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About me

I am Carl Heath. I am a senior researcher and focus leader in the area of digital resilience at RISE. I am also a doctoral student at the Department of Applied IT at the University of Gothenburg, affiliated with SCDI – the Swedish Center for Digital Innovation. I work with the Swedish Agency for Psychological Defence on assignments related to research and education. In 2018, I was appointed by the Swedish Government as a Special Counsel for the Protection of Democratic Dialogue in the inquiry “Democracy in a Digital Age,” where I lead a national initiative on media and information literacy, and safeguarding democratic discourse. Central to this work were questions about how to strengthen society’s resilience against disinformation, propaganda, and online hate. I concluded this assignment by submitting a report to the government in the fall of 2020.

I am engaged in applied research connected to issues about society’s digital structural transformation. Through the doctoral school in digital governance at the Swedish Center for Digital Innovation (SCDI), my research focuses on exploring and understanding the significance of leadership and political organization in the context of renewal and transformation within the public sector. Additionally, I have a strong interest in democracy in the digital age, as well as innovation related to digital resilience, civil protection, and total defense.

Background

Before starting at RISE, I worked with the Swedish Armed Forces, Riksteatern, Sverok, the National Council of Swedish Youth Organizations (LSU), and Technohuman AB. I spent over a decade at GR (Gothenburg Region Association of Local Authorities), where I founded GR Experience-Based Learning (now part of the Pedagogical Centre) and led the Department of Educational Collaboration and the High School Admissions Office.

I studied social and political science, earning a master’s in applied information technology from the University of Gothenburg. I was among the first global cohort of Internet Society Fellows, studying internet knowledge, geopolitics, strategic foresight, systems, service design, and leadership at institutions including Sciences Po and Oxford Internet Institute.

My full CV can be found at LinkedIn.

Projects

I have led several projects and initiatives, including:

  • Resilient Information Systems at RISE: Strengthening applied research and innovation in resilient information systems and digital resilience to enhance Sweden’s capabilities and resilience.
  • LOFT Partnership: A municipal leadership partnership for renewal and transformation with six municipalities, RISE, and Mälardalen University.
  • Developing Sweden’s National Day: A long-term project with the Foundation for Sweden’s National Day to evolve the celebration.
  • NORDIC PINE: Leading exercises against undue information influence with NATO’s Science & Technology Organization (STO) SAS-183.
  • Technical Foresight for Police: Research and development project on future technological opportunities and challenges, including AI, quantum computing, homomorphic encryption, and additive manufacturing.
  • R&D for the Swedish Psychological Defence Agency: Developing training and exercise support materials.
  • Digital Ecosystem for Learning: Exploring the development and implementation of the Total Learning Architecture concept within the Swedish Armed Forces.
  • School at Home: A national project addressing the educational impacts of Covid-19.
  • Digitalsamtal: A podcast on digital civics with journalist Anders Thoresson.
  • Children Make: Merging maker culture with children’s rights and international relations, in collaboration with the Swedish Institute.
  • Makerspace in Schools: A national test bed funded by Vinnova to deepen and spread work with maker culture, makerspaces, and programming in schools.
  • SIDD – Swedish Initiative on Digital Diplomacy: Developing and conducting Design Thinking workshops for international diplomats on behalf of the Swedish Foreign Ministry.
  • CBRNE Learning: Developing a participant-centered, mobile learning environment for emergency services personnel.

Advisory and Board Roles:

  • Board Member at Nätverkstan (2024–)
  • Jury Member, WIN WIN Gothenburg Sustainability Award (2024–)
  • Member of the Media Support Council (2024–)
  • Vice Chair, Psyopsförbundet (2023–)
  • Board Member, Futurion Think Tank (2023–)
  • Advisor for the Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket) on ICILS (2020–2024)
  • Board Member, Swedish eHealth Agency (2020–)
  • Jury Advisor, WIN WIN Gothenburg Sustainability Award (2022–2023)
  • Jury Member, “Årets Nätängel” (Internet Angel of the Year) (2018–2023)
  • Advisory Board Member, Fojo Media Institute (2021–2023)
  • Member, Chalmers Departmental Board for CLS (2019–2023)
  • Member, FORES Scientific Council (2019–2020)
  • Evaluator of Digital Art, Swedish Arts Grants Committee (2017–2021)
  • Expert on Digitalization and Learning, Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket) (2016–2018)
  • Board Member, Interactive Institute Swedish ICT (2014–2016)
  • Member of the Government’s IT Strategy Group (Cultural and Educational Affairs) (2004–2006)

Awards

I have been honored with several awards over the years, including:

Art and Applied Artistic Research

As the founder and member of Scenlaboratoriet, I have produced and co-created “Placebo” (2013), “Human and Machine” (2014), and “In a Coded Reality” (2014). I served as an assessor for digital art at the Swedish National Artists’ Committee from 2017 to 2022.

