ReseaRch Quality assuRance foR the futuRe a ... - Lund University

Panel 12 – science bio/geo
whose thesis projects largely reflect and form part of ongoing research.
A post-graduate studies committee oversees provision of training and
post-graduate courses. They appear to be maintaining numbers in postgraduate
education, despite a European trend of declining interest (no
data on undergraduates).
4. Department of Physical Geography
and Ecosystems Analysis (INES)
4.1 Overall assessment
The current department (from 2002) is a result of a strategic merger of the
former Department of Physical Geography with a group of plant ecologists
from the former Department of Ecology. This merger appears to have led
to re-invention of the department, which is now strongly focused on the
basic understanding of earth-system processes and the human impact on
the earth system, with particular emphasis on terrestrial vegetation. These
themes fit well with future research directions at national and international
level. The department comprises a total staff of 59 (24 academic staff,
11 doctoral students, 24 other personnel), with specific breakdowns by job
title, age, gender and permanency of post as follows.
Academic staff:
Four Professors, mean age 56, 0% female, 100% permanent
Eleven Senior Lecturers, mean age 46, 18% female, 91% permanent
Nine Research Fellows, mean age 38, 56% female, 0% permanent
Doctoral students:
Eleven, mean age 32, 73% female, 0% permanent
Other personnel:
Twenty-four, mean age 42, 33% female, 63% permanent
Using this analysis, the age structure among researchers appears slightly
more balanced than for some of the departments at Lund in the biogeosciences.
There is a recent appointment as an adjunct professor to expand
an ongoing close collaboration between the Swedish Meteorological and
Hydrological Institute (SMHI) and INES. Further appointments concerning
ocean carbon cycling and biogenic volatile compounds / aerosol
measurement are in progess.
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