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Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson is the new Secretary General for Humanities and Social Sciences
He is Professor of Political Science at the University of Gothenburg, and focuses particularly on election research. In his new role, Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson wants to protect academic freedom and research independence, and also strengthen Sweden as a research nation.
Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson. Photo: Johan Wingborg
Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson has more than thirty years of experience as a teacher and researcher. His research relates to issues such as why we humans have the opinions we do, why we sometimes change our minds, and what explains how we choose to vote in democratic elections.
“My primary research has been about voter behaviour, opinion-forming, and representative democracy. For almost twenty-five years, I have also been engaged as an expert and commentator in the media, primarily in conjunction with democratic elections,” Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson tells us.
He has many years’ experience of leading research, as head of the SOM Institute and as a leader of the Swedish election research programme. When asked what his hopes are for his role as the Swedish Research Council’s Secretary General for Humanities and Social Sciences, his answer is clear:
“I hope to join with many others to contribute to defending Sweden’s position as a strong research nation, and to defend academic freedom and research independence. In Sweden, the general public has great trust in research, and it is important not to take this for granted,” says Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson.
The fact that individual researchers and scientific research results are now being questioned and attacked in a way that has not happened before worries him:
“Now, it is more important than ever to highlight the main drivers and methods of science. Of particular urgency is to build up trust among groups where we have seen it decline in recent years. As Secretary General, I see an opportunity to contribute to this.”
Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson emphasises research as a collective search for knowledge. He is also greatly engaged in issues relating to research infrastructure.
“More projects should be linked to or use the infrastructures that the Swedish Research Council is already funding. If large data collections have been made, then it is important that the data is saved openly in national data archives, so that they can be of benefit to researchers in the future,” concludes Henrik.
Henrik Ekengren Oscarsson will take over the position as Secretary General for Humanities and Social Sciences in January 2025.
The Swedish Research Council has six secretaries general, each with a high level of scientific competence, who contribute knowledge and experience to the organisation
The secretaries general are part of the Swedish Research Council’s executive management team, and initiate, drive and follow up issues within their respective areas of expertise. The secretaries general are active researchers, and usually employed by the Swedish Research Council on a part-time basis for a maximum of six years.
Read more about the Swedish Research Council’s secretaries general
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