Letter from the Dean

After a hopefully slower start, the autumn activities coupled to environmental monitoring and assessment (EMA) are now gaining momentum. Earlier this week, for example, the call for development projects within SLU’s 12 EMA-programs closed. Now begins a period where both the program coordinators and the members of the faculty’s environmental analysis board (Fomanämnden) will sort, process and evaluate the submitted project proposals for NJ’s seven EMA-programs. It’s always exciting to review the proposals, and if SLU’s board approves the initiative, we hope to prepare the basis for a dean’s decision by the end of the year regarding which projects will receive funding in 2026.

By the time this text is published, many of us will also have just returned from the Miljöövervakningsdagarna, which this year were held in Linköping. These days serve as an important forum for actors within the community in Sweden’s working with environmental monitoring and assessment, and the program featured strong SLU representation with various presentations covering for example invasive species and measures aimed at reducing internal nutrient loads in lakes.

A major update within SLU’s EMA is that since early spring, we have a new deputy vice-chancellor for responsible for collaboration and environmental monitoring and assessment. Her name is Annsofie Wahlström, and she previously led one of SLU’s future platforms—SLU Future Food. With Annsofie in charge, we look forward to a renewed focus on internal collaboration, emphasising increased exchange across the various parts of EMA at SLU. We also hope to fund new strategic initiatives that will further develop our work. Do you have suggestions for such initiatives? If so, please contact one of the coordinators for NJ’s EMA- programs or myself.

Another update is that as of July 1st, NJ has a partially new coordinator organisation for our EMA-programs. Several coordinators will continue for the coming three years, but we also have three new persons to welcome: Anna Szekely (new coordinator for the Lakes and Watercourses program), Tobias Vrede (new assistant coordinator for the Acidification program), and Danny Lau (new assistant coordinator for the Alpine/Arctic Landscapes program). Welcome aboard! If you want to know who coordinates which program, visit the website here.

Wishing you a wonderful autumn, and don’t hesitate to contact the program coordinators or me with questions about EMA at the faculty, its future, and development.

Jens Olsson
Deputy Dean for Environmental Analysis and Assessment