Marcus Öhman awarded the Vice-Chancellor's Medal of Merit 2026

Marcus Öhman, Professor of Energy Engineering at Luleå University of Technology, has been awarded the Vice-Chancellor's Medal of Merit 2026 for his outstanding and long-standing contributions to research, education and the development of the university. For nearly 20 years, he has played a leading role in building an internationally recognised research environment and developing education in energy engineering.

“It is, of course, a great honour and a real pleasure to receive this award. I see it as recognition of the work we have done together. I am extremely proud of what we have achieved together through hard work, strategic decisions and collaboration with colleagues around the world,” says Marcus Öhman.

When Marcus Öhman joined the university as Professor and Head of Subject in 2007, the Energy Engineering research subject had eight members, three of whom worked in what would later become the separate research subject of Electric Power Engineering. This marked the beginning of an intensive period of rapid growth, new research collaborations and the development of the Master's Programme in Sustainable Energy Engineering. Today, the Division of Energy Science, which also includes Electric Power Engineering, is an established research environment with more than 70 staff members and an extensive international network.

Creating opportunities for others

Over the years, Marcus Öhman's role has evolved. While he initially focused on his own research, an increasing part of his work has come to involve developing the organisation and helping colleagues grow. An important part of this has been recruiting researchers with complementary expertise and giving them the freedom to develop their own ideas.

“Many of our excellent professors and associate professors started their careers with us as PhD students or early-career researchers. Seeing them develop into internationally recognised researchers and skilled teachers is a real joy,” says Marcus Öhman.

For him, building a strong research environment is not just about individual research results, but about creating something that will last. By bringing together different areas of expertise and encouraging independence, the research environment has continued to grow and develop.

Research and education connected to society

Collaboration with companies, research institutes and other universities has been an important part of his work from the beginning. These connections provide new perspectives and research questions while helping to ensure that education develops in line with the needs of society and industry.

“We are engineers, not just researchers. That means we need to understand the needs of companies and society if our research is to make a real difference. It is equally important for our teaching that we stay up to date with the conditions and challenges outside the university,” says Marcus Öhman.

The development of the Master's Programme in Sustainable Energy Engineering has gone hand in hand with the growth of the research environment. Marcus Öhman now sees opportunities to develop the education further through a new master's programme.

“I look forward to creating an interesting master's programme linked to our engineering programme. This is also important for recruiting future PhD students,” says Marcus Öhman.

Marcus Öhman will receive the Vice-Chancellor's Medal of Merit at Luleå University of Technology's Academic Ceremony on 14 November. The medal recognises outstanding contributions to the university or distinguished achievements within its areas of activity.

• Energy Engineering