Lars Hammarström is the Swedish Government´s appointed Science and Innovation Counsellor to the Republic of Korea at the Embassy of Sweden in Seoul since 2023. Lars has several senior scientific and management positions within large, mid-sized and start-up industries, at leading Swedish research universities and within public sector. He is former Director of the Health and Life Science at the Swedish Innovation Agency, Vinnova, and was previously responsible for international collaboration at SciLifeLab – Sweden’s national center for molecular biosciences

Isabelle Sjövall is a neurodesigner and brain researcher with more than 15 years of experience in managing advanced projects in architecture, design, and the property industry. She specialises in translating research into practical solutions to enhance health, performance, and wellbeing. Isabelle has successfully optimised properties to a total sales value exceeding £1 billion, and is the author of the books ‘Neurodesign’ (published 2016) and ‘Designfulness’ (published 2020). She is educated at the Stockholm School of Economics, Accademia Italiana, Florence, and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King’s College London. Isabelle is currently undertaking her doctorate in the new interdisciplinary field of NeuroDesign, exploring how the brain reacts to built environments, and how architectural design affects humans psychologically and physiologically.

Her research is based at the Faculty of Brain Sciences, at the Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, University College London (UCL). Isabelle sits on several company boards driving questions relating to human, ecological, and economic sustainability.

NeuroDesign is a new interdisciplinary research field about how the brain reacts to built environments and how these impact people psychologically and physiologically. Knowledge about how the brain reacts to built environments has groundbreaking potential to revolutionise urban planning and work aimed at human (health), ecological and economic sustainability, contributing to the UN Goals.

World-leading interdisciplinary research in this field is currently being conducted in the UK at the Institute for Behavioural Neuroscience, together with The Bartlett Faculty of The Built Environment. Both institutions are part of University College London (UCL) and are internationally top-ranked for their research excellence in both neuroscience and architecture. Cutting-edge research can create unique opportunities for Sweden as the first nation in the world implementing new principles in urban planning.

In this session we will dig into this new research area and listen to Ms Isabelle Sjövall, who will tell us more about her research and results.

Speakers

Ebba Carbonnier serves as the Director of the Swedish Quantum Life Science Centre, based at Karolinska Institutet. In her role, Carbonnier leads a consortium of academics, healthcare professionals, and industry representatives from organizations such as the Wallenberg Center for Quantum Technology (WACQT), AstraZeneca, IBM, Karolinska Institutet and Swelife, who work together to develop quantum technology applications for healthcare and industry.

Carbonnier also works with the strategy and management of a Swelife-portfolio with national projects in healthcare and life sciences, including gene sequencing, cell- and therapies, and biobanking. Prior to her work at Karolinska Institutet, Carbonnier amassed 14 years of management consulting experience, where she created strategies, managed multidisciplinary teams and implemented large-scale multinational projects for global companies such as AstraZeneca, Microsoft, and Sandvik. Carbonnier holds an MSc and an MBA with a focus on Operations Management.

Beata has been a front figure in the Swedish tech and startup scene since 1995. She is an expert on innovation and digital transformation in traditional organizations. Her deep understanding of how trends will affect business, leadership and value creation, in combination with an ability to explain complex issues, have made her a sought after speaker and moderator.

Jakob leads the work at Save the Children Sweden on developing innovative approaches to accelerate the protection and empowerment of the world’s most vulnerable children. The innovation lab Growth Hub collaborates in an ecosystem within Save the Children movement and together with external partners sharing the same goals.

Jakob has fifteen years of practical experience in leadership and analysis within innovation management, community development and policy development. He has been Head of Innovation at Stockholm Region, held various manager positions at Vinnova, the Swedish innovation agency, and has experience from EY and Technopolis Group as well as the Government Offices. Jakob has been a board member, advisor and expert in various committees and holds a Msc in political science from Uppsala University and LUISS in Italy.

Jules is the founder and executive director of Cleantech for Europe, the initiative bridging the gap between the European cleantech community and policymakers. He chairs Cleantech for Europe’s Investor and Scale-up coalitions, conveying the experience and input of the cleantech community to policymakers in Brussels and beyond. Jules is also a member of the European Commission’s Innovation Fund Expert Group. He started his career in San Francisco and London, advising the world’s foremost cleantech investors, corporates and governments for more than a decade. Jules is based in France and graduated summa cum laude from Sciences Po Paris.

Dr. Ylva Hansdotter is a recognized XR-expert, known for her work on how XR technologies can shape behaviours, enhance empathy, and contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive society. Her background in strategic advisory adds a nuanced exploration of how XR intersects with real-world challenges and opportunities.
In 2018, Ylva founded XR Impact, a non-profit dedicated to using XR technologies to inspire positive action towards the Global Goals. Additionally, she serves as an external XR expert for the EU Commission, where she combines her academic insights with her extensive industry experience.

Helena Bjarnegård is Sweden’s national architect. She is leading the work within the field of architecture nationally, providing a structure that supports those planning and building in Sweden to create sustainable, inclusive, and well-designed living environments for all. All according to the national policy for architecture, design, art, and culture heritage in Sweden. She leads the steering group consisting of four national agencies all working on commission from the government with implementation of the national policy “Designed living environments”.

Helena is a member of the scientific council for the government research council for sustainable development, Formas and the national contact point for the EU commission´s initiative New European Bauhaus.