Welcome to BTH Jenny Elfsberg!
- Post by: Tobias Larsson
- 26th November 2024
- No Comment
Jenny Elfsberg (PhD) joined Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) in November 2024 as a post-doctoral researcher with home office at Department of Mechanical Engineering, working primarily within the Marine Technology Center (MTC) in the MTC regional research programme funded by BTH and Region Blekinge together with partners. She contributes to regionally funded research projects and other upscaling activities in the area of marine technology and engineering, especially with a dual-use perspective, and have her own project in Efficient Innovation Capability as a base for the work, and one of the recently awarded KKS jubilumsdoktorander will be recruited to support the work of Elfsberg.
Elfsberg earned her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from BTH in 2023 in the innovation engineering area, as an industrial PhD candidate, with the thesis “Innovation Engineering in Practice: Bridging Exploration and Exploitation in Large Manufacturing Incumbents“. For many years, she worked in roles that combine research, development, and innovation. Between 2009 and 2018, she was Director of Emerging Technologies at Volvo Construction Equipment, focusing on future-oriented R&D initiatives. From 2018 to 2020, she led the Hub335 establishment in Mountain View, California, as part of Volvo Group Connected Solutions, where she established Volvo Group’s Silicon Valley foothold from scratch and developed innovation collaborations and partnerships. Leaving that in 2020, she has been Director and Head of the Innovation Management Division at Vinnova, Sweden’s Innovation Agency. She has over the past 15 years focused on helping organizations improve their ability to innovate – internally and in collaborations, work systematically with radical innovation, and bridge between exploration and exploitation.
“We are very fortunate to being able to attract Jenny Elfsberg to BTH and the ongoing initiative in marine technology here, and we look forward to seeing her taking on a lead role in the development of this environment for the future”, says Professor Tobias Larsson of Product Development Research Lab / Mechanical Engineering
Get to know Jenny, here are her own words;
My Research
My PhD explored how large manufacturing companies can stay competitive in the long term by being ambidextrous—balancing exploration and exploitation. Drawing on the concept of “innovation engineering,” I focused on making the process of exploration easier to understand and apply. My research provides tools and methods to help leaders and teams guide innovation efforts and transition companies from identifying as product providers to problem solvers.
Current Focus
I’m passionate about enabling teams to solve complex problems and shape the future with new solutions. I believe that having shared tools and an agreed journey for exploration can make this work both successful and effective. By combining existing knowledge with new possibilities, leveraging data and visualization for better-informed decisions, and strengthening innovation capacity at all levels of an organization, I believe we can bring new ideas to life more quickly.
Joining the BTH Community
I’ve collaborated with BTH for many years—first as an industrial partner at Volvo Group and later as a PhD student. Now, I’m thrilled to join the BTH team through the Marine Technology Center. I’m particularly excited to help build up the MTC while also contributing to BTH’s education, research, and partnerships as a whole.
More info
- Previous publications by Jenny Elfsberg here
- Jenny Elfsberg news items from BTH
- 50 millions in joint investment at Blekinge Institute of Technology in Marine Technology
- ”Volvokoncernen behöver smittas av kulturen här” (DI)
- “Volvoproffsets tips för radikal påhittighet” (DI)