PhD course offers insights into Life Cycle Assessment
Highlights from the PhD course held 25 August–18 September, 2025
The biannual PhD course Advances in Life Cycle Assessment offers PhD students and professionals an in-depth overview of current developments in life cycle assessment (LCA), covering both methodology and practical applications. The course is designed to provide participants with a clear picture of where LCA research stands today and where it is heading.
“We hope that the students gain much new knowledge about current advances in LCA. Hopefully, this will help them to understand LCA better and become stronger LCA researchers and practitioners,” says Dalia Abdelfattah, Associate Professor at SLU and one of the course leaders.
Equally important is the opportunity for participants to build a network within the LCA community.
“Throughout the course, the PhD students get the chance to discuss and learn from each other’s experiences, reflect on their own and others’ research in relation to current LCA research, and engage in networking activities,” says Rickard Arvidsson, Associate Professor at Chalmers and one of the course leaders.
The course leaders also highlights the importance of equipping participants for continued learning.
“After the course, we hope they know where to look for further insights, should the need arise. And that they have gained a network of LCA researchers and practitioners that they can continue to interact and learn together with,” says Dalia Abdelfattah.
Networking a highlight of the course
One participant, Nadja Fager, works as an LCA coordinator and practitioner at Volvo GTT, leading life cycle inventory (LCI) and LCA work within the organisation.
“I was motivated to take part in the course to gain deeper knowledge into what is currently ongoing in the LCA field,” says Nadja Fager.
Reflecting on the course, the value extended beyond the course content.
“The knowledge I learnt and will use in my further career was gold. However, what I valued the most was the network of PhD students and lecturers I had the pleasure to meet and connect with,” says Nadja Fager.
Learn more about the course
The PhD course Advances in life cycle assessment is a collaboration between the partner universities within the Swedish Life Cycle Center (SLC): Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Chalmers University of Technology and KTH Royal Institute of Technology.
