Tidy German with a passion for teaching

Not staying in academia after a Ph. D. can be bad for your career. Not least because you’re not publishing, and therefore risk getting “behind”. This is precisely what Julia Aldberg worried about when she finished her dissertation in 2014. But, looking back, she’s glad things happened the way they did. Says Julia:

- Of course I was disappointed initially, not being able to stay in academia. But it’s tough sometimes. And it was fun to go out and work with something I’d researched. I think it made me better as a researcher and as a teacher, having experience from the business sector.

Julia Aldberg was born in Munich in southern Germany and came to Sweden to study in 2008. She got her doctorate in 2014. As a Ph. D., she was unable to stay in academia at the time and proceeded to work for a private business. But she was tired of travelling.

- I had gotten my first degree in London and also been to Australia and Denmark. I didn’t feel like moving yet again for a post doc. So I stayed and worked outside academia for almost ten years, focusing on marketing in the grocery industry.

Love for teaching

Research often comes with great freedom (and responsibility). But it can also be quite isolating. Julia is happy she’s able to combine research with teaching and student interaction.

- Researching isn’t the only thing there is in academia. It’s great fun to teach too, and be close to the students. I enjoy tutoring and seeing them develop. Unfortunately, teaching isn’t nearly as respected as research in academia at large, says Julia.

Except research, Julia Aldberg works as the programme director of studies (PSR) for Skogsekonomiprogrammet. She’s fairly new on the job, but she likes it. It’s a good fit given her background.

- It’s fun and I really get to live out my German dream of order and planning. I agree with what Torgny Lind says about the ”common thread”, and the importance of progression. But there’s also a lot of work in implementing and building a good teaching team. A big part of my job as PSR is getting to know people and ensuring that common thread is anchored in the culture within the programme.

Wants to promote teaching

As PSR, Julia wants to get better and do more. More resources are always on the wish list, but she also emphasizes the status of teaching.

- I have all sorts of ideas and suggestions as PSR. But at the end of the day, it’s a question of resources. So, if I could wish for anything, I’d wish for more resources. And seeing the value in teaching is an important part of that. We have to value and appreciate teaching more within academia at large. Because it directly affects the quality of our courses and programmes.

- I would of course want more students too. We fill our positions but there’s not hundreds on the waiting list. That comes back to our own ability to show that we’re a good university.  

Fish research

Outside of her teaching and PSR duties, Julia Aldberg is also a researcher. The central themes in her research are innovation, resilience and transition. In a four-year project financed by the Kamprad family, Julia and other researchers are looking at if, and how, we could farm char and rainbow trout in Swedish hydroelectric dams. The project aims to understand the conditions for sustainable fish farming in Sweden.

- It’s hard to scale up a fish farm today. Meanwhile, our leaders are telling us fish is good, especially in times of crisis. One possible site we’ve looked at is situated along Inlandsbanen and there, we have good infrastructure for getting the product out to the rest of the country. That could be an interesting opportunity for Norrland, says Julia.

Fish farming comes with a whole set of challenges. Environmental impact is one, another is the fact that the feed is usually imported. But the attitudes toward Swedish-farmed fish is also an important aspect:

- If you look at the market side of things, it’s hard for fish farmers to get a foothold in Ica, Axfood and the other major chains, or in public procurements. Swedish people are not used to buying char and trout, so they often go for salmon or cod. How can we change those attitudes and create a greater demand for Swedish farmed fish? That’s one of the things we’re looking into, says Julia.

Text: Henrik Persson

Photo: Jenny Svennås-Gillner

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