
WHY?
We have less than 10 years to transform our world, in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At this conference, you will have an opportunity to learn, share, and discuss what the research community in Gothenburg can bring to the table to advance the role of science in the UN Decade of Action. *
*The Decade of Action was declared by the UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres in September 2019 and calls for accelerating sustainable solutions to all the world’s biggest challenges — ranging from poverty and gender to climate change, inequality and closing the finance gap.
Read more here
FOR WHOM
The conference is primarily aimed at researchers associated with Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg. However, we also welcome other researchers and stakeholders who want to learn more about and strengthen their contacts with the research community in Gothenburg.
WHEN & HOW
November 18 - 19, 2020 at 8.30-12.15
The conference will be digital
In addition to the main conference , related events will be organized by Gothenburg Air and Climate Network (GAC) on November 24 and by Global Sustainable Futures (GSF) on November 25.
Registration is closed
Contact main organizer Caroline Petersson if you want to attend but forgot to register.
See contact info below.
Confirmed Speakers
Katherine is professor in Biological Oceanography, leader of Sustainability Science Centre at the University of Copenhagen and co-author of the UN-report the Future is Now - Science for achieving sustainable development . At Act Sustainable Research Conference she will talk more about the report and the role of science for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Gabriel
Wikström
Gabriel is the Swedish national coordinator for the 2030 Agenda, and former Minister with responsibility for public health and health care issues. At this conference he will talk about the Swedish implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and how researchers and research institutions can contribute in this work.
Haileselassie is country director for Ethiopia at World Resources Institute and previously worked as the Director of Institutional Development and Senior Research Fellow at the Environment for Development (EfD) in Sweden. At this conference he will give some perspectives on the role of international research collaboration for achieving sustainable development.
Christian is professor in Energy and environment at Chalmers University of Technology. He has acted as policy advisor to two Swedish Prime Ministers, to all Swedish environment ministers between 2002 and 2014, and to the EU commissioner for the Environment Margot Wallström. He will contribute to this conference with a talk about the role of science versus politics in the climate conversation.
Christian
Azar
Haileselassie
Medhin
Katherine
Richardson
Merritt
Polk
Merritt is professor in Human Ecology and head of department at the School of Global Studies at the University of Gothenburg. She has worked as head of the development of a transdisciplinary methodology for joint knowledge production and capacity building between universities, private, semi-private and public organizations and will talk about the role of transdisciplinary co-production for sustainable urban development
Anna
Jöborn
Anna is the chief executive director at the research founder Mistra and a former director of the Science Affairs Department at the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management. She has a PhD in microbiology and is a construction engineering graduate. At this conference she is going to talk about the role and opportunity of Mistra in funding research and innovation that support the transition to a more sustainable development.
Jan is the director of Gothenburg Centre for Sustainable Development, GMV and Professor at the Department of Chemistry & Molecular Biology at the University of Gothenburg. Jan will open up this conference with an introductory speech.



Jan
Pettersson
Six thematic sessions
Six thematic sessions
The themes for Act Sustainable Research Conference are based on the UN Global Sustainable Development Report for 2019: The Future is Now - science for achieving sustainable development, that has been written by an independent group of researchers from around the world. The report identifies six entry points that according to the experts offer the most promise for achieving the desired transformations needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Based on these entry points we organize six thematic sessions in which researchers who have submitted accepted abstracts present related research.
Strengthening human
wellbeing and capabilities
Shifting towards sustainable and just economies
Building sustainable food systems and healthy nutrition pattern
Achieving energy decarbonization with universal access to energy
Promoting sustainable urban and peri-urban development
Securing the global environmental commons



8.00 CHECK-IN & MINGLE
8.30 - 9.00 PLENARY SESSION
Keynote: The role and opportunity of Mistra in funding research and innovation that enables sustainable transitions.
-
Anna Jöborn - Chief executive director at the research funder Mistra
9.00 - 9.05 BREAK
9.05 - 10.35 THEMATIC PARALLEL SESSIONS 4-6
Research presentations and group discussions
4. Strengthening human well-being and capabilities
Moderator: Annica Kronsell, Professor, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg
The patterns of knowledge use in planning conflicts, their implications for conflict analysis and resolution. The cases of the West Link Annedal tunnel and development of Frihamnen in Gothenburg, Sweden
Hannah Saldert, PhD student, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg
Social Sustainability within the digital design process of buildings (WIP).
