Research can take very different paths and directions, says Bengt Ahlgren at RISE
Meet Bengt Ahlgren, Senior Researcher at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden and Associate Director for Testbeds and Data at Digital Futures. Bengt is also a Co-PI of the research project Decision-making in Critical Societal Infrastructures (DEMOCRITUS) at Digital Futures.
Hi Bengt Ahlgren, describe your role at Digital Futures?
– The centre has ambitious goals for demonstrating and evaluating digital solutions together with partners and in societal-scale test-beds. My role is to pave the way for digital futures researchers and partners to realise these demonstrations and evaluations in collaboration with existing test-bed facilities.
Tell us a bit about your long-time experience in research and what motivates you as a researcher?
– One thing that intrigues me as a researcher is the very different paths and directions research can take. Sometimes it is straightforward to apply a result in industry or society, but at other times it is a very long and winding road, perhaps via multiple research groups. The insight is that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to plan for societal impact and that it is important to build research bottom-up, on the ideas of the individual researchers.
Finally, tell us a little bit about yourself! Any research dreams?
– My research since I started as a PhD student has always been experimental and systems-oriented in the field of computer networking and networked applications. Using this experience, I hope that I can be part of realising at least one societal-scale demonstrator in the context of Digital Futures.
Link to the profile of Bengt Ahlgren
