SLU Landscape PhD’s Forum

We connect PhD students from Alnarp and Ultuna who are engaging with landscape in their doctoral studies (from LAPF, AEM and SOL). As such the Forum helps create a strong network between departments but also between young researchers. Landscape research is a multidisciplinary field which is visible in the range of disciplinary backgrounds amongst the PhD group. The Forum has developed to a platform for exploring the different dimensions of landscape research and to share knowledge and perspectives.

During 2018 we made a number of workshops, field trips and seminars which all will focus on the present and future challenges for creating sustainable urban environments.

Throughout our work, The Forum strives towards an inclusive academic conversation on the issues of landscape as PhD research subject. Through trust, we provide each other a safe space and both a professional and personal collegial support.

The SLU LA PhD Forum is since 2018 a part of the SLU Landscape environment. Read more about the PhD Forum.

With funding from SLU Urban Futures, the PhD Forum was able to conduct a study trip and writing retreat to the Norwegian island community of Træna during 2-6 February, 2020. Moa Björnson, head of development on this small island community with less than 500 inhabitants, invidet us to test stay as “researchers in residence”, a new concept aimed at fostering collaborations between researchers and the community.

We spent our days writing, meeting with city officials, artists in residence, local entrepreneurs (museum, local coffee brewery, at home restaurant, café to mention a few) and inhabitants. And enjoying the amazing and vivid landscape during excursions. Furthermore, we met with project leader Kristoffer Larsen Seivåg, who is managing development project in the city of Bodø.

The study trip included time for solitary focus on ones individual research project, discussions on joint interests and challenges in research, as well as inspiring insights from Moa Björnson on the challenges of planning, environmental sustainability and community building in the arctic region.