Winter 2024/2025 – experts at Luleå University of Technology

Are you a journalist looking for someone to comment on current events during winter, or looking for inspiration for features? At Luleå University of Technology there are many researchers who are experts in various aspects of winter. In the list you will find those conducting research on winter infrastructure, the latest ski technology, winter health, snow crystals and much more. The list is a selection of researchers and may be updated.

Urban planning, buildings and infrastructure

Architecture and winter
Agatino Rizzo, Professor of Architecture, is a researcher in the field of climate-sensitive urban planning in winter cities, focusing on public spaces, snow management, walkability for children and the elderly, climate comfort and energy efficiency.
agatino.rizzo@ltu.se
0920-49 34 38

Structural Engineering and winter
Gabriel Sas, Professor of Structural Engineering, conducts research on the safety of structures and infrastructures. He can provide insights on, for example, snow loads on roofs and ice loads on bridges.
Gabriel.sas@ltu.se
070-391 65 52

Snow and pollution
Heléne Österlund, Associate Professor of Urban Water Engineering, conducts research on snow quality and snow management in our cities. She can talk about, for example, pollutants that occur in stormwater, snow and meltwater – including, for example, microplastics and PFAS, as well as the sources of these pollutants.
helene.osterlund@ltu.se
0920-49 22 94

Urban planning in cold climates
Maria Viklander, Professor of Urban Water Engineering, works with snow and sustainable urban planning and construction in cold climates. Maria is a specialist in sustainable urban water systems and an expert on snow quality, snow melting and snow management in urban areas.
maria.viklander@ltu.se
0920-49 16 34

Green infrastructure and winter
Godecke-Tobias Blecken, Professor of Urban Water Engineering, works with urban green infrastructure and cold climate. He can tell us more about how green infrastructure can be integrated into our cities to make them more sustainable and attractive to live in, how it can contribute to the management and purification of snow and rain and to climate adaptation.
godecke-tobias.blecken@ltu.se
0920-49 13 94

Urban water systems and winter
Annelie Hedström, Professor of Urban Water Engineering, conducts research on resource-efficient, robust and sustainable wastewater systems and cold climate. She can tell you more about, for example, water supply networks and small sewage systems and how they work in winter.
annelie.hedstrom@ltu.se
0920-49 23 09

Sustainable water and wastewater systems and cold climates
Inga Herrmann, Associate Professor of Urban Water Engineering, works with small-scale wastewater treatment and source separation systems in cold climates. Inga is an expert in decentralized "low-tech" and ground-based wastewater treatment techniques and has, for example, investigated how snow and cold affect the treatment processes.
inga.herrmann@ltu.se
0920-49 25 28

Ground frost, frost heave, thaw weakening and permafrost
Sven Knutsson is a Senior Professor of Soil Mechanics. His main research interests include frost depth, frost heave, thaw weakening, extension and degradation of permafrost, stability and safety of water retention dams and tailings dams. He has worked with these issues for more than 40 years and can answer questions about most questions related to frost penetration and frost heave. For example, how frost affects infrastructure and when we get even and uneven frost heave and thaw weakening and reduced bearing capacity of roads in spring. Consequences of climate change on frost.sven.knutsson@ltu.se
0920-49 33 12

Railway

Railway maintenance and cold climate
Luleå Railway Research Center (JVTC) External link, opens in new window. is a centre that, in collaboration with stakeholders, conducts applied research and innovation focused on the operation and maintenance of railways. The aim of the research is to make rail transport more attractive and sustainable, through better punctuality and lower climate impact. The cold climate in the north offers challenges related to rail transport in general, and operation and maintenance in particular. Luleå University of Technology has many researchers working on various issues related to this. The railway research is coordinated within JVTC, which is coordinated by Veronica Jägare.
veronica.jagare@ltu.se
072-5429420

Rail transport and winter issues
Ulla Juntti, Adjunct Professor of Operation and Maintenance, conducts research on maintenance safety and climate adaptation. She can tell you more about, for example, how severe weather conditions affects the operation and maintenance of railway infrastructure, rail traffic and logistics, as well as the resources required to maintain operations.
ulla.juntti@ltu.se
070-526 50 35

Winter climate measurements
Matti Rantatalo, Associate Professor of Operations and Maintenance, is a researcher within condition monitoring. He can tell you more about, for example, what it takes to measure the condition of railway components in cold and snow.
matti.rantatalo@ltu.se
0920-49 21 24

Railway maintenance and winter delays
Peter Söderholm, Associate Professor of Quality Technology and Logistics, can tell us why trains are delayed in winter. Bjarne Bergquist is Professor, and Erik Vanhatalo Associate Professor, of Quality Technology and Logistics.
All three can tell us about how the inland climate in the north, with extreme temperature differences between summer and winter, means that both the rails and the substrate expand and shrink considerably between the seasons, which makes maintenance of railways in the north more challenging.
bjarne.bergquist@ltu.se
0920-49 21 37
erik.vanhatalo@ltu.se
0920-49 17 20
peter.soderholm@ltu.se

