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Pia Nykänen

Researcher

Philosophy and Logic unit
Mail
pia.nykanen@gu.se
Visiting address
Renströmsgatan 6
41255 Göteborg
Postal address
Box 200
40530 Göteborg

About Pia Nykänen

My academic education has mainly been in practical philosophy, literary studies, art history and two years at the writing programme Literary Composition at Valand, The Academy of Art and Design. From 2012 to 2020 I was a senior lecturer in educational sciences.

Research: I have a PhD in practical philosophy with the thesis Fundamental values, democracy and tolerance – On public school education in a multicultural society. My main research interest and early scientific production have been from a moral and political philosophical point of view with a focus on issues of upbringing and education.

From 2016, I have been interested in ethical issues in social work and social services. In 2016-2019, I had a Flexit position funded by the Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences, where my project dealt with evidence-based practice and shared decision-making in social services. Since 2019, I also collaborate extensively with Swedish and South African researchers from social work.

2025-2027, I am working together with researchers from Lund University (the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine) in the FORTE-funded project "Post-sepsis: a patient-oriented perspective on the recovery phase following sepsis infection".

 

Teaching: From 2001 to 2022, I have taught at the Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science, the Department of Education, Communication and Learning, the former Department of History of Ideas and Theory of Science and at the Unit for Pedagogical Development and Interactive Learning.

I have taught several different courses in practical philosophy (normative ethics, political philosophy, history of philosophy and aesthetics), in teacher education and Liberal Arts as well as courses for university teachers. I have supervised students in discipline-specific courses in philosophy, Liberal Arts and pedagogy. I have had course responsibility and coordinator assignments for both larger (about 500 students) and smaller courses at different levels.

Collaboration: The external assignments I have done include, for example, various lectures on ethics and values for Krus (The Competence Council for Development in the State), DISI (Diversity in the Swedish Industry), the County Administrative Board of Blekinge County, the Gothenburg City Office and others.

I have also lectured to employees in social services, both on ethical and value issues as well as on evidence-based practice, user participation and shared decision-making. In this area, I have also participated in various assignments for the National Board of Health and Welfare and the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services. Since 2021, I am a member of the National Board of Health and Welfare's Ethics Council. In 2022-2023, I was commissioned by the Ministry of Education and Research to work on an ethical analysis for a government inquiry.

Management assignments: 2015-2016 I was Deputy Head of Department and then Vice Head of Department with special responsibility for doctoral education at the Department of Education, Communication and Learning.