Photo: Thor Balkhed
It's almost lunchtime and students are bustling around Campus Norrköping. Magnus Berggren, the director of the WISE program and founder of the Laboratory for Organic Electronics, arrives at the university. We find a comfortable spot in armchairs by the windows overlooking the Motala stream. The room is bright and airy. Magnus is attentive and ready for our conversation.
Photo: Peter Modin
How is it that you have devoted your whole life to research?
- My devotion to research is based on an incredible curiosity to understand how things work. We have 150 researchers in the lab, and all of us are equally curious people. I believe that curiosity is the absolute driving force among us.
However, it can be different for each person in terms of what they want to use the knowledge for, whether it is to create knowledge in itself or to focus more on applications. As for me, I am somewhere in between. There is also another dimension to consider, which is the creative aspect of creating something from what you find in the lab."
Can you manage your work while sitting at your post?
The response was accompanied by a smile.
-Well, with a team of competent employees, you can collaborate on various tasks and take turns to relieve each other. Additionally, I just attended a meeting with PhD students and postdocs, where they presented some groundbreaking and impressive results.
Photo: Thor Balkhed
"It is amazing to be able to share the results directly from the lab. I still vividly remember the feeling of making my first discovery. Knowing that I was the only person in the entire world who knew about it was an incredibly awesome experience."
What do you think about sustainability?
-It is of utmost importance!
Sustainability is the main focus of WISE's mission. Currently, seven universities in Sweden are working on this project. It all started when a group of researchers were invited by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation to investigate the possibility of implementing such a project in Sweden. After a few days of intensive work, they submitted an application, which resulted in a huge investment that will last until 2033. The foundation has granted 120 projects and is hiring 16 groups of professors. In total, 120 researchers have applied for and received grants.
-It's fantastic news, and it will certainly have a positive impact on Sweden.
How then?
-It is believed that Sweden will lead the way in solving the sustainability challenge. Our country has shown that it is possible to achieve sustainability if one is determined to do so. However, it is unfortunate that the media tends to focus on negative news. Additionally, there is a lack of ongoing research in this area. For instance, we currently only recycle 8.6% of all the materials we extract.
Why is it so slow?
-We have a long history of industrial development spanning hundreds of years. During this time, we have only focused on the properties of materials for specific applications without considering their recyclability or reusability. It is crucial that we assimilate this knowledge now. We have been thriving on the "toil and toss" approach, but we must start thinking differently, even as individual consumers. For instance, I have stopped buying new things. If we take care of our possessions, they can last longer. Changing our behavior doesn't require a lot of energy. We still need to consume materials, but we have overcome other crises before, and we can do it again. Every day, as I work with WISE, I become more convinced that we can solve this problem.
You seem to have a strong inherent belief that things will work out.
-Yes, I grew up with a father who worked in the engineering industry and ran his own business. He was the one who taught me that if you just think creatively and hard enough, you can solve anything. It's also where a lot of my interest in technology comes from. I worked for him in the summer and learned early on about the intensity that comes with the technology industry.
Photo: Thor Balkhed
And who were you as a child?
-Even then I thought it was fun to experiment. And to build model railways! It was an interest I shared with my father. I remember it as extremely fascinating to, for example, get series and parallel connected lights.
The parents were both supportive of furthering their education. The young Berggren chose to study physics and mathematics at LiU and later earned a doctorate with the thesis Organic Light Emitting Diodes in 1996.
-So I got a scholarship to study at Bell Laboratories in the USA. At the entrance to this famous laboratory, six Nobel prizes were lined up. Of course, I wondered what the secret was, imagining a huge research team in there. But it wasn't like that at all. Instead, I met small research groups, of three to five people, who worked in a flat organization where everyone made time for everyone. Having lunch with famous scientists and Nobel laureates quickly became commonplace, and of course, it was enormously inspiring. We have also brought the same mindset here, to work without hierarchy and according to the philosophy that if someone asks for help, no one can say no...
He returns to the importance of skipping the thresholds that separate and keep apart.
-It is important that everyone is happy and perhaps above all that everyone can trust each other. Using energy to reach forward rather than compete. It also suits the Swedish mentality.
And when you are not at work?
-I prefer spending my summers on our island in the archipelago. There, I enjoy carpentry and reading books. My family and I also like to attend concerts, visit museums, and experience other cultures. I'm an old windsurfer who enjoys the winter season. When I'm not working, I like to rest and recharge. However, it's easy to get addicted to the thrill of achieving great results, which can lead to burnout. It's important to learn this lesson early in your career and not let your enthusiasm become destructive.
You are, as I understand it, a highly valued leader.
-I have noticed that students enjoy sharing their results with me because they see that I find it engaging. I particularly enjoy lively project meetings where people think and approach problems differently, while still maintaining a positive atmosphere. It is during these meetings that creativity flourishes. The best meetings are the ones where you enter with one idea and leave with a completely different one, having learned something new and unexpected."
Photo: Thor Balkhed
-As a young person it can sometimes be difficult, you might wonder if it didn't turn out right now. But I think the students feel safe with that, and I am never disappointed with any result. Everything is interesting. It didn't turn out the way we thought, but it turned out like this instead. That it is always possible to make something creative and good out of it.
What are your plans for the future?
- I am confident that WISE will achieve excellence in science, as well as broaden its scope. I hope that we can collaborate with and support the industry to address sustainability issues, particularly those related to materials. Our focus will be on energy, circularity, and climate. Additionally, we aim to develop medical technologies that can have a positive impact.
And is there anything else you dream about?
-You know, if I didn't understand that I'm living in the middle of my dream right now, I'd be crazy...
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