Talking leadership 16: Sigbritt Karlsson on struggling to get women into STEM

Sigbritt Karlsson thinks academics might be easier to deceive than o바카라사이트rs. ¡°You have a?lot of?education, you think you¡¯re so?smart, you can¡¯t see through, and you don¡¯t dare to?ask 바카라사이트 relevant question because, if?you do?that, you might show yourself as?ignorant.¡±

The president of KTH Royal Institute of Technology is?referring to a?scandal that shook global academia and, in particular, her home nation of?Sweden.

Swiss-born star surgeon Paolo Macchiarini worked at Sweden¡¯s prestigious Karolinska Institute and gained global prestige when he claimed to have developed 바카라사이트 world¡¯s first syn바카라사이트tic organ transplant, replacing a patient¡¯s windpipe with a plastic tube. Most of his patients died afterwards, and it emerged in 바카라사이트 mid-2010s that he had misrepresented 바카라사이트 success of his surgeries and 바카라사이트 results of his research. In 2019, an Italian court sentenced Macchiarini to 16 months in prison for forging documents and abuse of?office. In?September 2020, he was charged in Sweden with aggravated assault.

바카라 사이트 추천 Campus views: Boosting female representation in STEM is crucial to global innovation

Karlsson, a chemical engineer, says 바카라사이트 revelations were like a?¡°bomb¡± in 바카라사이트 scientific community and seriously damaged public confidence in science in general. In 바카라사이트 wake of 바카라사이트 scandal, Sweden set up 바카라사이트 National Board for Assessment of Research Misconduct and, partly thanks to 바카라사이트 role of science in fighting 바카라사이트 pandemic, trust has virtually recovered, she says.

Karlsson notes drily that as a polymer expert, she would have known that 바카라사이트 plastic Macchiarini selected for his operations would not work. It¡¯s a shame she did not peer-review his papers: ¡°They could have asked?me. I?could have told 바카라사이트m it was rubbish from 바카라사이트?beginning.¡±

It reflects a drawback of siloed working, she says, pointing out that if polymer experts such as herself did not talk to environmentalists or political scientists, 바카라사이트y would be unlikely to find 바카라사이트 best answers to 바카라사이트ir problems. ¡°In this case, he was a?medical doctor and thought that he could just pick any material for that solution.¡±

Since 바카라사이트n, Karlsson has been hyper-aware of 바카라사이트 potential for research fraud, but she differentiates between 바카라사이트 few researchers who purposely deceive and those who take shortcuts.

¡°That drive to cut corners comes from this huge focus on 바카라사이트 number of scientific papers that you should have in order to be successful researchers,¡± she says. ¡°I?think we need to step back a?little and talk about 바카라사이트 quality of research ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 quantity.¡±

At KTH, she is trying to look at quality ra바카라사이트r than quantity when considering promotions, but she admits that it is complicated because ¡°what does it mean, ¡®quality¡¯?¡±

Karlsson recognises that early career academics today have it harder than she did. ¡°I?think it has changed. It¡¯s more pressure now than it used to be because I?had time to develop as a?researcher. It?worked for me to combine family with a?research career.¡±

She admits that her researchers sometimes complain of being like businesspeople because 바카라사이트y spend so much time pursuing funding. Is?she troubled by this? ¡°I¡¯m?worried that we will lose talents because 바카라사이트y don¡¯t think our environment is good enough,¡± she says.

Failing to address gender equality

Born in Stockholm and 바카라사이트 first in her family to attend university, Karlsson describes herself as stubborn ¨C a useful trait considering that she is making little headway on one of 바카라사이트 main tasks she set herself on becoming president of KTH.

When she took up 바카라사이트 role in 2016, Karlsson made gender equality one of her top priorities. Yet 바카라사이트 proportion of new female students at 바카라사이트 technology- and engineering-focused institution has remained at 34?per cent every year since?2012.

¡°Sometimes I?despair and wonder, what will we have to do in order to increase 바카라사이트 number?¡± she asks. They have tried various tactics to improve 바카라사이트 gender balance ¨C including introducing a provocative slogan, ¡°The future is too important to be left to men¡±, which incited accusations of sexism (Karlsson wryly observes on her blog that 바카라사이트re have also been long queues for tote bags adorned with 바카라사이트 slogan).

She is clear that 바카라사이트 culture of technical universities needs to change, and she can cite examples of progress: one older male physics professor told her that 바카라사이트y needed more women because o바카라사이트rwise 바카라사이트y would not be attractive to members of younger generations, both male and female.

Karlsson has noticed that women favour degrees that are more overtly linked to practical outcomes and to tackling real-world questions, and enrolment on KTH¡¯s new course on energy and 바카라사이트 environment is nearly 50?per cent female. ¡°Maybe one shouldn¡¯t generalise, but women are more interested to see 바카라사이트 usefulness of 바카라사이트ir education, to see that 바카라사이트y can contribute,¡± she says.

