Det kommer snart även ett val av ny institutionsstyrelse vars nuvarande förordnade också går ut vid årsskiftet.

Jessica Abbott, you have been nominated as head of department. If elected, do you look forward to another term in this role?

Yes, I wouldn’t have accepted the nomination otherwise. Although it’s an often challenging role, I want to follow through on the changes that are currently happening or in planning at the department.

What do you personally think makes good leadership?

Being willing to accept that everyone is different, so that the things that seem simple or obvious to me are not necessarily simple or obvious to anyone else. It’s important to be able to talk to people on their own terms.

What do you see as the biggest challenges for the coming years at the department?

The financial situation is the most important challenge in my eyes, since it influences pretty much everything else – how can we recruit new staff and keep excellent existing staff, the usage of our buildings, what types of support for our staff the department is able to invest in, etc.

Do you have a vision of how the department should be like in the best of all worlds?

I think it’s hard to have a single vision, because what I see as the ideal department might not be ideal for someone else. But my hope is that I will leave a second term as head of department with the departmental finances on track and a well-functioning leadership structure in place.

What is your favourite thing that comes to your mind when you think about your work?

My favourite thing is when I can see that I’ve been able to make a difference somehow – solve a problem that someone is having, help to resolve a conflict, or just generally make a change for the better. That’s what makes it worth the effort, even though the job is challenging sometimes.

Fredric Carlsson, you have been nominated as deputy head of department. If elected, do you look forward to this new role?

Yes, very much so. I see it as an exciting opportunity to be able to contribute to the development of our department. Having over 20 years of experience from science in both academia and industry, and hitting 50 next year, I also look forward to the possibility to learn new things and to develop in a new role.

What do you personally think makes good leadership?

The people that I have gained respect for as leaders have shared some common traits. For example, they have exhibited honesty, clarity of intent and “bondförnuft”. They have been open about their “compass” (that is their focus and priorities) with an ability to spread energy and excitement about work. They have had a genuine interest in people and their ideas, and an ability to talk with all types of people.

What do you see as the biggest challenges for the coming years at the department?

Our department is one of the most successful at Lund University, producing research and teaching at a high international standard. However, we continuously need to evolve to maintain a strong environment. I therefore believe that one never-ending key challenge is to identify and hire promising young scientists and to ensure good conditions for them to develop their research and merit themselves. Also, it is no secret that our economy is currently strained. And so one main challenge for the coming years will be to deal with this challenge in a manner such that our core activities – research and teaching, as well as the third task – are able to keep developing.

Do you have a vision of how the department should be like in the best of worlds?

In the best of worlds, we have the same economic model as today (where teacher positions are fully funded, etc.), a model that I think is key to our department being a great research organisation. Moreover, our economy is great, with all teachers/scientists attracting external grants, and we have a dynamic department that is rich in bottom-up initiatives. All environments within the department have excellent conditions to develop their research and teaching (with a reasonable teaching load). In the best of worlds all employees, independent of category, truly feel that their work is critical for our core activities and our ability to be successful as a department.

What is your favourite thing that comes to mind when you think about your work?

My coworkers, and finding out the result of our next set of experiments! I love discussing new data and hypotheses with coworkers, and to see my students push projects forward and develop into independent and creative young scientists.

(The election of the nomination committee is completed)

For short version in English: See below!

Valet till valberedning är avslutat och rösterna räknade den 27 juni (Valprotokoll pdf). Valberedningen som ska ta fram förslag på kandidater till institutionsstyrelsen, prefekt och ställföreträdande prefekt under perioden 2019–2021 kommer att bestå av

• Jan-Åke Nilsson
• Emma Kritzberg
• Wolfgang Knecht
• Anne Liljendahl
• Anders Enjin

Valberedningen består således av tre lärare och två övrig personal. Av de senare två tillhör en kategorin teknisk-administrativ personal och en är forskare. Detaljer framgår av länkat protokoll. Röstdeltagandet var 47% vilket är något högre än förra gången det valdes valberedning.

Fakulteten (Dekanus) har utfärdat omfattande instruktioner för valberedningens arbete, i synnerhet vad gäller val av prefekt. I kraftigt förenklad form:

• Valberedningen skall kontakta dekanus för diskussion om vilka förväntningar som fakultetsledningen har på den aktuella prefektrollen och prefektens betydelse för den strategiska utvecklingen av institutionen.
• Valberedningen skall hämta in synpunkter från organisationen och tjänstgörande prefekt om institutionens behov.
• Valberedningen gör sedan en behovsanalys samt upprättar en kravprofil som stäms av med dekanus.
• Institutionens röstberättigade personal äger rätt att nominera kandidater.
• Valberedningen upprättar förslag till prefekt och ställföreträdande prefekt som stäms av med rektor och/eller dekan och sedan hålles val.
• Valberedningen sammanställer valresultat samt lämnar skriftlig rekommendation till dekanus. Dekanus utser sedan prefekt och ställföreträdande prefekt.

Valberedningen ska bjuda in studerande/doktorand att delta med närvaro- och yttranderätt vid beredning av förslag på prefekt och ställföreträdande prefekt.

Om en person ur valberedningen diskuteras för nominering till ett av de uppdrag valberedningen bereder ska personen omedelbart avgå från valberedningen. I de fall majoriteten bland ledamöterna i valberedningen inte längre är företrädare för vetenskapligt eller konstnärligt kompetenta lärare ansvarar prefekt för att fyllnadsval genomförs.

Val kommer att hållas i september/oktober.

I övrigt hänvisas till den nyvalda valberedningen.

Christer Löfstedt, prefekt