At the end of August, the new class of WASP PhD students gathered in Linköping for the Community Building Summer School (CBSS) 2025. This week-long event marked the official start of their journey within Sweden’s largest research program in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and software.
The program was designed to give students a broad introduction to WASP, combining lectures, workshops, and company visits with plenty of opportunities to connect with peers.
One of the highlights for many participants was the company visits to Sectra, Qualcomm, and the National Supercomputer Centre in Linköping, offering insight into how academic research connects with real-world challenges.
“I found the company visit to Sectra especially engaging. It offered a clear view of how research connects with industry, and the discussions were insightful thanks to the knowledge and engagement of both the hosts and the audience.”
— Samuel Erickson, KTH
The week also included a full day at the Visualization Center in Norrköping, where students learned practical approaches to communicating their research through effective data visualization.
“Martin Falk’s lecture on data visualization was incredibly valuable. Often, we are so focused on code or mathematical models that we overlook how to present our results. Learning best practices for creating clear and elegant graphs will help me communicate my research more effectively in papers and presentations.”
— Angela Checa, Umeå University
Beyond the lectures and visits, CBSS served as an important platform for building connections across disciplines and universities. Students described leaving the week with new tools for their research, a clearer sense of WASP’s breadth, and a strong feeling of belonging to the program’s community.
As the WASP PhD Class of 2025 begins their doctoral studies, CBSS has set the stage for collaboration, inspiration, and discovery. Welcome!
Published: September 17, 2025
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