Sanjay Somanath, PhD student, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology
Probing alignment of personal and organisational values for sustainability: An Assessment of Barrett’s Organisational Consciousness Model
Lindsay Berg, Postgraduate independent researcher, Department of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology
Organizing grassroots infrastructure for more inclusive and resilient cities: The (in)visible work of organizational ‘incompleteness’
María José Zapata Campos, Associate Professor, Department of Business Administration, University of Gothenburg
5. Promoting sustainable urban and peri-urban development.
Moderator: Nils Björling, Senior lecturer, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology
Fixing sustainability in a broken state: Recycling initiatives in the aftermath of the August 4 Beirut explosion
Hanna Leonardsson, Researcher, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg
Environmental Life Cycle Performance Optimisation of Buildings
Alexander Hollberg, Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology
The NordicPATH project in Scandinavia – exploring best practices in citizen engagement using Urban Living Labs
Karin Ekman, PhD student, Department of Applied Information Technology, University of Gothenburg and Sonja Grossberndt and Núria Castell , Researchers at Norwegian Institute for Air Research.
The operational space of co-production of the city. The case of Haga station planning in the West Link railway infrastructure project.
Olga Stepanova, Postdoctoral research fellow, School of Global studies, University of Gothenburg
6. Achieving energy decarbonization with universal access to energy
Moderator: Filip Johnsson, Professor, Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology
Recasting the biofuel crisis: Fixing the forests through waste switching
Marie Widengård, PhD student, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg
Green Valleys: Economic and Environmental Impacts of Land Use Change to Support Development of Green Biorefineries
Sebnem Yilmaz Balaman, Postdoctoral research fellow, Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology
Fossil exploration and the energy transition
Inge van den Bijgaart , Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, University of Gothenburg
Emitter CO2 Recovery Liability – On the need for sustainable financing of negative CO2 emissions
Anders Lyngfelt, Professor, Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology
10.35 - 10.55 MINGLE & POSTER SESSION
Continuation of thematic sessions 4-6
Theme 4:
Research collaboration in low-and-middle-income countries: Swedish-Rwandan collaboration in Kenya and Lebanon in Times of COVID-19
Jean Bosco Habyarimana University of Gothenburg
Neuroplasticity practices for individual sustainability and resilience
Birgit Penzenstadler Chalmers University of Gothenburg
Theme 6:
Molecular Characterization of Emissions from a Residential Wood Burning Boiler
Xiangrui Kong, University of Gothenburg
Characterization, sources, and atmospheric transformation of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) at the new rural super-site of Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP), India
Harsh Raj Mishra, University of Gothenburg
Effect of NOx on Toluene SOA yield and optical properties
Kaylan Mitra, University of Gothenburg
Chemical characteristics of benzene oxidation products
Michael Priestley University of Gothenburg
10.55-11.00 BREAK
11.00-12.15 PLENARY SESSION & WRAP UP
Keynote: The role of science versus politics in the climate conversation
-
Christian Azar - Professor in Energy and Environment at Chalmers University of Technology
Keynote: The role of transdisciplinary co-production for sustainable urban development
-
Kerstin Hemström, Project leader and PhD, Centre for Sustainable Urban Futures (replaces Merritt Polk)
What can the research community in Gothenburg bring to the table, in the UN Decade of Action?
-
Anna Dubois, First Vice President and Deputy CEO at Chalmers University of Technology
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Göran Landberg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, responsible for issues regarding research at University of Gothenburg
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Group discussion and Q&A with Christian Azar, Merrit Polk, Anna Dubois , Göran Landberg and moderator Olof Drakenberg
Concluding remarks
-
Jan Pettersson, director of Gothenburg Centre for Sustainable Development, GMV
-
Olof Drakenberg, conference moderator



Program Day 1 (18/11)
Program Day 2 (19/11)
8.00 - 8.30 CHECK-IN & MINGLE
8.30 - 9.15 PLENARY SESSION
Welcome speech
-
Jan Pettersson - Director of Gothenburg Centre for Sustainable Development, GMV
-
Olof Drakenberg - Conference moderator
Keynote: Science for achieving sustainable development
-
Katherine Richardson - Professor in Biological Oceanography, leader of Sustainability Science Centre at the University of Copenhagen
9.15 - 9.20 BREAK
9.20 - 10.50 THEMATIC PARALLEL SESSIONS 1-3
Research presentations and group discussions
1. Shifting towards sustainable and just economies
Moderator: Olof Johansson Stenman, Professor, Department of Economics, University of Gothenburg
If money talks, what is the financial industry saying about climate change?
Jasmine Elliott, PhD student, Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science, University of Gothenburg
The framing of a sustainable development goals assessment in decarbonizing the construction industry
Ida Karlsson, PhD student, Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology
Attitudes toward climate policy
Thomas Sterner, Professor, Department of Economics, University of Gothenburg
Sustainable niche lifestyles?
Maria Thorson, PhD student, Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology
2. Securing the global environmental commons
Moderator: Johan Mellquist, Professor, Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology
Global fragmentation at the science-policy interface: opportunities or obstacles for sustainable development?
