KI’s new deans and deputy deans as of 1 July
The President has now decided who will become KI’s new deans and deputy deans for higher education, doctoral education and research from 1 July 2026 to 31 December 2029, when their term of office expires.
“I feel confident and expectant at the prospects of working with these talented people in securing strong collegial influence and the effective governance of KI’s education and research going forward,” says KI president Annika Östman Wernerson.
KI’s deans and deputy deans are academic leaders with responsibility for quality and the long-term development of KI’s core activities: higher education, doctoral education and research.
They lead the work of the Faculty Board’s committees, coordinate development in their respective areas of responsibility, and ensure that decisions are taken with strong collegial influence.
Appointed deans and deputy deans
Higher Education
- Dean: Ewa Ehrenborg, professor, Department of Medicine, Solna
- Deputy Dean: Maria Hagströmer, professor, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society
Doctoral education
- Dean: Erika Franzén, professor, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society
- Deputy Dean: Tobias Alfvén, professor, Department of Global Public Health
Research
- Dean: Petter Höglund, professor, Department of Medicine, Huddinge
- Deputy Dean: Kristina Johnell, professor, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics
The President’s decision was based on a comprehensive assessment of the outcome of the advisory election, her interviews with candidates, and the prevailing guidelines for academic elections at KI, including principles of gender distribution.
“The elections produced valuable results, and the three candidates with the most votes in each one were invited to an interview,” explains Professor Östman Wernerson. “In these interviews, the candidates and I talked openly about the terms and conditions of the different posts and their responsibilities. My decision is based on a comprehensive assessment of the election outcomes, the interviews and the guidelines governing academic elections.”
Change of title of Academic Vice President to Dean
The deans will replace the current academic vice presidents, whose term of office expires on 30 June. Commencing with the forthcoming term of office, the title of Academic Vice President will be replaced by that of Dean, and the title of Vice-Chair of the Committee by that of Deputy Dean.
The current academic VP for Higher Education is Ewa Ehrenborg and the vice-chair of the committee is Rune Brautaset. The current academic VP for doctoral education is Robert Harris and the vice-chair of the committee is Erika Franzén. The current academic VP for research is Marie Arsenian-Henriksson and the vice-chair of the committee is Christian G. Giske.
Results of the advisory election
The advisory election was held between 4 and 11 February, commencing with a hearing of the candidates forwarded by the Nomination Assembly. The election turnout was 57.81%, with 1,292 or the 2,235 eligible members of the teaching and research staff casting their votes.
The election results provided the president with a solid base on which to make her decision on whom to appoint, in accordance with KI’s election procedures.
Higher Education
| Candidate | Number of votes (percentage) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rune Brautaset | 209 (16.2%) | |||
| Nikolaos Christidis | 56 (4.3%) | |||
| Ewa Ehrenborg | 282 (21.8%) | |||
| Lars Frelin | 142 (11.0%) | |||
| Maria Hagströmer | 268 (20.7%) | |||
| Johanna Zilliacus | 160 (12.4%) | |||
| Blank votes | 175 (13.5%) |
Doctoral Education
| Candidate | Number of votes (percentage) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tobias Alfvén | 232 (18.0%) | |||
| Erika Franzén | 399 (30.9%) | |||
| Andreas Lundqvist | 228 (17.6%) | |||
| Mattias Svensson | 124 (9.6%) | |||
| Margaret Sällberg Chen | 133 (10.3%) | |||
| Blank votes | 176 (13.6%) |
Research
| Candidate | Number of votes (percentage) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marie Arsenian Henriksson | 177 (13.7%) | |||
| Caroline Graff | 129 (10.0%) | |||
| Robert Harris | 330 (25.5%) | |||
| Petter Höglund | 197 (15.2%) | |||
| Kristina Johnell | 215 (16.6%) | |||
| Richard Rosenqvist Brandell | 152 (11.8%) | |||
| Blank votes | 92 (7.1%) |
The newly appointed deans and assistant deans will take up office on 1 July for a term lasting until 31 December 2029.
The academic elections will now continue with the election of faculty members to sit on the Faculty Board and its committees. The nomination period has now expired and a list of electable candidates has been drawn for election by the Nomination Assembly in April.