New director at Hultgren Laboratory
With increased accessibility and an expanded instrument park, Anders Tilliander wants to offer the lab’s services to small and medium-sized companies.
Hello, Anders Tilliander, what is Hultgren Laboratory?
”It is a materials characterization lab for research and materials development, with a special focus on metallic materials, open to both academia and companies.”
What made you say yes to being the new director?
”It was something new. It was also the challenge of getting the lab to expand and become accessible. There is also a lot of work behind the lab we have today. Much is already in place thanks to my predecessor Peter Hedström and the other employees.”
What makes you particularly suitable for the assignment?
”I am not an instrument specialist, so we complement each other, me and the others in the lab. My specialty is to make things work, and I think that can be useful now that we are entering the next phase, which is about structure and setting routines.”
How can companies work with the lab?
”When it comes to small and medium-sized companies, we can assist with process development or materials development for customers. It can be difficult for them to have all the technology and expertise in the company. Even larger companies may need us. They do not have the same research capacity as we do, with advanced instruments and expertise. Collaborations can also look different. Some get a license and do the work themselves, some get help all the way.”
How will Hultgren Laboratory develop in the future?
”We continue the work of expanding the lab with more measuring instruments, so it becomes a complete materials characterization lab. We also want to increase the accessibility for people outside KTH, both for those who want to do research and those who want help with material characterization. It should be easy to come to us, regardless of who you are.”
What are the biggest challenges?
”Now that we have grown so much in short time, it is important to create routines that make it possible for us to continue to provide a good service, even though the workload increases. We also try to increase the knowledge about the lab, about what we can do and how we can support Swedish research.”
What is the most popular instrument?
”It is SEM – the scanning electron microscope. It has the highest occupancy.”
Text: Alexandra von Kern