All in all ENLIGHT is tackling five challenges: Health and well-being, Digital revolution and impact of digitization, Climate change, Energy use and circular economy, and Equity. For some time, the three disciplinary domains at Uppsala University have each had their own coordinator for ENLIGHT. However, while they are to liaise with the activities in each disciplinary domain, the two new academic coordinators will focus on their specific challenges.

Anna Rutgersson, professor of meteorology at the Department of Earth Sciences and Hannah Bradby, professor of sociology at the Department of Sociology: What are you going to be doing in practical terms?

– As academic coordinators for two of the challenges, we will be responsible for Uppsala’s activities in these flagship areas in the context of ENLIGHT,” says Anna Rutgersson. “My focus is on Climate change.

Hannah Bradby is responsible for activities within ENLIGHT relating to the Equity challenge.

– I will be working to involve both our staff and students,” says Hannah Bradby. “During the final year of the project, I will lead the core group and coordinate work to develop courses and living laboratories for the entire ENLIGHT network. I will be making sure that our University is engaged in the Equity challenge and ensuring that what we develop is important and relevant to Uppsala University.

Coordinators as liaisons

Anna Rutgersson points out that the academic coordinators are the links to the representatives of their flagship areas from the other partner universities and relevant activities at Uppsala University. She herself will lead the ENLIGHT working group for Climate change in the second year. Anna Rutgersson says:

– If ENLIGHT is to be successful, it is important to have broad engagement among researchers, teaching staff and students at the University. Dialogue within the organisation is an important task for the entire ENLIGHT network.

Relevant contacts and knowledge

As far as the Equity challenge is concerned, Hannah Bradby believes that it is already a priority area within research and teaching at Uppsala University. In ENLIGHT, this challenge is very much about creating and building contacts in order to increase opportunities for staff and students to get more involved.

– It is also important to use and develop contacts and knowledge that are relevant to us here – that what we develop in the project is both interesting and relevant to our university in particular.

Anna Rutgersson agrees.

– By getting involved in developing concrete and interesting activities that are relevant to our activities, I hope to awaken interest among the University’s staff and engage more of them in my challenge, she says.

Hannah Bradby adds:

– We will ultimately be most visible in the courses you can take. At the moment, the project is still in its infancy. However, staff who are interested can already contact us or the other academic coordinators if they want to know more or to get involved in our work.

  • The ENLIGHT consortium consists of Uppsala University, University of Groningen, University of Göttingen, Ghent University, University of Tartu, University of Bordeaux, University of the Basque Country in Spain, National University Ireland Galway, and Comenius University Bratislava in Slovakia.
  • Uppsala University is also one of eleven Swedish higher education institutions that are participating in projects as part of ENLIGHT.
  • In total, ENLIGHT is working with 41 projects.

Contact the academic coordinators

Anna Rutgersson (Climate change), Professor of Meteorology, Department of Earth Sciences, program for air, water and landscape sciences; meteorologyvid institutionen för geovetenskaper

Hannah Bradby (Equity), Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology