Magnus Andersson
Associate Professor/Vice Dean

Presentation

Magnus Andersson is Associate Professor of Economic Geography and Vice-Dean for Doctoral Education at the Faculty of Culture and Society, Malmö University. His research focuses on regional and urban development, with particular attention to how labour markets, business development, transport infrastructure, and accessibility shape economic development and regional integration.

He uses quantitative and spatial methods, GIS, and remote sensing to develop evidence for research, policy, and decision-making. In recent years, he has focused particularly on cross-border development in the Öresund Region, including labour market integration, commuting, firm location, and the role of transport infrastructure in regional growth.

Collaboration with public-sector and business actors is an integral part of his work. Magnus works closely with municipal and regional business development actors in the MalmöLund Region, as well as with stakeholders across Greater Copenhagen. He has carried out policy-oriented analyses for organisations including the City of Malmö and the Swedish Transport Administration. He publishes regularly in highly ranked international academic journals and contributes to international book projects in regional and urban development, economic geography, and sustainable development.

Since 2011, Magnus has been engaged as a researcher and adviser within the United Nations system on sustainable development and the science-policy interface. He currently serves as a member of the United Nations 10-Member Group of High-level Representatives of Civil Society, Private Sector and Scientific Community to Promote Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs, following his appointment by the United Nations Secretary-General. In this role, he contributes to strengthening the interaction between science, policy, and societal stakeholders and to advancing the use of science, technology, and innovation in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.

His international research also includes the use of geospatial data and remote sensing to analyse sustainable urban development, particularly in rapidly growing cities and regions. He collaborates with researchers and international organisations on new data sources and analytical approaches for improved evidence-based decision-making, including collaboration with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and Laboratory of Construction Materials at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), in the development of a knowledge hub for a sustainable built environment.

Magnus is actively involved in ERSA Nordic, where he serves as Treasurer with responsibility for the organisation’s financial administration. As Vice-Dean for Doctoral Education, he works with the strategic development and quality assurance of doctoral education at the Faculty of Culture and Society. His teaching focuses primarily on economic geography, GIS, quantitative methods, regional development, and international perspectives on urban and regional economies.