Maria Ljunggren is an Associate Professor of Sustainable Materials Management at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. Her research supports informed decision-making for a more sustainable use of material resources.
Maria Ljunggren is Associate Professor of Sustainable Materials Management at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. She holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences with a specialization in Energy Systems Technology and an MSc in Mechanical Engineering, both from Chalmers.
Her research supports informed decision-making for the sustainable use of material resources, with a particular focus on evaluating the environmental sustainability of circular strategies. She develops and applies systems-based approaches, including life cycle assessment, dynamic material flow analysis, circularity indicators, and criticality assessments. Her recent work addresses circular strategies for vehicles, batteries, industrial motors, and critical raw materials.
Maria collaborates closely with industry, end-of-life actors, and policymakers. From 2022 to 2024, she was appointed by the Swedish government to investigate economic policy instruments for a circular economy. Since 2020, she has contributed to the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre on the circularity of critical raw materials in vehicles. She also serves regularly on national expert groups, including the Swedish Delegation for Circular Economy’s working groups and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s Waste Council.
Beyond research, Maria is dedicated to education and outreach. She is the examiner for Sweden’s first Master's-level course in circular economy and actively engages in public communication on sustainable material resource management.
She joined the Panel in May 2025 for a 1-year engagement period, before being considered for full membership by May 2026 (as per IRP standard policies)