Professor Mats Hanson is a globally recognized academic leader with over four decades of experience in education, innovation, and institutional development. He served at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden for nearly 40 years, where he played a pioneering role in establishing mechatronics as a field of research and education in the early 1980s. Now a Professor Emeritus, his lifelong passion lies in advancing education—from teaching and learning methodologies to the development of entire academic programs.
Throughout his career, Professor Hanson has held several key leadership roles, including Vice-Rector for Education, School Dean, and Pro-Dean, while serving on multiple academic boards. He co-founded the KTH Learning Lab in collaboration with the Stanford Learning Lab and was one of the originators of the internationally acclaimed CDIO (Conceive-Design- Implement-Operate) initiative, developed in partnership with MIT.
From 2012 to 2015, he served as the Founding Dean of Education at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), a world-class research university in Moscow. In addition to his academic contributions, Professor Hanson also brings entrepreneurial experience through his involvement in startups related to mechatronic applications.
As Chair of Faculty for the United In Diversity Foundation and the Tsinghua Southeast Asia Center, Professor Hanson leads the intellectual design and development of integrated academic programs, research initiatives, and innovation ecosystems. He is also actively involved in recruiting visionary faculty members to shape the future of interdisciplinary education.