Tobias Alfvén appointed deputy dean of doctoral education

Tobias Alfvén has been active at Karolinska Institutet for more than three decades in roles ranging from student and doctoral candidate to researcher, supervisor and research group leader. In parallel, he has worked clinically as a paediatrician and held leadership positions in national and international organisations. His background, he says, has given him a clear understanding of what doctoral students need to grow into independent researchers.

“I have seen how important strong structures, clear leadership and sustainable conditions are, but also how important it is to create environments where curiosity, creativity, and new ideas can flourish for doctoral students to thrive,” he says. “My ambition is to build on the work already done and to contribute to an inclusive and long-term sustainable doctoral education.”

As deputy dean, he would like to strengthen conditions for doctoral students and supervisors by working closely with Dean Erika Franzén and KI’s Directors of Doctoral Studies. He especially wants to highlight the need for better support to clinical doctoral students, whose circumstances often differ from those in other environments. Other priorities include reinforcing international collaboration and ensuring that administrative processes are supportive and proportionate.

“My goal is to help foster a culture in which responsibility is shared and experience is valued,” he says.

At the Department of Global Public Health, Alfvén leads the Global Child Health and the Sustainable Development Goals research group and supervises several doctoral students.