Meet Stockholm Faculty

Ph.D. (Department of Literature, Stockholm University, 2016). M.A. (Comparative Literature, Stockholm University, 1999). Instructor at the Department of Gender Studies at Stockholm University (2010-2013, 2015-current) as well as the 'Gender in Swedish Culture and Society' course at The Swedish Program from 2008-2016. Fields of research interest include gender perspectives in cultural studies, Swedish and international literature, and history. With DIS since 2016.

Studied photojournalism at Nordens Fotoskola (2002). Since then she has worked full time with photojournalism and is specialized in portraits and stories. Anna works mostly for magazines and union newspapers and was the photo editor of the now closed magazine Ingenjören. In 2010 and 2012 she won the Best Photo Award at the Union Press Day.

Ph.D. in Cinema Studies (Department of Media Studies, Stockholm University, 2014). M.St. in European Literature (Oxford University, 2004). Taught Cinema Studies, Fashion Studies and Media and Communication at Stockholm University 2006–2017 (part time), as well as at other Swedish universities. Fields of interest include media history, intermedial studies, visual culture, gender studies and postcolonial studies. With DIS since 2017.

M.Sc. in Psychology, (University of Stockholm, 1988 - 1993). Specialist training in Organizational Psychology and Identity-Oriented Psychotrauma therapy. The first part of her career has been in clinical work, mainly in the public sector. Among other things she has worked with adolescents with psychiatric diagnoses in residential care and multi-problematic families. The last ten years she has worked as an organizational consultant, first in an international consultancy company, where she became Head of Consultants and member of the executive management team. In addition she has worked with personality assessments and management team development internationally, in the Nordics, Russia, Ukraine and the US. Since 2011 she has been self-employed as a clinical and organizational consultant. With DIS since 2016.

PhD in Energy Technology (KTH Royal Institute of Technology 2014 - 2019). Researcher at the KTH Research Initiative on Sustainable Industry and Society (IRIS) platform. Specializes in energy sector subjects, including renewable energy, heating systems and data science in energy systems analysis. Has taught courses in energy management, heat transfer and energy policy and market. With DIS since 2021.

M.A. in Germanic Languages and Literature, Washington University of St. Louis, graduation year 2007. Also Swedish official teaching qualification (subject: languages) from Stockholm University and Stockholm Lärarhögskola, graduation year 2009. Current self-employed at Bee Swedish, a private language business,  since February 2016. Former Education Manager and also teacher in English at Komvux, Folkuniversitetet, Stockholm. Also member of the board at Folkuniversitetet Stockholm. Has been teaching Swedish as a foreign language since 2004, for example at Internationella Skolorna Düsseldorf, Germany and also Folkuniversitetet, Stockholm. With DIS since 2016.

M.Sc. in Clinical Psychology (Stockholm University, 2015), B.A. in Philosophy (Stockholm University, 2013). Visiting student in Politics and Public Policy at New York University, and research internship at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University. Founder of Poplar, a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving political civility in society. Also working as an organisational consultant, focusing on leadership development, stress resilience and well-being. With DIS since 2016.

Mag.Phil. in Literature, History, Psychology and Pedagogics (University of Vienna 1985). University of Uppsala (1985-1986): Scandinavian literature with focus on women in literature from the Vikings until modern times. Founder and Owner of the language company Deutsch Exzellent (1990-). Has recently also been working with immigrants and long term unemployed people. With DIS since 2017.

Obtained her PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience, from Pierre & Marie Curie University in Paris (France). Her research interest started with language acquisition in infants leading to the study of the cerebral processing of language and music in adults. She became interested in neurodevelopmental disorders starting with developmental dyslexia then expending into autism spectrum disorders as well as ADHD. She is using techniques from psychology as well as neuroimaging in her research, this includes MRI (anatomical and functional) as well as EEG and eye tracking. She has been conducting her latest research at Karolinska Institutet Center for Neuro-developmental Disorders (KIND). Her interests include social cognitive skills, empathy and emotion processing within the whole spectrum of functioning from typicality till disorders such as ASD. She has been with DIS since 2016.

