Ala Arvidsson is looking forward to take on her new assigment as co-director in Transport Area of Advance.
Ala Arvidsson has been appointed new co-director in Transport Area of Advance. She will take on her new assignment 1 May, as Kajsa Hulthén will be stepping down from the role after six years as co-director. We took the opportunity to ask Ala to briefly introduce herself.
Tell us a little about yourself
“My name is Ala Arvidsson and I am an associate professor in technology management and economics at the division of Supply and Operations Management at the Department of Technology Management and Economics at Chalmers. My research is focused on interactions, collaborations, and coordination between firms and organizations to improve their flows along the supply chain."
"Since 2014, I have been involved in several projects looking at these topics. My research spans from areas relating to urban logistics to issues relevant for vehicle manufacturers, for example how they can ensure continued supply to their operations while maintaining sustainability and technological relevance. Not only is there potential to make environmental and economic gains in collaboration, but it is necessary to collaborate to tackle the related challenges. So, much of my research focuses on the how and why questions to these topics.”
What attracted you to Transport Area of Advance?
"I have been interacting with the Transport Area of Advance since 2014, and as I moved to Gothenburg from Lund university to continue my research. The area of advance has allowed me to shape my research and my research community in Gothenburg through their different initiatives. So, at this point, it’s very exciting to be involved in the organization and coordination of this community!"
"While I have been studying the transformation of the automotive industry, including automation and electrification, from my research lens, it will be very exciting to engage with the larger research on the transport system, all the way from developments (like EV batteries and fuel cells) to the improvements of flows and movements, servitization of the industry, and actor behaviors and choices. In all these aspects, we constantly see the need for more interactions and collaborations cross-border (e.g., discipline, sector, industry) to address needs and issues in our societies. It will be interesting and exciting to learn more about all the different approaches and research related to this connected to Transport Area of Advance and to engage in bridging gaps and finding potential synergies."
How will you take on your new assignment, what happens next?
“I will start later in the spring with getting even more familiar with the infrastructures, processes, networks, and systems. I find it very important to share knowledge across our usual borders to address transport system issues. So, I’m very excited to continue the great work at Transport Area of Advance for this purpose.”