Communal Cooking Professors and Supervisors in Sweden

Erik AhlgrenView profile

Professor

Chalmers University of TechnologySweden

Erik Ahlgren is Professor of Energy Technology at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. His research centres on energy-system transitions across scales, integrating techno-economic and systems-dynamics modelling to address urban and rural energy challenges in both Nordic and East African contexts. Research focus Energy-system transitions connecting technology, economy and environment Urban energy systems and sector coupling Rural electrification and mini-grid planning in East Africa District heating and cooling futures Clean cooking with biogas He leads or co-leads 25 projects funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, Swedish Research Council (VR), SIDA, the EU and other bodies, and collaborates closely with Addis Ababa University, University of Rwanda and Eduardo Mondlane University. Teaching & outreach Responsible for the public digital evening course Climate – the science, measures and policy . Grants & projects Buildings in the integrated energy system (2024–2028, Swedish Energy Agency) A multiperspective analysis of cost-efficient batteries in rural mini-grids (2023–2026, VR) PhD Programme in Electrical Power and Control Engineering with Addis Ababa University (2018–2025, SIDA) BREEMRES – research training partnership programme (2018–2025, SIDA) Flexibility for Smart Urban Energy Systems (FlexSUS, 2019–2024) Collaborations & networks Active in international consortia including the Strategic Research Centre for 4th Generation District Heating (4DH), FutureGas, and numerous East African capacity-building initiatives.

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Björn NorénView profile

Lecturer

Umea UniversitySweden

Björn Norén serves as University Lecturer and Deputy Director of Studies at Umeå University's Department of Food, Nutrition and Culinary Science, where he teaches cooking techniques, raw material handling, and gastronomic concept development across courses including Meal and Restaurant Science, Food Design, and Concept Development and Innovation. His educational background features a Bachelor's degree in Meal and Restaurant Science from Umeå University, supplemented by specialized coursework in Industrial Design (Umeå Institute of Design), Packaging Design (Mid Sweden University), and Food Design (HDK Gothenburg). Norén's research centers on sustainable food transitions and culinary craftsmanship , with particular expertise in fermentation science (koji, kombucha, lacto-fermentation), protein shift strategies, and time-geographic analysis of cooking processes. His work bridges haute cuisine creativity with industrial food product development through practical kitchen experimentation. Recent publications demonstrate his dual focus on food system sustainability (2020 edible waste reduction study) and cultural preservation (2019 Sami culinary workshop), reflecting his commitment to both environmental and cultural dimensions of food innovation. He currently supervises student projects on culinary craftsmanship and fish aging techniques while securing research funding through active involvement in three major initiatives: Sustainable Food Transitions (2024-2027), LOCALITY (2023-), and HealthFerm (2022-). Norén operates within Umeå University's Sustainable Food Transitions and Sympoietic Collaboratory research groups, where his industry-tested expertise in professional kitchen dynamics informs interdisciplinary approaches to food system challenges.

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Maria PerssonView profile

Researcher

University of GothenburgSweden

Maria Persson is a Researcher at the Department of Historical Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Gothenburg. She specializes in contemporary archaeology with a focus on modern conflict archaeology, particularly World War II, cultural heritage studies, and cultural heritage tourism. She serves as program coordinator for the Cultural Heritage Program and teaches cultural heritage studies and archaeology. Her research interests center on contemporary archaeology, modern conflict archaeology with special focus on World War II, cultural heritage studies, cultural heritage tourism, and public archaeology. She examines how the material culture of recent history manifests in the landscape and how heritage interpretation can engage the public with contemporary issues. Her work bridges academic research with practical applications in heritage management and tourism development. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on the intersection of archaeology, cultural heritage, and contemporary society. Her work explores the archaeology of everyday life (particularly Friday evening traditions), heritage interpretation methods, knowledge tourism development, and World War II material culture. She combines theoretical frameworks with practical case studies, often collaborating with colleagues across disciplines to develop innovative approaches to heritage interpretation and public engagement. Maria Persson is actively involved in significant research projects including the Erasmus+ TEHIC project (2023-present) on European Heritage Interpretation Curriculum, the Knowledge Tourism project (2020-2022) funded by BFUF, and the EU_CUL project (2018-2021) investigating cultural heritage in higher education. She also teaches Higher Education Pedagogy courses at PIL (Unit for Pedagogical Development and Interactive Learning) where she serves as course manager for PIL102 and supervisor for PIL103. Her work extends to developing practical applications for heritage interpretation, creating educational content for public engagement, and exploring the material culture of contemporary phenomena. She maintains strong connections between academic research and practical heritage management, contributing significantly to both theoretical development and practical implementation in her field.