M.A. Cultural Studies, Goldsmith’s University of London studying bodies, plasticity, plastic and queerness. Previous Sexual Educator (RFSU and Goldsmith’s student union). CEO at a small charity working for young peoples rights to live in a society free from sexual violence (Föreningen Tillsammans). With DIS Since 2020.

M.D. Ph.D. Professor of Pathology (adj) Karolinska Institutet. Senior Consultant Hematopathologist, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden. Adjunct Professor of Hematopathology, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA. With DIS since 2020.

MBA (Finance, Manchester Business School) and CEFA (Certified European Financial Analyst) from Stockholm School of Economics. Greger has been working for more than 30 years in the financial markets. He has a solid experience as head of large asset management units; 14 years as head of Handelsbanken's fixed income fund management and asset allocation, as well as heading the investment division at the swedish central bank (Riksbanken) in charge of the management of the gold and foreign exchange reserves. Originally, an economist, but he has also worked as quant analyst as well as senior sales in structured derivatives and Private Banking at Handelsbanken. He is an appreciated teacher in economics, bond markets and interest rate products, among other things. Since 2010 he is a subconsultant to Finanskompetens and educates Investment advisors in finance, financial markets and portfolio theory for the SwedSec license. Examples of such employees who need that licence can be investment advisors, brokers, managers, analysts, compliance officers, risk managers and management. Greger has been a member of the Credit Market group in The Swedish Society of Financial Analysts (SFF) for 20 years. With DIS Stockholm since 2017.

PhD student at the Department of War Studies, King's College, London. His research is focused upon various aspects of counter-terrorism, asymmetrical conflicts, and intelligence based police. At the moment he is finishing his PhD thesis on the use of hard power policies in Northern Ireland during the troubles. Some of his latest publications are “A Neo-Nationalist Network: The English Defense League and Europe´s Counter-Jihad Network” (with Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, 2013) and “Terrorism Learning and Innovation: Lessons from PIRA in Northern Ireland” (with Magnus Ranstorp, 2013). He gives lectures on a regular basis in Sweden, Europe, and the United States for academics as well as professionals. With DIS since 2016.

MA and BA in Philosophy, Stockholm University. PhD candidate, Department of Philosophy, Stockholm University. Visiting student research collaborator, Princeton University 2008. Lecturer, Karolinska Institutet since 2008. With DIS since 2017.

Ph.D. student (Political Science, Stockholm University, expected completion 2021). MSc Global Politics (London School of Economics and Political Science, 2012). Assistant Professor at Stockholm University. His current research focuses on business and human rights policies and rising power influence in global governance. Ian also works as a public affairs consultant focused on stakeholder engagement in Sweden, and as a policy analyst focused on Swedish domestic and foreign policy. With DIS since 2021  

Iwo Nord is a trans researcher and educator interested in transgender and queer lives and culture, nuances of agency and power, intersections of the transnational and the local, and questions concerning mobility (travel and migration). The past years he has been committed to building and strengthening Transgender Studies in both the Nordic region and in the former Yugoslav space. Devoted to social change for trans people, he is involved in trans academic and activist alliances, resulting in the forthcoming collaborative volume In Transition: Trans Lives, Activisms, and Culture in the Post-Yugoslav Space, edited by Bojan Bilić, Iwo Nord and Aleksa Milanović. He was one of the founding members of Trans Fest Stockholm, an activist collective that strives to create inclusive and empowering cultural and community events in the Swedish capital. Iwo is a PhD candidate in Gender Studies at Södertörn University, and is affiliated with the Center for Baltic and East European Studies. His doctoral project ethnographically explores Belgrade as a transnational destination for gender-affirming surgery. He holds an MA from the University of Oslo, Norway, and has formerly taught at the Institute of Scandinavian and Finnish Studies at the University of Gdansk, Poland. Iwo’s publications include “Routes to Gender-Affirming Surgery: Navigation and Negotiation in Times of Biomedicalization” in Body, Migration, Re/constructive Surgeries: Making the Gendered Body in a Globalized World, edited by Gabriele Griffin and Malin Jordal (Routledge 2018).  With DIS Since 2020.

A reseacher working within the fields of Health Economics, Migrant health, Health Policies and Infectious Diseases Control. Jad obtained his PhD at the Global Public Health department at Karolinska institutet which focused on health economics and Tuberculosis control. Msc in Health Economy, Policy and Management. Bs in Pharmacy. With DIS since 2019.