Energy

Hydrogen and cold climate
The Centre for Hydrogen Energy Systems Sweden (CH2ESS) External link. is a research and knowledge initiative focusing on the use of hydrogen in industrial processes and energy systems, in close collaboration with Swedish industry, with the aim of replacing fossil fuels and meeting the global climate transition. Hydrogen technology needs to be adapted for cold climates, such as special adaptations for measuring equipment, frost-free depth for hydrogen pipes or risk of frost damage to components. Luleå University of Technology has several researchers working on various issues related to this. Hydrogen research is coordinated within CH2ESS, which is led by Cecilia Wallmark.
cecilia.wallmark@ltu.se
070-549 20 76

Carbon dioxide capture and batteries
Xiaoyan Ji, Xiaoyan Ji, Professor of Energy Engineering has conducted research on CO2 capture and electrolytes for batteries. She can answer questions related to these areas.
xiaoyan.ji@ltu.se
0920-49 28 37

Economy and society

How winter can make a place attractive
Maria Ek Styvén is Professor of Industrial Marketing. Places with long winters can attract tourists and new residents interested in skiing or who find winter exotic. Maria Ek Styvén can tell you how places in northern Sweden can be marketed using winter as a selling point.
maria.styven@ltu.se

0920-49 15 01

Health care planning and planning of snow removal in winter
Sofia Hellqvist is a Doctoral Student of Accounting and Control. She can tell us about how winter affects the planning of health care interventions. In winter, more slip and fall accidents occur. In many parts of Sweden, long distances and winter road conditions also affect the cost of health care. Another public expenditure that requires budgeting is snow removal. This is challenging to plan since you never know in advance what the winter will be like.
sofia.hellqvist@ltu.se
0920-49 13 04

Cold as an economic advantage
Amanda Curry is Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Control. She can tell us why the cold climate has attracted companies like Facebook to northern Sweden.
amanda.curry@ltu.se
0920-49 10 84

Winter as a source of inspiration and entrepreneurial advantage
Mats Westerberg is Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. He can tell us about how winter can be a prerequisite for certain entrepreneurial ideas, such as the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi, Facebook's cold storage facilities in Luleå and the car testing industry in Norrbotten.
mats.westerberg@ltu.se
0920-49 18 08

Winter's impact on culture and ability to recruit labor
Johan Sandström is Professor of Accounting and Control. He can tell us about how the cold climate in the north has affected people and culture. He can also talk about the conditions for recruiting labor to cold places and how migrants deal with cold and darkness.
johan.sandstrom@ltu.se
0920-49 31 13

Cold winters and high electricity prices
Patrik Söderholm and Linda Wårell are Professor and Assistant Professor of Economics respectively. They can tell us about how cold winters affect electricity prices.
patrik.soderholm@ltu.se
0920-49 20 78
linda.warell@ltu.se
0920-49 19 41

Employees' Christmas and production loss
Jerry Blomberg is Senior Lecturer of Economics. 2024 is the employees' Christmas, i.e. the total Christmas holiday can be maximized by taking a minimum of time off during the intermediate days. Jerry Blomberg can tell us about the impact of employees taking time off during Christmas on productive capacity.
jerry.blomberg@ltu.se
0920-49 23 35

Political processes in cold climates
Charlotta Söderberg and Gregory Poelzer are Associate Professor and Associate Associate Senior Lecturer of Political Science respectively. They can tell us about how winter climate affects living conditions in the north and how it requires special demands on political decisions and processes. Gregory understands Swedish but prefers to speak English.
charlotta.soderberg@ltu.se
0920-49 23 83
gregory.poelzer@ltu.se
0920-49 29 18

History

The railway during winter in history
Roine Viklund, Senior Lecturer of History can tell you about the railway in winter.
roine.wiklund@ltu.se
0920-49 16 50

Winter transportation in historical times
Curt Persson and Judit Malmgren, Associate Senior Lecturer and Doctoral Student in History, respectively, can talk about the importance of winter for accessibility in historical times. Sledding and skiing conditions, as well as ice, meant that many longer journeys were often made in winter rather than during the bare ground period. Reindeers were a means of transportation, especially for mining and agriculture in the north.
curt.persson@ltu.se
judit.malmgren@ltu.se
0920-49 28 44 (Judit Malmgren)

