Lena Grip

Lena Grip is an Associate Professor in Human Geography at Karlstad University, Department of Geography, Media and Communication. She specializes in researching gender, ethnicity, and place-based conceptions in policy implementation, focusing on integration policy, gender equality projects, and spatial planning. Her work bridges academic research with practical governance, emphasizing how everyday and working lives are shaped by institutional frameworks.

Research projects include studies on remote work's impact on gender equality (2024-25), cooperation in declining municipalities (2023), and gendered occupational choices (2023). She has been funded by agencies such as the Swedish Gender Equality Agency, MSB, and Kommuninvest. Notable publications include analyses of gender-coding in labor markets, crisis management in rural areas, and immigrant entrepreneurship leveraging digital ethnicity.

Her articles explore intersections of space, gender, and policy, with recent work addressing rural emergency service recruitment (2025) and digital strategies transforming ethnic disadvantage into entrepreneurial advantage (2023). She co-edited a special issue on placemaking in small towns (2024) and won the Gender, Place and Culture award (2025) for emerging scholars.

• Awards: Gender, Place and Culture Annual Conference Award (2025)
• Grants: Over 8 funded projects since 2010, including studies on rescue service gender equality (2010-14) and integration policy spatialization (2004-10).
• Labs/Teams: Part of Geomedia Research Group, focusing on digital media geographies and social transformations in small towns.