Associate professor at the Department of Culture and Aesthetics at Stockholm University. PhD in Comparative Literature at Stockholm University. Visiting researcher at Oxford University and the Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre at the University of Copenhagen. Most recent publication: Filosofen och vargen (The Philosopher and the Wolf) (2015), which deals with the intricate relationship between philosophy and literature, from Plato to Derrida. Current research project: Radical Mimesis: Writing the Other. With DIS since 2017.

PhD in molecular neurobiology (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, 2005), MSc in biology (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, 2000).  Senior researcher and group leader at Science for Life laboratory, department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute since 2010. Group leader of the brain profiling efforts within the Human Protein Atlas project since 2010. Research in identifying the cellular location of proteins linked to brain function and disease. With DIS since 2017.  

I am a cognitive neuroscientist with a passion for human chemosensation, and the goal of understanding the contribution of flavor perception to the regulation of appetite. I hold a clinical Neuroscience PhD from RWTH Aachen University (2010), and an MSc in Neuro-Cognitive Psychology from LMU Munich (2006). From 2010-2014, I was a postdoctoral researcher studying the cognitive neuroscience of smell and taste perception at the University of Pennsylvania and Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, USA.  Since 2014, I have worked at the Karolinska Institute, where I am a senior researcher and lead a research team that studies perceptual processing of food flavor. As part of a Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC), we currently investigate how new flavor preferences are formed, and how they are regulated by signals from the digestive tract. The goal of this research is to understand how we can overcome our preferences for familiar food flavors in favor of healthier or more sustainable options, and thus inspire public health efforts directed towards dietary change. With DIS since 2020.

MD (University of Crete 2016). Research Assistant at the Center for Molecular Medicine (Solna University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet). With DIS since 2017.

PhD (Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, 2020) on complexities of engagement with urban participatory processes involving public sector institutions and art and design practitioners. MSc (KU Leuven, 2013) in Urbanism and Strategic Planning. MSc (KU Leuven, 2010) in Human Settlements. BSc (University of Texas at Austin, 2002) in Architecture. Research Fellow at the International Youth Think Tank (Gothenburg, 2020–⁠present). Motivated by pluralistic approaches to research and design practice, criticality, and creativity. With DIS since 2021.

Ph.D. in Psychology (Uppsala University). As a research psychologist, his work has focused on the ways that novel techniques in research (eye-tracking, pupil dilation, virtual reality) can be used to assess how children and adults perceive and interpret people, emotions, and actions. Josh focuses this research in two fields. In developmental psychology at the Child and Babylab in Uppsala, he seeks to understand how children learn about their world and the social cognitive development of face perception and socialization processes such as gender, race, and ethnicity. In games research at the Games & Society Lab at the Department of Game Design in Visby, Gotland, his work examines the psychology of people, their actions, and emotions in game development, player engagement, learning, and immersion to understand better how different game players (with different personalities, traits, and experiences) interact with various game mechanisms and are, in turn, affected by game experiences. With DIS since 2020.

Ph.D. (Water Engineering, Lund University, Sweden 2012), M.Sc. (IWRM, Cologne University of Applied Science, 2009), M.Sc. (Water Resources and Environment, Jordan University of Science & Technology, 2004). Senior researcher at Lund University (2015-2019). External lecturer & supervisor at the Pan African University Institute of Water and Energy Sciences (PAUWES), Algeria. Has developed courses in Policy Influencing and Conflict Management, Water Economics, Law & Policy of Water Quality & Sanitation, Law and Policy of Water for Agriculture. Consultant at the Centre for Sustainable Visions, Sweden. Has worked in multiple countries, including Sweden, Germany, Jordan, Algeria, Somalia and Syria. With DIS since 2021.

PhD Candidate in History, Department of History/Centre for Medieval Studies, Stockholm University. Taught medieval history at Stockholm University (2012–16). MA in History, Stockholm University (2010). Visiting Scholar to Columbia University (2016), Cornell University (2014) and the University of Navarra, Spain (2012–13). ​Areas of specialization: medieval Scandinavia; medieval Iberia; comparative history; medieval literature; political culture; gender history; the history of emotions. With DIS since 2018.