Seasonal land use, natural resources and winter survival in historical times
Dag Avango, Lars Elenius and Judit Malmgren are Professors and Doctoral Student in History respectively. They can all tell you about how people in northern Sweden have survived in winter, what tasks were relegated to the winter months and how the land has been used when covered with snow. They have knowledge of the historical living conditions of the Sami, the Tornedalians, the Kvens and the Lantalaiset, but can also comment on the Swedish-speaking population. A starting point for their research is that an understanding of northern conditions in historical times can help to understand the conditions in the Arctic in our time.
dag.avango@ltu.se
0920-49 15 73
lars.elenius@ltu.se
0920-49 12 59
judit.malmgren@ltu.se
0920-49 28 44

Security, geopolitics and winter in historical times
Dag Avango and Roine Viklund are Professor and Senior Lecturer in History respectively. They can tell us about how winter in the European Arctic has influenced security issues and geopolitics in historical times, and how historical conditions resonate in the field of security in our own time.
dag.avango@ltu.se
0920-49 15 73
roine.wiklund@ltu.se
0920-49 16 50

Health and psychology

Walking and cycling in winter
Anna-Karin Lindqvist, Associate Professor of Physiotherapy, has conducted research onactive school transportation External link. and how children's health can be promoted by walking or cycling to school. A special effort has been made to increase active school transportation during the winter, when the climate offers challenges in the form of snow, cold and slippery ground. She can also comment on general questions about cycling and walking in winter.
Anna-Karin.Lindqvist@ltu.se
0920-49 39 86

Balance, slippery ground and winter mobility
Agneta Larsson, Associate Professor of Physiotherapy, conducts research on interactions between environmental factors, human behaviour and performance, with a particular focus on Arctic and subarctic environments. For example, what older people perceive as obstacles and opportunities for moving outdoors in winter.
agneta.larsson@ltu.se
072-539 06 53

Hot and cold baths
Åsa Engström, Professor of Nursing, mainly researches acute and intensive care, but also has research projects on the health effects of sauna baths that also involve cold baths and winter baths.
Asa.Engstrom@ltu.se
0920-49 38 75

The health effects of winter nature
Gunilla Johansson, Lecturer in Nursing, has in her thesis investigated how nature-based interventions for people with stress-related illness work during northern Sweden's winters.
gunilla.1.johansson@ltu.se
0920-49 24 46

Health-promoting experiences in VR
Päivi Juuso, Associate Professor of Nursing, conducts research on, among other things, the health-promoting effects of nature. She is currently working on a project that examines whether nature experiences with VR glasses can also be positive for health. Can the virtual experience be a complement for people who have difficulty getting out, not least during cold dark winters?
paivi.juuso@ltu.se
0920-49 38 97

Mental health in winter and a fresh start at New Year's
Alexander Rozental, Professor of Psychology, can answer questions about mental health in winter and seasonal depression. He has also been involved in research on New Year's resolutions, goal setting and new beginnings at the turn of the year.
alexander.rozental@ltu.se
0920-49 33 44

Psychological well-being during winter and group psychology in winter sports
Markus Nyström, Associate Professor of Psychology, can answer questions about psychological aspects of winter, such as well-being. He also has knowledge of group psychology, for example how it can affect performance in winter sports.
markus.nystrom@ltu.se
0920-49 39 50

Health psychology
Malin Anclair, Senior Lecturer in Psychology and licensed psychotherapist, works in the field of health psychology and clinical psychology. For example, she can answer questions about winter and mental well-being, as well as treatments for common conditions such as stress, anxiety and depression. For example, cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness.
malin.anclair@ltu.se
0920-49 38 28

Learning

The winter landscape as a learning environment
Niklas Johansson is a Doctoral Student in Education with a focus on environmental and outdoor education. His thesis work is about Arctic farmers' experience-based and place-based learning. He can, for example, answer questions about how the winter landscape can be used as an educational learning environment.
niklas.1.johansson@ltu.se

Atmosphere, space and climate

Climate change and winter
Mathias Milz, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Science, is a meteorologist working on atmospheric radiative transfer and remote sensing of climate-relevant parameters. He can answer questions about climate change and its impact on winter.
mathias.milz@ltu.se
0980-675 41

Ice and snow in the atmosphere
Thomas Kuhn, Professor of Atmospheric science, conducts research on snowflakes, snowfall and ice particles in clouds. He has designed instruments that take microscopic images of snow crystals. See image at the top of list.
thomas.kuhn@ltu.se
0980-675 38

Winter in space
Axel Hagermann, Professor of Atmospheric Science, works on the solar system beyond the snow line. His research covers icy moons and climate on other planets.
axel.hagermann@ltu.se
0980-675 83
Available from December 12.

