Mari Kågström

Mari Kågström is a Senior Lecturer at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Division of Political Science and Natural Resource Governance, integrating academic research with 15+ years of environmental assessment consultancy experience. Her work focuses on bridging theory and practice to address sustainability challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration, with recent part-time consultancy at Tyréns AB enhancing her practitioner perspective.

Her academic credentials include:

• PhD in Environmental Assessment from SLU (2016), thesis: "Strengthening the practitioner focus in environmental assessment," examining practitioners' space for action in integrating health and social perspectives into EIA.

Kågström's research employs qualitative methods to investigate landscape governance, policy implementation, and environmental assessment systems. She specializes in actor strategies within planning processes, with growing emphasis on health-wellbeing-landscape connections and interdisciplinary innovation. Her work consistently highlights practitioner agency in improving EIA/SEA quality and advancing sustainability integration in real-world contexts.

Analysis of her 2009-2025 publications reveals an evolution from technical EIA quality studies toward complex actor-centric analyses of policy integration. Recent work (2022-2025) increasingly explores collaborative learning spaces, sustainability coordinators' roles, and landscape multifunctionality, demonstrating theoretical depth while maintaining practical relevance for Swedish governance.

No scientific awards were documented in the source text.

She actively cultivates academic-practitioner partnerships through:

• Leadership in 10+ research projects (2016-2026) funded by Formas, Energimyndigheten, Vinnova, and the Swedish Institute
• Co-initiation of Agora – a strategic knowledge arena for environmental assessment (with Mittuniversitetet)
• Organization of annual 'MKB-dagen' national conference since 2017
• Mentorship for EA professionals at Tyréns AB and academic settings

Kågström leads the Agora research group and maintains extensive collaborations with Swedish municipalities, national authorities, and private consultants, driving capacity development in environmental assessment through knowledge exchange and innovation.