Specialist and educator in behavioral finance and senior advisor at Council Advisory Services Europe AB. He is author of a Swedish book about behavioral finance; "Börsens Psykologi - så vinner du över dina hjärnspöken och gör bättre aktieaffärer" (Sterners förlag, 2015). Long work experience (+20) in asset allocation, portfolio management and financial advisory from Handelsbanken Asset Management (www.handelsbanken.com) in Stockholm. Educator in behavioral finance and portfolio theory at Handelsbanken.  M.Sc of Economics and Business, Economic Analysis, Örebro University, Sweden. Certified Financial Analyst (CEFA), Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden.

M.A. in Music, Royal College of Music, Stockholm, 2017. Professional Swedish singer, performing regularly in solo, band, and vocal group concerts. Vocal teacher and teacher in music and ensemble with 10+ years experience. With DIS since 2017.

Ph.D. in Forensic Psychology (China University of Political Science and Law, 2010). Post Doctorate in Forensic Psychology (Gothenburg University, 2012). Worked as an organizational consultant in areas of leadership and cross-cultural competence training in Sweden. Also has worked as a teacher and researcher at universities in China, and was promoted to the position of associate professor in China. With DIS since 2016.

Ph.D. (Department of History, Södertörn University, 2017). M.A. (History, specialization Scandinavian History, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, 2010). Assistant professor at the Department of History at Södertörn University (2017-current). Fields of research interest include Early Modern media and international merchant networks; sustainable development in higher education as well as history and future of the Arctic. With DIS since 2021.

MSc degree in Environmental Protection from the Helsinki University and is conducting his Doctoral thesis in value driven innovations in Smart Cities for the University of Wasa. Project manager at the City of Stockholm. More than 25 years of experience in leading development projects and was initiating, developing and is now managing all Stockholm activities in the 5-year EU-funded smart cities and communities (SCC) project GrowSmarter. As Site Manager, he has the overall management responsibility for smart sustainable solutions implementation and demonstration in Stockholm and is working closely with industrial partners. Mika has also worked with the development and execution of Stockholm’s strategy for a smart connected city since 2016. With DIS since 2019.

Monica Siqueiros is a psychologist and a PhD student at the Center for Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet. In her PhD research, she aims to investigate the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to individual differences in cognitive measures associated to Autism Spectrum Disorders and Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder in children and infants combining eye-tracking, EEG and a twin design. With DIS Since 2019.

Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA (2005).  Post-doctoral fellow, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA. Associate Professor Biomedicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Fulbright scholar (1999-2001).  Research in genetic engineering, regenerative medicine, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Has created, designed, implemented and evaluated courses at university level. Acted as Pedagogical Advisor, Development and Regeneration Doctoral Program, Karolinska Institutet. Has participated in national and international committees to evaluate and promote scientific and academic advancements. With DIS since 2017.

PhD in Epidemiology from Karolinska Institutet. MSc in Epidemiology and MSc in European Public Health from Maastricht University, the Netherlands. Research fellow in health politics at Maastricht University (2011-2013). From 2013-2018 doctoral student in the department of Public Health Sciences at the Karolinska Institutet with a research focus on the prevention and societal consequences of childhood obesity. Since 2018 post-doctoral researcher at the Karolinska Institutet. With DIS since 2017.

Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences (Karolinska Institutet, 2012). Post-doctoral fellow in cancer imaging (University of Oxford). Currently a Marie Curie Fellow at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology at Karolinska Institutet. Research focuses on identifying mechanisms of resistance to cancer therapies using imaging, cell biology, and mathematics.

Petra is a serial entrepreneur and venture builder focusing on the areas of future of work, future of education, and mental wellbeing. She has a background as a business and market strategist, and a deep passion for the business development, growth and expansion phases of startups. Already at the age of 19, Petra started her first company. She’s since split her time between career-coaching and consulting startups and smaller companies on their growth journeys. In recent years Petra worked as a Community Manager at one of the first and internationally most recognized startup hubs of the Nordics, SUP46, where she supported over 100 startups. She also helped launch TheNordicHub in Sweden, and developed a sweat equity investment strategy for a venture builder concept. Currently, Petra is dedicated to build her latest company, Upbeater, with the mission to help students and startups reach success by offering ways for them to support each other's growth. During 2020, the company will be releasing a new service, the Upbeater Society, supporting even more collaboration opportunities between students and startups through connections, interactions and gigs.

