Was it an easy decision to stay on?
“Oh definitely, I communicated my interest both in the application and in interviews. Ever since I was a doctoral student, I have wanted to see an increased use of synchrotron radiation in Swedish research.”
What do you feel most proud of since you became acting director in March 2022?
“As soon as I was asked, the idea of transforming MAX IV from being a research facility where staff did not always feel very good into something better was a given. Earlier, I found myself on the outside and I had opinions, but here I had the opportunity to do something from the inside. Naturally, there is a lot of work still to be done, but it seems to me that there is a positive outlook and that we are on the way to the change we need.
Can you expand?
“We are assessed by the Swedish Research Council every year, and until their most recent evaluation the criticism was often harsh. It goes without saying that this affects you as an employee, I think everyone can relate to that. Now, however, the Swedish Research Council say that there has been great change for the better, and I think that is evident in everyone who works here.”
What challenges does MAX IV face?
“We have a shortfall in next year’s budget of SEK 100 million, money that the University has applied to the Government for. It is an acute problem, deficits on that scale do not just cause a headache for those taking decisions, they also affect the entire organisation.”
What happens if the Government says no?
“Then the recruitment freeze will continue, and we would have to concentrate on maintenance, as much as we can afford to do. We would not have a single user on the floor of the facility, and we would not be able to deliver even a single hour of experiment time for Swedish research.”
What do you think about the fact that MAX IV consumes five or six times as much energy as the rest of the University put together?
“That’s a multifaceted question. You can respond with “that’s the way it is” and that MAX IV is the world’s most efficient synchrotron radiation facility, because we are. We use around 27 GWh per year. There are similar, older facilities around the world that use much more energy. But sure, the fluctuations in the price of electricity are very alarming and energy consumption can be viewed as a societal issue. Society could potentially say that we have to shut down so that the hospital can keep running, that is something we have to accept.”
Why are you known as “Charlie”?
“That’s a bit embarrassing. My name is Karl-Olof and when I was younger, I was Lille Karl – the Swedish name of Snoopy’s Charlie Brown character. My dad did an awful lot of work in England, he thought it was funny, so he started calling me Charlie Brown instead. Charlie has stuck, but at least I’ve managed to shake off Brown.”