Courses and Education I’ve Led

  • Educational Game Design (Academedia) Teacher (2007-2010)
  • Introduction to Games and Learning (Malmö University) Teacher (2007-2010)
  • International Project Management (Vocational College) Teacher (2006-2009)
  • Pedagogical Project Leadership Training (Vocational College) Education Manager and Teacher (2003-2005)

Lectures

I frequently lecture in Sweden and internationally, in both Swedish and English. Topics have included:

  • Protection against malign information influence and desinformation
  • AI and societal development
  • Leading and Organizing for Innovation and Transformation
  • Media and Information Literacy
  • Digital Civics
  • Lifelong Learning

Conferences I’ve Spoken at Recently

  • Hong Kong University (2018)
  • BETT Show (2018)
  • UR 40 Years (2018)
  • GREATER (2018)
  • Book and Library Fair of Göteborg (2018)
  • Folk och Kultur (2019)
  • Konstfack (2019)
  • SKR (2019)
  • Parliamentary Seminar (2019)
  • Stora Samhällsgalan (2019)
  • Book and Library Fair of Göteborg (2019)
  • MUCF National Conference (2019)
  • SVERD (2020)
  • Offentliga Rummet (2020)
  • Book and Library Fair of Göteborg (2020)
  • SKR’s Democracy Day (2021)
  • Almedalen (2022)
  • NORDIC PINE (2022) (NATO exercise)
  • Swedish Armed Forces (2022)
  • NORDIC PINE (2023) (NATO exercise)
  • Book and Library Fair (2023)
  • Internetdagarna (2023)
  • Styrelsekraft(2023)
  • Swedish Police (2023)
  • Folk och Försvar (2024)
  • Riksbanken (2024)
  • Almedalen (2024)
  • NORDIC PINE (2024)
  • Kyiv, Ukraina (2024)
  • Lviv, Ukraina (2024)
  • Gimokonferensen (2024)
  • Malmö Stad (2024)

Workshops

I lead workshops and facilitate processes in various areas, both in Sweden and abroad. I’ve overseen processes in countries like the UK, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Ukraine, Greece, Uganda, Zambia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, and the USA. Themes have included democracy, change management, digitalization, environmental scanning and analysis, design, and design thinking.

Games and Excersises

  • NATO STO SAS-191 Nordic Pine 2024 Tabletop Training Exercise (2024) – Participated in an advanced tabletop exercise focusing on strategic and operational decision-making in a NATO context.
  • The Influence Campaign – Training Material on Protection against Foreign Influence and Malign Information (2024) – Developed comprehensive training material in Swedish, English, and Ukrainian to enhance resilience.
  • Democracy Workshop at the Swedish Parliament (2005-2014) Designer
  • Smitta, Love, Love Not, and Positive. Games on sexual health and rights (2004-2008) Designer
  • Pank. Game on consumer rights issues (2008) Designer.
  • Full game biography at Nordic LARP wiki.

Interactive Films

  • The Advisors (2006) (Script, Director, Producer)
  • The Advisors (2008) (Script, Director)
  • The Human Rights Film (2010) (Script, Director, Producer)

LARPs

Since 1992, I have written, designed, and produced numerous live action role-playing games (LARPs). These include Testament (1998), OB7 (2002), and REVA (2012). For a complete game biography, visit Nordic Larp Wiki.

Media

Videos via RISE can be found here, here and here.
Parts of my academic writing are available on Research Gate.
I co-hosted the podcast Digitalsamtal with Anders Thoresson
I have been a Digital Public Educator on Swedish Radio’s Uppkopplad.
I also co-hosted the podcast Livslångt with Katarina Pietrzak and Sandra Löv.

Contact

LinkedIn: Carl Heath
BlueSky: @carlheath.se
Mastodon: @carl@heath.social
Email: carl.heath@ri.se

Opinions, thoughts, and comments on these pages are personal.