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Jonatan LeerView profile

Professor

Örebro UniversitySweden

Jonatan Leer is a Professor of Food Science at the School of Restaurant and Hotel Management, Örebro University. He holds a BSc in French, an MSc in Cultural Studies, and a PhD in Food Culture (2014) from the University of Copenhagen. His research focuses on food culture, sustainability, gender dimensions in food consumption, and the development of Nordic cuisine. Key projects include the MANTRA initiative exploring men's slower adoption of sustainable food habits and studies on media's role in shaping food practices. Leer's work bridges sociology, media studies, and culinary arts, emphasizing food's role in identity, social conflict, and cultural change. He investigates how food experiences and design can drive sustainable practices, particularly in restaurant and hotel management contexts. Collaborations include EU projects on circular food systems and Nordic sustainability initiatives. His publications span food tourism, gender in media, and Nordic culinary history. Notable works include books like Food and Media and Research Methods in Digital Food Studies , alongside articles on gourmet burgers, food festivals, and digital food practices. Leer actively communicates research through media, festivals, and innovative formats to engage broader audiences in societal debates.

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Ulrica SöderlindView profile

Associate Professor

Umea UniversitySweden

Ulrica Söderlind is an Associate Professor at Umeå University's Department of Food, Nutrition and Culinary Science. Her interdisciplinary research explores gastronomy and hospitality across historical periods and geographical areas, utilizing archaeological, historical, and religious sources. PhD in Economic History Master's in Archaeology and Theology Her research focuses on historical food practices in Sweden, Georgia, and the Middle East, examining how economic, religious, and cultural factors shape culinary traditions. She has published extensively on topics including Nobel Banquets , medieval Georgian cuisine, and 18th-century Swedish recipes. Recent publications (2024) analyze aristocratic cookbooks, archaeological food evidence, and cross-century recipe collections. Her work reveals trends in historical foodways, interreligious dietary practices, and maritime food provisioning. 2005 Royal Swedish Academy of Science Medal 2014 Georgian Embassy Medal Multiple Gourmand International Awards (2017-2022) She contributes to editorial boards and professional networks including Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, Swedish PEN, and Polar Researchers in Sweden. Her work bridges academic research with public engagement through film projects and museum collaborations.

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Sven IsakssonView profile

Professor

Stockholm UniversitySweden

Sven Isaksson is a Professor of Archaeology at Stockholm University and leads the Archaeological Research Laboratory within the Department of Archaeology and Ancient Cultures. His research focuses on biomolecular archaeology, particularly through lipid and isotope analysis of prehistoric ceramic vessels and anthropogenic soils to reconstruct food culture and subsistence patterns from the Paleolithic to early modern periods. Current research projects include urban defense systems in Viking-age Birka (UNESCO World Heritage), environmental change impacts on coastal societies, and Nordic-Japanese collaborations on prehistoric responses to natural disasters through the CALDERA program. Methodologically, he specializes in organic residue analysis (GC-MS, GC-c-IRMS), MALDI-FT-ICR-MS techniques, and geometric morphometrics for artifact classification. Selected recent publications highlight his comparative studies across Eurasia and Japan on pottery function in mobile vs. settled communities, disaster recovery patterns, and technological adoption dynamics. He has received multiple awards including the 2024 Ben Cullen Antiquity Prize and EU Framework 6 grants for interdisciplinary projects combining archaeological science with environmental and social analysis.

