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Head of Department Letter December 2025

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A Different Year

We are soon coming to the end of 2025, a year that in many ways turned out very differently from 2024.
The International Year of Quantum Physics has given us a real energy boost, not least at the Rydberg Meeting Place (Mötesplats Rydberg). It has also been a year of major applications, which we hope will soon bear fruit, and a year in which future-oriented issues took centre stage.

At the beginning of the year, the Light and Materials profile area presented its vision for Science Village. Later, both the SV Project Group’s report and the Future Group’s report on operational development for physics were published.

There is much to say about these reports, but I especially want to highlight the report on operational development. Partly because I have been involved in the work myself, and partly to extend a heartfelt thanks to Adam Burke, Anne-Lise Viotti, Christian Bierlich, and Pontus Roldin for their fantastic contributions and inspiring discussions.

Thanks also to all of you who have read the report and provided valuable feedback! An updated version has now been submitted and will be presented to the two faculty boards later in December, at the same meetings where Science Village is on the agenda.

The compilation of feedback shows an impressive breadth of ideas and suggestions, and yes, also a certain concern about the future. This is natural. But we also see concrete areas that can be improved immediately: greater cohesion, more exchange between research divisions, and stronger community among researchers, technical staff, and students.

The report is fundamentally an inventory, not a list of ready-made conclusions. That was what time and material allowed. Now the real work begins—making things concrete. What should we tackle first? What are our priorities and visions? What additional perspectives do we need?

The simpler questions we can start addressing straight away; we just need to get going. The bigger questions require more reflection and dialogue. We will continue discussions with the faculty leadership about the practical conditions needed to realise our ideas. And perhaps it is also time to invite experienced external voices, as a complement to the work we did around RQ20? One thing is certain: following up on the operational development report will be one of the most important items on the agenda for 2026.

It is still early December, and much remains to be done before we take our Christmas break. But already now, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, with new opportunities and exciting challenges ahead!

Else Lytken

Head of the Department of Physics

Last updated: 2 Dec 2025