The Borelius Medal was established in 1998, with support from the Engineering Physics Faculty Board. The medal is named in honour of Gudmund Borelius (1889-1985), who was professor of physics at KTH, 1922-1955, and initiated the civ. ing. programme in Engineering Physics in 1932. Since the year 2000, the Medal was awarded annually to individuals who have made particularly valuable personal contributions to Engineering Physics at KTH. The Medal was last awarded in 2021.

Following the dedicated stewardship of emeritus Lektor Gunnar Benediktsson for many years, and a brief pause for a renewal process, the Medal will now continue as an award in the name of Gudmund Borelius, supported by the School. The Medal will recognize “an outstanding contribution to the development and success of Engineering Sciences at KTH”, rather than solely Engineering Physics.

A selection committee, Torbjörn Bäck (Physics), Ardeshir Hanifi (Engineering Mechanics), Mark Pearce (Chair), Jennifer Ryan (Mathematics), Yasmine Sassa (Applied Physics), and Maria Giamouridou (PhD student representative, Physics), has been appointed by the School with a mandate of four years. The Medal will be awarded every year at the School party.

We take this opportunity to thank Gunnar Benediktsson for his dedication and hard work over the years. He has upheld this tradition, and brought knowledge and enthusiasm to the award ceremonies. Gunnar has graciously agreed to write a historical account of the Medal, which we will present to future recipients with pride.

We eagerly anticipate congratulating the upcoming winners!

Read more about Gudmund Borelius and the Borelius Medal (in Swedish) Gudmund Borelius och boreliusmedaljen

A comprehensive reform agenda for the next three years, describing areas for improvement and strategic priorities, will be part of the forthcoming KTH action plan (verksamhetsplan). Each School will have its own reform agenda.

Despite our School’s stable financial situation, which does not require immediate actions, it is becoming increasingly evident that our educational and research resources must be optimized in order to cultivate a more sustainable working environment.

With this in mind, on February 22-23, the School management, Department management, and Faculty Board convened for a 2-day retreat at Näsby Slott. During the retreat, there was fruitful deliberation on the dimensioning of the School’s faculty and teaching portfolio, among other key topics.

This productive exchange of ideas resulted in significant progress and laid the foundation for future work. Ideas generated during the retreat will be further explored, discussed at all levels, and refined to ensure an effective and considered implementation in the upcoming academic years. Moving forward, the Faculty Board will assume an increasingly central role in guiding our School’s development in line with both the global and local reform agendas. The collaboration between management and collegial representation will ensure a balanced approach to implementing the necessary reforms.