PhD (2021, The University of Sydney), focusing on the gendered perspective on victimhood in the trafficking of men. MSc (2012, Gothenburg University), BA (2009, Moscow State University). Postdoctoral fellow in Criminology (Stockholm University). Polina’s research interests are within the disciplines of criminology and medical anthropology with a special focus on victimhood, gender, post-trafficking needs and help-seeking behavior. Before commencing her academic career Polina was a migrant counsellor and reintegration assistant at the UN Migration (IOM) mission in Russia. She was engaged in providing direct assistance to migrants in distress including victims of human trafficking and exploitation; and assistance in voluntary return and reintegration.  With DIS since 2016.

Dr. Rebecca (Reba) Howard completed bachelors and doctoral degrees in Chemistry and Chemical Biology from Pomona College and the University of California, San Francisco in addition to a NIH-NIAAA post-doctoral fellowship at The University of Texas at Austin. Previously Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at Skidmore College. She has managed a team conducting biochemistry and electrophysiology experiments as well as molecular simulations to investigate the structure and function of ion channels at the Science for Life Laboratory in Stockholm since 2016. Howard’s recent work includes first-author publications in PNAS, Nature Communications, Cell Reports, etc., and invited talks at the Biophysical Society, International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism, TEDx, and other institutions. With DIS Stockholm since 2018.

BA in Art History and Political Science, Stockholm University, 2006. Project Manager Iaspis international Residency Program 2006-2010, Editor in Chief of NU-E The Nordic Art Review Magazine 2004-2006, Art Critic in Flash Art, Kunstkritikk, Paletten 2005-, Communications Manager and Editor SSE Art Initiative, Stockholm School of Economics 2016-, Course Manager Art Management/Curatorial Studies at Stockholm University 2018-. With DIS since 2019.

Ph.D. in Aesthetics, Department of Philosophy, Uppsala University, 2004. Postdoctoral fellow at the School of Culture and Education, Södertörn University. Researcher at Swedish Academy and Department of Literature, Uppsala university, since 2011. Research focus: Swedish, German and French literature, Critical Thinking, Enlightenment and Romanticism. With DIS since 2020.

M.A. in Political Sociology, Harvard University.  Extensive teaching experience in comparative politics, multiculturalism, globalization, welfare state policy and positive psychology. Works as a Leadership Consultant, bringing the lessons from modern psychology and neuroscience to the world of business. Also an avid squash player and kayaker. With DIS since 2016.

Ph.D  in International Entrepreneurship, Uppsala University, 2020.  M.S. in  International Business Strategy, Linnaeus University, 2012, with double-awarded Thesis on Social Corporate Responsibility of Small and Medium Size Exporting firms. B.S. in Economic and Regional Development, Panteion University, 2010.  Associated Researcher of Uppsala University, granted with Johan & Jakob Stiftelse Research Grant, published research in peer-reviewed international scientific journals: Journal of International Marketing, International Marketing Review, Thunderbird International Business Review, International Marketing Review, and others. Co-author of Handbook on International Alliance and Network Research.

BA and MA in Psychology (Eötvös Lóránd University, Budapest, 2008), BA in Economics and Business Communication (Budapest Business School, 2003), currently working on her Phd in Psychology. Research interests include restorative justice and victims, and cross-cultural communication. Worked as a psychologist with children and adolescents. Susanna is a communication and conflict management trainer and a lecturer at Budapest Business School. With DIS since 2017.

Ph.D. (Department of History, Stockholm University, 2015). M.A. (Euroculture, Göttingen University, Germany, and University of Deusto, Spain, 2008). Postdoctoral researcher at the Department of History, Södertörn University (2017-2020). Senior Lecturer at the Department of History, Södertörn University (2015-current). Fields of research interest include history of Eastern Europe, memory studies, gender history, postcolonial studies, nationalism, and the Second World War. With DIS since 2021.