Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
This year's Christmas greeting from EECS comes from the outgoing and incoming head of school together. A joint look ahead and reflection formulated shortly after it was announced that Joakim Jaldén will take over the assignment from Ann Lantz at the turn of the year.
A baton is equal to handing over a task, in this case to lead the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
"When I think of Ann's leadership, I think of stability, transparency and a sense of fairness. It is something that I have appreciated a lot and a legacy that I hope to be able to maintain, says Joakim Jaldén”.
It is not exactly the same school that is being handed over. Rather a reshaped one after several recent changes, where the campus move and the design of the new organization stand out. 2026 will be the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
"As I see it, the school's vision should not differ from KTH's - our education should be of the highest quality and internationally competitive. Our research should be world-leading and have a major impact, our work and study environment should be attractive, inclusive and equal. But as the competitive person that I am, I can't help but think that EECS should still be a little better and preferably surpass KTH's overall vision”, says Joakim Jaldén.
"Being head of school is a marathon. It's a long distance with different stretches. Sometimes it's uphill, sometimes pleasant downhill, and it's important not to go out too hard from the start. However, Joakim will not be alone but surrounded by good colleagues and a good management. My hope is that he will have as much fun as I have had”, says Ann Lantz
Joakim's connection to KTH began in 1997. That's when he began his studies, which would be the start of an academic career at various universities both inside and outside Sweden. Since 2009, however, KTH has been the home ground, and this long relationship has had an impact on how he views his new assignment.
“I have had fantastic opportunities for development at KTH during my years here. Something that motivates me for my new assignment as head of school is to act to ensure that the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and KTH as an institution, can continue to offer the opportunities that I have experienced myself”.
An intensive year is now coming to an end, where research and teaching have been conducted in parallel with extensive change projects.
"It has been a demanding year for many employees, and there are probably many of us who are looking forward to a few days off over the Christmas and New Year holidays. We wish you all a pleasant Christmas break”, says Joakim Jaldén and Ann Lantz.