I received my PhD in Sociological Demography from Stockholm University with a dissertation on children’s living conditions in stepfamilies, focusing on how family structure is associated with children’s well-being and school outcomes. I am Associate Professor (Docent) and Senior Lecturer in Social Work, and my research broadly focuses on family change, separation and divorce, and their implications for children’s and families’ living conditions. Before joining Södertörn University, I worked at Stockholm University, Karlstad University, and Princeton University.

My research, which mainly addresses issues related to divorce and separation, examines how different family forms—such as joint physical custody, stepfamilies, and single-parent households—are shaped by social and institutional conditions and how these, in turn, affect children’s everyday lives, relationships, and well-being. A recurring theme in my work is the interplay between families, welfare institutions, and social inequality, as well as how family change is managed in different societal contexts. I also work with international and comparative perspectives on family change, including studies of gender norms, divorce patterns, and life-course trajectories across countries and welfare systems.

Methodologically, I primarily use quantitative approaches based on survey data, administrative registers, and longitudinal analyses. My research aims to contribute empirically grounded knowledge about changing family conditions and about how social policies and institutional contexts shape the life chances of children and families.

I am the Chair of the Recruitment Committee for Social Sciences, Natural Sciences and Technology (RK SAM), a member of Södertörn University’s Pedagogical Merit Assessment Committee and an Excellent Teacher.

Key research areas
• Divorce and separation
• Children’s living conditions and development
• Custody arrangements and joint physical custody
• Migration in the Nordic and Baltic Sea region

Ongoing research projects
I am currently involved in three research projects:

From adoption to adulthood: Family formation and labor market trajectories of international adoptees and their children in Sweden.
Funder: Forte (Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare)

Vulnerability and partnership dynamics in the Baltic Sea region: Similarities and differences within and between Eastern European and Nordic countries.
Funder: The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies (Östersjöstiftelsen)

Strategic Enforcement Model for Undermining Criminal Networks (SEMUN). Funder: The EU Internal Security Fund (ISF)