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Joakim GustafsonView profile

Professor

KTH Royal Institute of TechnologySweden

Joakim Gustafson is a Professor of Speech Technology and Head of the Department at the Division of Speech, Music and Hearing, KTH Royal Institute of Technology. His research focuses on multimodal systems, conversational speech synthesis, social robotics, and interactional analysis of spontaneous spoken dialogue. He leads VR-funded projects such as CONNECTED (context-aware speech synthesis for conversational AI) and co-leads projects like STANCE (speaker stance perception) and CAPTivating (public speaking analysis with TTS). He is also involved in Digital Futures-funded AAIS (social robots for elderly assistance) and WASP-funded PerCorSo (robot behavior in crowded environments). Education: Defended his PhD thesis at KTH in 2002 under supervision of Björn Granström, with faculty opponent Julia Hirschberg from Columbia University. Prior roles include Senior Researcher at Telia Research (2000-2007), leading projects like NICE (speech-enabled computer game for children) and TänkOm (animated agent Pixie). Research interests span speech synthesis realism, robot interaction design, and accessibility technologies. Projects aim to improve AAC devices, dementia detection via multimodal analysis, and sustainable cooking interfaces. He actively contributes to editorial boards of journals including Speech Communication and International Journal of Human-Computer Studies , and served as Technical Program co-Chair for Interspeech 2017. His lab, the Intelligence Augmentation Lab, supports data collection for projects like Food Talk. Grants & Collaborations: VR, RJ, WASP, Vinnova, and EU funding across multiple projects. Co-PI in international initiatives like BabyRobot (robot learning for children) and EACare (dementia early detection). Labs/Teams: Intelligence Augmentation Lab (IA-Lab) at KTH, collaborating with RPL (Robot Perception & Language Lab) and ISCA (International Speech Communication Association).

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Joakim GustafssonView profile

Professor

KTH Royal Institute of TechnologySweden

Joakim Gustafsson is a Professor and Head of the Department of Speech, Music and Hearing at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. His research focuses on multimodal systems, conversational speech synthesis, social robots, and interactional analysis of spoken dialogue. He leads VR-funded projects like CONNECTED (context-aware speech synthesis) and STANCE (speaker stance perception), and co-leads CAPTivating (public speaking analysis). He is also involved in EU-funded projects like BabyRobot (social robots for children) and AAIS (robot-assisted elderly care). Education: PhD in Speech Technology from KTH (2002), supervised by Björn Granström with Julia Hirschberg as faculty opponent. Previously held a Senior Researcher position at Telia Research (2000–2007), where he contributed to projects like NICE (speech-enabled children's game) and Tï¿½nkOm (animated agent interactions). He serves on editorial boards for Speech Communication and International Journal of Human-Computer Studies , and is Treasurer of the ISCA Board. Past roles include Technical Program co-Chair for Interspeech 2017 and Area Chair for multiple Interspeech conferences. Current initiatives include RAPPORT (improving AAC devices), EmpowerME (LLM-based support for cognitive disabilities), and Food Talk (sustainable cooking via AI assistants). His work spans AI for Good, human-robot collaboration, and context-aware interaction systems.

