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Panel 13 – PHYSICS / MATHEMATICS
tion and a clear vision for the future. One exception here might be nuclear
physics, where the visions for the future are not so clearly expressed.
One exceptional challenge for Lund University is the ESS and the MAX
IV synchrotron radiation complex. A unique opportunity for Lund
University and the Öresund region exist for attracting a significant
international scientific powerhouse. The visions and plans for the ESS
was not so clearly expressed in the strategy papers received by the panel,
however, during the site visit it became clear the Faculty of Science has just
launched a strategy initiative that will lay out possible plans for the future.
This also includes the potentials of the MAX IV project. Although not
being directly discussed in the papers, MAX IV can be clearly recognised
as a potential international leading facility with synchrotron radiation
properties unsurpassed by any other storage based facility either in
operation or in planning. This concerns in particular the potential of nano
beams. Exploiting this potential requires strategic planning of the faculty
and the university. During the site visit the panel members clearly felt that
a coherent initiative within materials science and within life science needs
to be taken for the benefit of both ESS and MAX IV. This could take
form of two new centres based on present activities within the faculties: A
Materials Science Centre and a Centre for Life Science. The former should
include both synthesis and characterisation activities, where the life science
centre ought to be much broader based than protein crystallography. Both
initiatives could be taken by a wider collaboration in the Öresund region
1.5 Organisation
The organisation of the University seems a bit heavy and the organisation
within physics somewhat complicated as seen from the outside. The panel
had difficulties in understanding the division between LTH and the
Faculty of Science, and whether this created any difficulties. However,
during the site the panel members were convinced that this was not an
issue that seemed to cause any problems on the daily basis. On the contrary,
the joint physics activities were run very smoothly in a collegial way
between the two faculties and actually made collaboration possible that
might not have been possible in an organisation where the walls between
the faculties had been stronger.
The organisational structure in scientific areas seems to be based on
tradition and history. Nano science and solid state physics are spread over
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