Congratulations, Steven! Where does your engagement come from and what made you choose a career in sustainability?

Thanks! I am really honoured to be recognised, and included among amazing young people around Sweden working with sustainability. I think this honour reflects the importance of the academy, when combined with education and research impact. I believe universities have the responsibility to work closely with society to co-create knowledge for sustainability, and translate that knowledge to be useful for society. Generating research impact has become an important feature of my academic career.

For me, sustainability has meant acknowledging my privilege and responsibility, as well as finding new ways to live, work, and contribute to society. I have found it necessary to take on roles that I may otherwise not have been comfortable with, for example, climate activism, engaging politically, taking on leadership roles, and providing my voice to a sustainability podcast. 

You’re one of the founders and co-host of the podcast Advancing Sustainable Solutions. It’s now into its fourth season and it’s recognised as being in the top 10% of all podcasts globally. How did you come up with the idea to start a podcast?

I recognised the need to communicate sustainability research to an audience in a way that listeners could evolve in their thinking or change their behaviour towards sustainability. Compared to academic publishing, podcasting is more accessible – research findings are translated into meaningful content for a target audience and episodes are widely available on any major podcast platform.

It’s great to interact with our listeners and hear how episodes have inspired new thinking or behaviour. The podcast has been important for the department as well – we’ve integrated the podcast into our educational offerings, included the podcast as an impact pathway in funding proposals, and the podcast has supported recruiting new staff and prospective students. As PhD students, I initiated the podcast with my colleague, Sofie Sandin. Since, the team has included Karolina Södergren, Katherine Shabb, and Frans Libertson, all of which are early career researchers.

You recently started a post-doc position at the IIIEE. What is your research focusing on?

I research sustainable business models – those that are economically viable, environmentally sustainable, and socially just. They engage stakeholders, create non-monetary value for society, and consider a long term perspective. My work contributes to the QUEST Project, which examines the sustainability impacts of these business models, as well as the conditions that influence their success. The Project is funded by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket). I mention this, because I appreciate that our research has an audience, where we are able to contribute to their work with sustainable consumption and production, for example, by providing synthesised knowledge to support policy development, implementation, and evaluation. 

I’d also like to add that I absolutely love teaching and supporting our students to learn the skills and knowledge to be effective change agents. I teach the course 'Environmental Science and the Anthropocene' in the Environmental Management and Policy Master's Programme. I strive to create an inclusive and empathic learning environment, engaging in active and blending learning techniques. I am super proud of my contribution to our educational offerings.

You’re only 31 but have already accomplished a lot and you have made a journey from Wisconsin to a rural farm in Sweden and research and education at the IIIEE. Where will we see you in 10 years from now?

Indeed, my partner and I recently rescued an abandoned farm in Småland, where we look to renovate the home sustainably and transform the barren fields into a permaculture paradise. I really value getting my hands dirty to create tangible material value – as crops – which we can use to sustain ourselves and contribute to our local community.

Beyond this, I think the next ten years will be defined by uncertainty and complexity, where individuals and institutions will be called upon to do more in the face of growing social and environmental challenges, including Universities. I certainly wish to continue a career in academia, but I also am unwilling to compromise my values and mental health. I will continue to lend my efforts to improve academia for all, by addressing predatory publishing, perverse performance incentives, and job insecurity for early career researchers. Whatever the future holds, I wish to be a part of any solution, and will give my all in doing so!

Listen to the podcast Advancing Sustainable Solutions

Learn more about Steven’s research in the Lund University Research Portal

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