Johan Östling

What are your goals for your term? Which issues are important, and why? 

My overall impression—based in part on my six years on the HT Faculties’ Research Board—is that our research is rich and multifaceted, with a number of strong research environments and many talented individuals. In recent years, internationalization has increased significantly, and we have made many exciting hires. At the same time, competition for researchers at HT can be exceptionally fierce, and there are quite a few studies and individuals who do not receive the attention they deserve. 

Against this backdrop, if I become the next Pro Dean of Research, I would particularly like to focus on: 

• Recruitment, career paths, and professional development. Recruitment is one of the most important issues for a university, and therefore we must constantly ask ourselves whether we have the best processes in place, where different needs are balanced and relevant qualifications are assessed. Another crucial issue concerns opportunities for professional development for those who are employed. I hope that we in the faculty leadership, drawing inspiration from the outside world, can formulate clear requirements and criteria for academic advancement within the framework of what is financially feasible and organizationally desirable. 
• Broader funding and improved application cultures. Alongside faculty funds and the indispensable Swedish funding bodies (the Swedish Research Council (VR), the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond Foundation (RJ), the Wallenberg Foundations), I would very much like to see us broaden our financial repertoire. We must undoubtedly continue to seek European funding and systematically improve our efforts in this regard. But we must also think beyond the well-established funders and seek new partners. In some areas at HT, there is also a need to revitalize application cultures. Generally, I dislike that more and more calls for proposals are becoming targeted, but if that is the way the world is, we should approach such initiatives creatively and fearlessly. 
• The content and significance of research. It’s probably easy for leadership to get bogged down in the conditions and prerequisites of research. But I hope we can give ample space to the results, interpretations, and insights that emerge from all HT research. This can be achieved by strengthening the integration with undergraduate and graduate education. But it can also be achieved by placing greater value on collaboration with the surrounding community and viewing it as an integral part of the knowledge processes. 

What is at the top of the agenda? 

An important first step is to chart a common course for the coming years together with the rest of the faculty leadership, the Research Board, and the staff at HT who work centrally on research issues. This should also be done in consultation with key individuals at the departments and the university as a whole. I am also very much looking forward to meeting many active HT researchers early on—from different generations and with different intellectual passions—and hopefully getting to know them and their research a little better. 

What important experiences do you bring to the role of Pro Dean of Research? 

Over the past decade or so, I have worked with a number of younger colleagues to build a research environment in the History of Science in Lund. I have learned a great deal about the value of international contacts, strategic publishing, and what it can mean to try to establish something new. But above all, I have experienced how rewarding it is to shape a research environment together with good colleagues. 

My years on the HT Research Board have given me a certain overview of our operations, and board assignments in various interdisciplinary forums have allowed me to view us from a slightly external perspective. My total of nine years at the University Electoral College (where I currently serve as chair) have taught me a great deal about Lund University. I have also been involved in issues concerning academic freedom, a subject of vital importance to us today. 

In recent years, I have increasingly taken on the role of assessor, evaluator, and expert, both nationally and internationally. As a result, I feel I have gained a gradually better understanding of humanities and theological research in general. International visiting research stays and my own experiences with the multidisciplinary Pro Futura and Wallenberg Academy Fellow programs also contribute to this.