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Maria NybergView profile

Associate Professor

Kristianstad UniversitySweden

Maria Nyberg is an Associate Professor of Sociology specializing in Food and Meal Science at Kristianstad University, where she serves as Subject Representative for Food and Meal Science within the Faculty of Natural Sciences. She is also a Steering Group Coordinator for the Center for Food Health and Retail at Kristianstad University (FOHRK) and an active member of the Food and Meals in Everyday Life (MEAL) research group. Her educational background includes a PhD in Sociology from Lund University (2009), with her thesis focusing on meal conditions in contemporary working life. She has maintained strong academic connections with Lund University and has collaborated with Örebro University as an assistant supervisor for doctoral students in the 'Successful ageing' national research school. Dr. Nyberg's research centers on the social and cultural dimensions of food and meals, examining how meals are understood, expressed, and given meaning across different contexts. Her work emphasizes everyday meal practices, the norms surrounding eating, and how meal habits are created and recreated in various social settings. She employs primarily qualitative, ethnographically-inspired methods, often working within interdisciplinary research constellations. Her recent publications demonstrate a growing focus on health-promoting approaches to meals across different population groups, with particular attention to communal cooking, public meal systems, and the intersection of food, health, and retail. The research shows increasing collaboration across Swedish and international institutions, with a notable emphasis on practical applications of meal science in public health contexts. External member of the scientific council for the Research Platform Health in Collaboration at Kristianstad University Member of research environments MEAL and Cyphisco Coordinator for FOHRK (Food, Health and Retail, Kristianstad University) Dr. Nyberg has secured significant research funding, including support from Vinnova's 'Mobility for Growth' program and 'Marie Curie Academy Outgoing' between 2016-2018. Her current projects include 'Health-promoting meals within LSS - Food with multiple goals' (ongoing since 2020) and 'From words to action - the role of trade in the development of sustainable and healthy eating habits' (2023-2025). She has also supervised doctoral students and contributed to academic development projects focused on student language and writing skills. Her research is organized through the MEAL (Food and Meals in Everyday Life) research group and FOHRK (Center for Food Health and Retail), where she plays a coordinating role. These environments facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration between sociology, nutrition science, public health, and retail studies to address contemporary challenges in food systems and meal practices.

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Rachel HayView profile

Lecturer

Umea UniversitySweden

Rachel Hay is an academic at James Cook University with a focus on environmental sustainability, social marketing, and agricultural practices. Her work addresses challenges such as improving water quality in the Great Barrier Reef, enhancing rural internet connectivity, and promoting sustainable land management. Hay holds a PhD in Environmental Science (2018) and has authored/co-authored over 50 research outputs since 2014. Her research spans interdisciplinary topics including ESG frameworks for farming, transaction cost analysis in environmental policy adoption, and co-designing climate services for agriculture. Key contributions include reports on farmer decision-making influencers, rural internet access barriers, and behavioral change strategies for environmental protection. Hay collaborates with institutions like the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre and the Australian Society of Sugar Cane Technologists. Her work bridges academic research with practical applications, emphasizing policy implementation and community engagement in sustainability initiatives.

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Ylva Mattsson SydnerView profile

Professor

Uppsala UniversitySweden

Ylva Mattsson Sydner is an Affiliated Professor at the Department of Food Studies, Nutrition and Dietetics at Uppsala University, where she has established herself as a leading researcher in food studies with particular focus on meal provision systems across various contexts. Her work spans multiple institutional settings including elderly care, hospital foodservice, educational environments, and community settings. Professor Mattsson Sydner's research interests encompass the social dimensions of food and eating, with particular emphasis on how meals function within different care contexts. Her work explores the complex interplay between food practices, social relationships, and institutional structures, with significant contributions to understanding meal provision in elderly care, hospital settings, and educational contexts. She has extensively examined how food functions as both a practical necessity and a social phenomenon that shapes identity, relationships, and quality of life. Her publication record shows a consistent trajectory of impactful research, with recent work focusing on hospital foodservice improvement, eating alone among elderly populations, aesthetic dimensions of food education, and the implementation of nutritional regulations in care settings. Mattsson Sydner's scholarship demonstrates an interdisciplinary approach that bridges nutrition science, sociology of food, and practical implementation science. Among her notable scientific contributions are numerous publications in high-impact journals across nutrition, gerontology, healthcare policy, and food studies fields. Her work has significantly influenced understanding of meal provision quality in institutional settings and the social dimensions of eating across the lifespan. Professor Mattsson Sydner has been instrumental in developing research frameworks for assessing meal quality and implementation of nutritional care standards, with practical implications for policy and practice in multiple sectors of food provision. Her work continues to shape contemporary understanding of how food functions within social and institutional contexts beyond mere nutritional requirements.