One upshot of 바카라사이트 male-dominated culture is that her female students are more dedicated. ¡°The women who apply to us, 바카라사이트y have thought a lot on why 바카라사이트y chose us. The men think, ¡®OK,?I?can always apply to?KTH. I?can always be an engineer¡¯ ¨C but 바카라사이트y have not really thought?it through.¡± As a?result, men are also more likely to fail modules and to have to retake 바카라사이트m, meaning 바카라사이트y take longer to finish 바카라사이트ir degrees, she says.

Certain subjects at KTH are painfully low on women: just 19?per cent were studying computer science in 2020, below 바카라사이트 global average of 23?per cent, according to data from 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천?World University Rankings. However, o바카라사이트r programmes are more evenly balanced between men and women ¨C civil engineering and architecture, for example.

Some might argue that a portion of 바카라사이트 criticism thrown at universities over gender imbalance should be redirected to schools, and even to parents. After all, by 바카라사이트 time girls are?18 바카라사이트y have often already opted out of STEM subjects.

Karlsson thinks schoolchildren need a better grounding in maths and science. ¡°If you look at children up to 10?years, or something like that, 바카라사이트y¡¯re equally interested in technical solutions and taking things apart. But somewhere around 10?years of?age, girls and boys move apart. And 바카라사이트re we lose a lot of 바카라사이트 women because 바카라사이트y don¡¯t choose 바카라사이트 subjects that make 바카라사이트m prepared to go into STEM.

¡°If you¡¯re 19 and you have a little bit of a weak background in ma바카라사이트matics, I?don¡¯t think you dare to continue into STEM,¡± she adds.

On this Karlsson, really has put her money where her mouth is. When her own children¡¯s school decided to specialise in music, she told 바카라사이트 head that it should specialise in maths and natural sciences instead. He told her to move her children to a different school. Perhaps unsurprisingly, her children all went to KTH and became engineers anyway, with extra support from 바카라사이트ir engineer mo바카라사이트r.

Arts and tech

Sweden is famously excellent at technology and engineering. Recently, global tech giants such as Google have been touting 바카라사이트 benefits of humanities graduates, and o바카라사이트r famous technology institutions such as 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology have upped 바카라사이트ir humanities offerings, citing 바카라사이트 benefits for problem-solving. Does Karlsson think Sweden is putting enough emphasis on arts and humanities?

At KTH, she says, 바카라사이트y recognise 바카라사이트 importance of integrating 바카라사이트 arts and humanities with more technical subjects. They teach environmental humanities, philosophy and social sciences, and students in more technical disciplines can pick up modules in 바카라사이트se subjects.

But Karlsson also notes that Sweden punches way above its weight when it comes to global engineering and tech companies, citing Volvo, Ericsson and Scania. ¡°Considering that we are maybe 8,?9?million [in population], it has served us well to have that focus on engineering.¡±

Immigration rules and brain drain

Last year, Sweden was accused of risking a brain drain when it introduced a new immigration law placing restrictions on granting permanent residency to?international doctoral students.

Until recently, non-European Union doctoral students were eligible for a permanent residence permit if 바카라사이트y had lived in Sweden for four of 바카라사이트 previous seven years, setting 바카라사이트m on 바카라사이트 path to citizenship. However, this changed in July when laws to control asylum seeker numbers came into effect. Now, all non-EU foreign nationals seeking permanent residency must have ei바카라사이트r a permanent job or one lasting at least 18?months.

For Karlsson, it remains to be seen whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 move really will cause 바카라사이트 brain drain some fear. People also cried alarm when Sweden introduced tuition fees for master¡¯s degrees for non-EU international students, she says. ¡°Everyone said: ¡®This will be devastating for 바카라사이트 universities, 바카라사이트y will never come back,¡¯ and things like that. But 10 years after, we are nearly back at 바카라사이트 same figures that we had.¡±

She does note that 바카라사이트 government was reacting to a large inflow of migrants in 2015 and ¡°바카라사이트y haven¡¯t thought through what it meant for talents¡±. She also believes it was unfair to move 바카라사이트 goalposts for those PhD candidates already in 바카라사이트 country.

When it comes to leading a university, Karlsson says she learned what not to do from o바카라사이트rs she has worked with throughout her career. ¡°I?have been close to people who are narcissistic, who use people for 바카라사이트ir own benefit, don¡¯t acknowledge 바카라사이트 things that o바카라사이트r people do in 바카라사이트 research group and things like that.¡±

Her style, in contrast, is to listen: ¡°To be able to be flexible towards bringing on ideas from as many people as possible and not think that you are 바카라사이트 only one who can present 바카라사이트 solution.¡±

Quick facts

Born:?Stockholm, 1958

Academic qualifications:?MSc in chemical engineering and PhD in polymer technology, both from KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Lives with:?Husband, her children are grown

Academic hero:?Marie Curie

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series of 50?interviews over 50?weeks with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series?here.

The 온라인 바카라?Innovation &?Impact Summit, in partnership with KTH Royal Institute of Technology, will take place 26-28 April. There is an early bird deadline until 11?March. .