Eva Björck

Eva Björck is professor emerita in special education at Jönköping University in the CHILD research environment from 2025. She was inaugurated as professor 2006 and had a position as CEO and academic leader of the School of Learning and Communication (HLK) at Jönköping University between 2006 and 2013. Between 2013 and 2018, she was principal secretary for educational science at the Swedish Research Council (VR) in Stockholm. She is Extraordinary Professor at the Center for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Faculty of Humanities, at the University of Pretoria in South Africa.

Research

Eva Björck's research focuses on Early Childhood Intervention and Inclusion in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). As a member of the WHO task force on children and youth, she has participated in developing the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth, ICF-CY. She has been involved in research projects where the ICF-model and ICF-CY is central and in research focused on special education and early intervention in the preschool and habilitation context. Today she is the leader of a project on participation and engagement of young children i preschool. 

At the European level she was the European coordinator of the Transatlantic Consortium on Early Childhood Intervention between 2001-2013.  She was Swedish project investigator for the coordinated action MHADIE (Measuring Health and Disability in Europe) in the EU 6th framework Programme on Research, Technological Development and Demonstration, and project investigator for the Swedish part of the EU FP6 Marie Curie Research Training Network MURINET (Multidisciplinary Research Network on Health and Disability in Europe). She is a member of the steering committee of the International Society for Early Childhood Intervention and expert in Special Olympics committé for children with intellectual disabiities. Eva was a member of the Norwegian committee for evaluation of services for children in need of special education (Midtlyngudvalget, 2007-2009). She has been engaged as evaluator for FP5- and FP6-projects in the European union, i.e. midterm review and ethic review board. She has evaluated the research at the Department of Psychology and Education, Porto University and been the chair for one of the panles in ERA19, evaluation of research at Malmö University . She was an expert in a project on Inclusive Early Childhood Education at the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education from 2015-2017, and was part of a group that did an audit of inclusiveness in the Icelandic  school system in 2016. 

Biography

Eva Björck has a background in psychology and education. She graduated in psychology at Göteborg University, and practiced as a clinical psychologist in the child health area. She also has a master degree in early childhood intervention from University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA, and has practiced as a consultant in child habilitation services. She graduated with a PhD in Education at Göteborg University, 1990, and has worked as a researcher in early childhood intervention, education and special education. Her dissertation “Measuring sensation seeking" focused on the validity of a sensation seeking scale for children in secondary school and the relation between sensation seeking, cognitive variables and attitude to school and learning. She has published extensively in the fields of Early Childhood Intervention and Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

In 1993 she became associate professor at Göteborg University and 1999 professor of education at Mälardalen University. She initiated the research program CHILD together with professor Mats Granlund in 2001. She was vice-president of Mälardalen university from 1999-2005, and acting president for two periods, in 2003 and 2004 - 2005. 2006-2013 Eva was dean of the School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University. She was appointed secretary general of Educational Sciences at the Swedish Research Council from 2013-2018. Today she works 50 percent at Jönköping University, School of Education and Communication.

Eva has long experience of leadership within the Swedish university system and in the Swedish Research council. She has been a boardmember in universites/university colleges and in the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education, STINT. She has been vice chair in NordForsk and has been involved in national and international organisations such as EU and WHO.

Research

Eva Björck's research focuses on Early Childhood Intervention. As a member of the WHO task force on children and youth, she has participated in producing the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth, ICF-CY. She is involved in research projects where the ICF-model and ICF-CY is central and in research focused on special education and early intervention in the preschool and habilitation context. Today she is the leader of a project on participation and engagement of young children i preschool. 

At the European level she was the European coordinator of the Transatlantic Consortium on Early Childhood Intervention between 2001-2013.  She was Swedish project investigator for the coordinated action MHADIE (Measuring Health and Disability in Europe) in the EU 6th framework Programme on Research, Technological Development and Demonstration, and project investigator for the Swedish part of the EU FP6 Marie Curie Research Training Network MURINET (Multidisciplinary Research Network on Health and Disability in Europe). She is a member of the steering committee of the International Society for Early Childhood Intervention and expert in Special Olympics committé for children with intellectual disabiities. Eva was a member of the Norwegian committee for evaluation of services for children in need of special education (Midtlyngudvalget, 2007-2009). She has been engaged as evaluator for FP5- and FP6-projects in the European union, i.e. midterm review and ethic review board. She has evaluated the research at the Department of Psychology and Education, Porto University and been the chair for one of the panles in ERA19, evaluation of research at Malmö University . She was an expert in a project on Inclusive Early Childhood Education at the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education from 2015-2017, and was part of a group that did an audit of inclusiveness in the Icelandic  school system in 2016. 

Biography

Eva Björck has a background in psychology and education. She graduated in psychology at Göteborg University, and practiced as a clinical psychologist in the child health area. She also has a master degree in early childhood intervention from University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA, and has practiced as a consultant in child habilitation services. She graduated with a PhD in Education at Göteborg University, 1990, and has worked as a researcher in early childhood intervention, education and special education. Her dissertation “Measuring sensation seeking" focused on the validity of a sensation seeking scale for children in secondary school and the relation between sensation seeking, cognitive variables and attitude to school and learning. She has published extensively in the fields of Early Childhood Intervention and Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

In 1993 she became associate professor at Göteborg University and 1999 professor of education at Mälardalen University. She initiated the research program CHILD together with professor Mats Granlund in 2001. She was vice-president of Mälardalen university from 1999-2005, and acting president for two periods, in 2003 and 2004 - 2005. 2006-2013 Eva was dean of the School of Education and Communication, Jönköping University. She was appointed secretary general of Educational Sciences at the Swedish Research Council from 2013-2018. Today she works 50 percent at Jönköping University, School of Education and Communication.

Eva has long experience of leadership within the Swedish university system and in the Swedish Research council. She has been a boardmember in universites/university colleges and in the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education, STINT. She has been vice chair in NordForsk and has been involved in national and international organisations such as EU and WHO.