Kristina Ek elected Supervisor of the Year

Kristina Ek, Professor of Economics and merited teacher, at Luleå University of Technology has been named Supervisor of the Year 2025. The prize is awarded by the Student Union (Teknologkåren) and the PhD Student Association.

She is genuinely surprised by the award.

“I am very surprised. I think being a supervisor is difficult, difficult but fun. As a supervisor, you often have to balance, for example, between freedom and control.”

She attended a supervisor training program at Stockholm University. The most important thing she learned from it is that there is not one way to be a supervisor.

“It's not so easy to answer what a supervisor is. What you actually do as a supervisor. It's very different from person to person, both who you are as a supervisor and who the doctoral student you meet is. Different individuals have different needs.”

Kristina Ek is a doctoral student representative, which means that she gets to hear the doctoral students' stories when the relationship with the supervisor is not working so well. This has been helpful in her own role as supervisor.

“Sometimes it is about the doctoral student and the supervisor interpreting a situation differently. The doctoral student's interpretation of what the supervisor says was not always what the supervisor intended. As a supervisor, it is important to be clear and understand the situation.”

Own supervisor a role model

She likes to point to her own supervisor, Patrik Söderholm, as a role model.

“Patrik didn't give many opinions, either positive or negative. Instead, he focused on giving me ideas on how I could work further. He was inspiring.”

An important change that has affected the supervisory role over time is the increasing emphasis on the doctoral student's personal development. The thesis is proof of this, but the doctoral student is also expected to develop more general skills, including being able to communicate their research and reflect on or argue for their positions, something that is practiced, for example, by participating in various conferences in their subject.

Kristina Ek finds the role of supervisor stimulating.

“Sometimes, the doctoral student gets stuck or loses self-confidence. In that case, be encouraging but don't put pressure on them. I think you can have clear communication as long as doctoral students feel that you wish them well. All this is easier said than done. But I dare say that I have a great commitment to my doctoral students. The collaboration becomes very personal and it feels great when doctoral students succeed.”

The motivation reads:

“Kristina Ek distinguishes herself as a supervisor through her commitment far beyond the academic. She guides and supports her doctoral students in research and studies and also contributes greatly to creating a welcoming, inclusive and open working climate. She is described as a colleague and mentor with a genuine interest in the well-being and development of her doctoral students. Her door is always open – for discussions about scientific theories, methodological issues and the everyday challenges of research life. Kristina encourages new thinking and innovation by giving her doctoral students the confidence and freedom to explore new ideas and methods, while ensuring with a confident and experienced hand that projects stay on course. In doing so, she boosts their confidence and helps them develop into independent researchers. All of these qualities exemplify what it means to be an excellent supervisor. It is therefore with great pleasure and gratitude that we award Kristina Ek the Swedish Technological Union's prize for Supervisor of the Year 2025.”