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Eva LundqvistView profile

Senior Lecturer

Uppsala UniversitySweden

Eva Lundqvist is a Senior Lecturer in Curriculum Studies at the Department of Education, Uppsala University. Her research focuses on science education, teaching traditions, and the teacher’s role in student learning. She currently leads the project "Teaching and learning for action competence in education about antibiotic resistance" (2019-2021) and supervises doctoral students. Email: eva.lundqvist@edu.uu.se Research Interests: Science education pedagogy Curriculum development and policy reform Antibiotic resistance and sustainability education Home and consumer studies Comparative didactics across subjects Recent Publications: 2025: Pre-service science teacher perspectives 2024: Food education tools in home economics 2023: Aesthetic values in food education 2021: Physics teacher education challenges 2020: Teaching habits under assessment reforms

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Nicklas NeumanView profile

Senior Lecturer

Uppsala UniversitySweden

Nicklas Neuman is a Senior Lecturer at Uppsala University’s Department of Food Studies, Nutrition and Dietetics. His work bridges social theory with evolutionary perspectives to examine food’s role in social organization, focusing on topics like food waste, meal-sharing dynamics, gendered foodwork, and weight stigma. He has supervised multiple PhD candidates and edited Sweden’s first university textbook on food sociology, Food and Eating: Sociological Perspectives (2019). Current Projects : Principal Investigator for "Follow the Food" (funded by Formas, 2023) and coordinator of work package 3 in the PAN Sweden research center on plant-based proteins (Formas, 2020). Research Themes : Social and health implications of eating behaviors, gender in domestic food labor, sustainable food systems, and social differentiation in dietary practices. Methodology : Primarily qualitative methods (interviews), with experience in surveys, experiments, and systematic reviews. His recent publications (2023–2025) explore chemosensory dysfunction post-COVID-19, longitudinal impacts of obesity treatment on family communication, and the sociality of shared meals. Collaborations include researchers like Pernilla Sandvik, Elin Lövestam, and Amanda Björnwall.

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Constantinos VassiliadesView profile

Senior Lecturer

Luleå University of TechnologySweden

Constantinos Vassiliades is a Senior Lecturer in Architectural Engineering and Energy at Neapolis University Pafos and a Visiting Researcher at Luleå University of Technology's Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering. Born in Limassol, Cyprus in 1987, he holds a PhD from the University of Cyprus focused on building integration of active solar systems and an Architectural Engineering degree from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Luleå University of Technology, Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Architecture and Water Department of Architecture, Land and Environmental Sciences, Neapolis University Pafos Dr. Vassiliades' research centers on sustainability and energy efficiency in architecture, with significant contributions to building-integrated renewable energy systems. His work spans theoretical analysis and practical applications across diverse geographical contexts, from Mediterranean climates to Pacific Island communities. He has published extensively in high-impact journals including Energy Reports and Renewable Energy, with recent work examining biogas solutions for clean cooking energy, limitations in building energy certification models, and thermal comfort optimization in urban spaces. His research demonstrates a consistent methodological approach using parametric studies to identify optimal design solutions for specific climatic conditions, with particular expertise in building-integrated photovoltaics and solar energy systems. Recent publications reveal increasing focus on policy implications of sustainable building technologies and cross-cultural applications of energy solutions. 26 Rising Researchers by the Association of Commonwealth Universities & British Council Commonwealth Futures Climate Research Cohort As a qualified expert on building energy efficiency for the Cyprus Ministry of Energy and member of both ETEK and the Cyprus Architects' Association, Dr. Vassiliades actively bridges academic research with professional practice and policy development. He is the author of the comprehensive reference work 'Building Integration of Active Solar Systems: A Handbook' which has become a standard resource in the field. His international collaborations span Sweden, Cyprus, Fiji, Ghana, and the UK, reflecting his commitment to addressing global sustainability challenges through interdisciplinary research.

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