Matteo De Donà, PhD student, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg
Investigating influence of Aerosol Composition on the light absorbing properties of black carbon during the Photochemical Smog in Beijing, May-June, 2016
Ravi Kant Pathak, Senior lecturer, Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, Chalmers University of Technology
Interventions to stop biodiversity loss – findings in IPBES global assessment
Marie Stenseke, Professor, Department of Economy and Society, University of Gothenburg
Marine biomass for circular nutrient economies in Sweden: remediating eutrophication and securing phosphorus futures
Jean-Baptiste Thomas, PhD student, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
3. Building sustainable food systems and healthy nutrition patterns
Moderator: Gunilla Krantz, Professor, School of Public Health and Community medicine, University of Gothenburg
Nutritional and antinutritional profiles of fava bean cultivars
Cecilia Mayber Labba, PhD student, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering
Is a climate tax on meat politically feasible?
Niklas Harring, Postdoctoral research fellow, Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg
Translate science into policy and practice through capacity building – experiences from the AgriFoSe2030 programme
Madelene Ostwald, Docent and affiliated researcher, Department of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology
Regulating Food Consumption: The Public Debate
Anna Bendz, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg
10.50 - 11.10 MINGLE & POSTER SESSION
Continuation of thematic sessions 1-2
Theme 1
Conceptualising inclusive tourism and place branding
Helena Kraff, Eva Maria Jernsand and Emma Björner, University of Gothenburg
Drinking a Sustainable Cup of Coffee: How to Reliably Transmit Sustainability Information in Supply Chains?
Abhinayan Basu Bal & Trisha Rajput, University of Gothenburg
Can democracy deliver an alternative to extractivism?
A post-capitalist dream for political action
Nicolás Acosta García, University of Gothenburg
Monetary valuation of human impacts on the natural capital
Bengt Steen, Chalmers University of Technology
Advancing Design for Circular Economy and System Impact Assessment for Sustainable Development
Massimo Panarotto, Chalmers University of Technology
Theme 2
Peatland management practices to regain greenhouse gas storage
Bottagisio Elio, University of Gothenburg
On the interface of organic aerosols: surface melting, mixing and water adsorption dynamics
Josip Lovric, University of Gothenburg
Clouds, Climate and Health: The Potential Effects of IMO Fuel Sulfur Content Regulations on Particulate Matter Emissions from Ships
Luis Santos, University of Gothenburg
Effect of Sulfur Emission Control on Gas-Phase Ship Plume Emissions in Northern Europé
Christian Mark Salvador,University of Gothenburg
Development of the Portable Ice Nucleation Chamber PINCii
Dimitri Castarède, GarciaUniversity of Gothenburg
11.10-11.15 BREAK
11.15-12.15 PLENARY SESSION & WRAP UP
Keynote: The Swedish implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and how researchers and research institutions can contribute.
-
Gabriel Wikström - Swedish national coordinator for the 2030 Agenda
Keynote: Perspectives on the role of international research collaboration for achieving sustainable development.
-
Gunnar Köhlin, Director for Environment for Development (EfD). Replaces Haileselassie Mehdin
Group discussions, Q&A and wrap up
Gabriel Wikström, Haileselassie Mehdin and moderator Olof Drakenberg
Scientific committee
We are proud to present the members of the scientific committee that has evaluated all proposals and put together a program for thematic sessions based on the entry points.
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Chair: Johan Mellqvist, Department of Space, Earth and Environment at Chalmers and coordinator for Gothenburg Air and Climate Network, GAC
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Frida Boräng, Department of Political Studies at the University of Gothenburg and research fellow at the Quality of Government Institute (QoG)
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Olof Johansson Stenman, Department of Economics at the University of Gothenburg
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Gunilla Krantz, Institute of Medicine, at the University of Gothenburg
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Annica Kronsell, School of Global Studies at the University of Gothenburg
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Nils Björling, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering at Chalmers
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Filip Johnsson, Department of Space, Earth and Environment at Chalmers
Steering group
The conference is planned by a steering group, consisting of people representing several different research-oriented networks based at Gothenburg Centre for Sustainable Development.
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Caroline Petersson, project manager, Gothenburg Centre for Sustainable Development (GMV)
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Olof Drakenberg, project manager, representing Global Sustainable Futures
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Jenni Strömstad, project manager, representing the SDG 8 initiative at the University of Gothenburg
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Johan Mellquist, researcher at Chalmers and coordinator for Gothenburg Air and Climate Network (GAC)
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Kerstin Hemström, Acting Platform leader, Centre for Sustainable Urban Futures
For questions, please contact main organizer of the conference, Caroline Petersson (caroline.petersson@chalmers.se)