Amelie wishes you a Merry Christmas

2024-12-16

It is now December, Christmas is just around the corner and we can look back on the past year. For myself and for many at the CBH School, 2024 has been an intense year. In the first and second cycle education, students and teachers have worked hard and it is good to be able to say that we have actually completed more education than the assignment for the year was. In research, there has also been great progress, with many doctoral theses, high-quality publications and new external research grants.

In 2024, two assistant professors were promoted to associate professors, five associate professors were promoted to professors, and the CBH School hired two assistant professors and three associate professors. It is great to see how the School's faculty is developing and how our talented staff are qualifying for higher-level positions.

A less amusing aspect of 2024 has been the financial problems faced by large parts of the CBH School. Costs for premises, salaries and operations have increased more than government funding for research and education, making us even more dependent on external funding. We are now reviewing our costs and the utilisation of premises on all campuses and hope to achieve a balanced budget next year.

A major change in 2024 was the introduction of new forms of collegial influence and decision-making at KTH, in which the schools' faculty boards play an important role. The CBH School's Faculty Board started its work in January and has held nine meetings during the year. In 2024, the focus of the Faculty Board's work has been on decisions on various education-related issues, such as the establishment of curricula and syllabi, but as of 2025, the Faculty Board will also deal with issues related to employment, affiliations and docentships. In connection with this change, two new bodies will be established under the Faculty Board, an employment committee and a docent committee. The changes will affect several of our processes, and we are currently working to get everything in place before the end of the year.

During the autumn, the Faculty Board has arranged two school meetings for information exchange and discussion with the faculty, and we will continue with these meetings during the spring semester, where the idea is to have the meetings on site and rotate between the school's different campuses, but there is also the opportunity to participate on Zoom. I hope that many will take the opportunity to participate in these meetings in 2025 - it is an important part of the collegial influence and here is the opportunity to make your voice heard.

Another issue that I hope you have recognised in 2024, and which will continue in 2025, is the activities carried out to create a more inclusive and equal working environment at the School. In 2024, meetings have been organised on the topic of treatment, with a particular focus on the situation of doctoral students. In 2025, we will continue to organise departmental workshops, teachers' lunches and other activities to raise awareness and stimulate discussion on these issues. Keep an eye out for news in your neighbourhood!

Finally, I would like to thank everyone for helping to make the CBH School such a great place to work in 2024. I would also like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you again in 2025!

Amelie