclusion is that Swedish physics research is of high quality and has great impact both nationally and internationally.
“It is gratifying that the subject of physics is strong in Sweden and that we at the department, despite being relatively small, have contributed in four of the six fields that were evaluated. Our research in these areas is strong,” says Thomas Wågberg, Head of the Department of Physics at Umeå University.
For the evaluation, the 12 reviewed universities were asked to submit case studies and a selection of publications, divided according to their size in physics research. Umeå has contributed with 16 publications from 2016 to 2022 and a number of case studies for the same period.
The expert panel has focused on both scientific publications and societal impact of the research in an international perspective. The Swedish Research Council does not rank the higher education institutions, but has chosen to highlight a number of examples in the report. Umeå University is particularly noted in terms of societal impact. It mentions the research group Brain Biofluid Mechanics, which has developed technology to increase the understanding of neurological diseases, and Professor Martin Rosvall, whose research group has developed algorithms for complex data networks, which resulted in the company Infobaleen.
“We have a very high degree of interdisciplinarity, which is reflected in the report and in the case studies and articles we submitted,” says Thomas Wågberg.
The evaluation is based on the Swedish Research Council's model that focuses on research subjects and thematic areas to provide a national overview of the field. It was first used in 2020, for the field of political science. The overall purpose of the evaluations is to contribute to strengthening Swedish research.
Three departments at Umeå University have participated in this review: the Department of Physics, the Department of Applied Physics and Electronics and the Department of Radiation Sciences.
The Department of Physics belongs to the Faculty of Science and Technology at Umeå University.
Educate engineers and perform research in electronic and system engineering and energy technology.