Northern lights, engine heaters and ski jumping
Lars-Göran Westerberg, Professor of Fluid Mechanics, has previously conducted research on the mechanisms that enable the solar wind to reach the Earth and ultimately form the northern lights when colliding with the atmosphere. He can answer questions related to solar wind and aurora. He has also done research on lubricants, oils, engine heaters, plasma technology and plasma physics, and can answer questions about these subjects related to winter and cold. In addition, he has a background as an elite athlete in ski
jumping.
lars-goran.westerberg@ltu.se
0920-49 12 68

Ice on comets, other planets and in the lab
David Haack is a Visiting Researcher in Atmospheric science. He conducts research on ice and the surfaces on comets, Mars and Ceres in the asteroid belt. The ice is reconstructed in the lab. He can also answer questions regarding surface-forming processes on celestial bodies, what happens to cometary surfaces when their ice content is heated by the sun, ice and water on other planets and moons and how to detect ice via remote sensing.
david.haack@associated.ltu.se
0980-675 46

Snow and ice

Snow – storage, quality and measurement methods
Nina Lintzén, Senior Lecturer in Experimental Mechanics, conducts research on the mechanical and physical properties of snow and ice. Among other things, she can answer questions about snow storage and snow production, snow quality and measurement methods to quantify the properties of snow. She is also a skier and has won the worlds longest ski race Nordenskiöldsloppet.
nina.lintzen@ltu.se
0920-49 17 47

Winter road maintenance, winter tests, wind turbines and snow measurements
Johan Casselgren, Associate Professor of Experimental Mechanics, conducts research on friction monitoring linked to winter road maintenance, snow monitoring in winter tests of tires and vehicles, development of road surface classification linked to autonomous driving, and measurements of mechanical and physical properties of snow and ice. He can answer questions about friction measurements, snow quality and measurement methods to quantify snow properties. He has also conducted research on ice formation on wind turbines and has been on an expedition to Antarctica to study snow and satellite measurements of snow depth.
johan.casselgren@ltu.se
0920-49 14 09

Materials, gadgets and machines in cold climates

Friction – from shoe soles to skis or machines
Roland Larsson, Professor of Machine Elements, conducts research on friction, wear and lubricants. He can tell you more about, for example, friction issues related to winter. Ski friction, tire friction, slippery walkways and shoe soles. He can also answer questions about the operation of machines in low temperatures.
roland.larsson@ltu.se
0920-49 13 25

Walking safely in winter
Glenn Berggård, Senior Lecturer in Architecture, has a long experience of research on how footwear and studs/anti-slip devices can make it safer for pedestrians outdoors in winter.
glenn.berggard@ltu.se
0920-49 17 11

Material systems in cold climates and development of shooting technology
Pär Marklund is Professor of Machine Elements. Among other things, he is responsible for a course for the Swedish Armed Forces on how material systems work in cold climates. His specific area of expertise is about how, for example, lubricants work in the cold and what limitations this entails. He also conducts research on technical developments in areas such as biathlon and lead-free ammunition.
par.marklund@ltu.se
0920-49 24 15

Eco-friendly materials, skis and ski wax
Nazanin Emami is Professor of Machine Elements and an expert in the manufacture of new self-lubricating and eco-friendly polymer composites for load-bearing applications in many fields. The main areas of her active research in ski technology are development and characterization of ski coatings and PFAS-free waxes.
nazanin.emami@ltu.se
0920-49 19 39

Why are some things poorly designed for winter climate?
Åsa Wikberg-Nilsson and Jörgen Normark are Professor and Senior Lecturer in Design respectively. They can explain why and how different gadgets, from houses to cell phones, are poorly designed for the northern climate. In some areas, however, better adaptation has begun, for example in the automobile industry.
asa.wikberg-nilsson@ltu.se
0920-49 13 42
jorgen.normark@ltu.se
0920-49 14 80

Skiing and winter sports

Elite sports, skiing and studies
Joakim Abrahamsson is the director of the elite sports-friendly university that enables students to pursue dual careers (elite sports and studies). He is the former coach of the Swedish national cross-country ski team and project manager for a new competence center with a special focus on skiing – cross-country, alpine, biathlon and ski orienteering.
joakim.abrahamsson@ltu.se
070-372 10 03

Winter sports and technology
Andreas Almqvist is a Professor of machine elements and director of The Swedish Centre for Sports- and Performance Technology External link. , a center formation at Luleå University of Technology with the aim of conducting multidisciplinary activity-related research focused on performance and technology in sports and health. His research includes friction in skiing.
andreas.almqvist@ltu.se
0920-49 24 07

Winter sports and performance
Ann-Sofie Lindberg is Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy and active in The Swedish Centre for Sports- and Performance Technology External link.. Her research include performance and downhill skiing.
ann-sofie.lindberg@ltu.se
0920-49 23 73

Winter sports and skiing research
Hans-Christer Holmberg, Adjunct Professor of Physiotherapy and Senior Advisor at the The Swedish Centre for Sports- and Performance Technology External link., has conducted research on sports physiology, sports technology and various aspects of skiing. He also has 24 years of experience as Head of Research and Development at the Swedish Olympic Committee.
integrativephysiobiomech@gmail.com