College of Natural Resources and Environment honors doctoral leader in circular economy research

Sahra Svensson-Hoglund, a doctoral researcher in the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials, was named the College of Natural Resources and Environment’s 2026 A.B. Massey Outstanding Doctoral Student Award recipient. 

The award recognizes exceptional doctoral scholarship, interdisciplinary impact, and leadership. Each department in CNRE selects a top doctoral student, then puts forth its nominee for the college’s overall winner. Svensson-Hoglund was nominated from the Departmental of Sustainable Biomaterials.

Svensson-Hoglund’s work stands out for its depth, international scope, and real-world relevance. Before formally beginning her Ph.D. at Virginia Tech, she had already published extensively through international collaborations, including funded research supported by the Swedish Environmental Research Institute and Lund University. 

Her scholarship focuses on how circular economy systems function in practice, particularly how policies, technologies, and consumption patterns affect human well-being. Her research has helped shape how policymakers and researchers understand and evaluate circular economy transitions.

Her work has been described as seminal in connecting circular economy adoption with human well-being — an area now central to sustainability policy worldwide.

In her current postdoctoral role, Svensson-Hoglund is adapting circular economy models and concepts that are typically designed for durable goods, like electronics and appliances, to capture the biomaterial aspects, directly supporting emerging bioeconomy research at Virginia Tech.

What was your academic journey to this point? 
I have an LL.M (master’s in law) and a BBA from Sweden. I came to Virginia Tech specifically for the interdisciplinary Ph.D. program at the Graduate School. 

What attracted you to grad school here?
The short answer is: working with (Associate Professor) Jennifer Russell at the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials and the Individualized Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program at the Graduate School. 

I had worked with Dr. Russell for several years and realized that since research was what I wanted to do, I needed to get a PhD. During this time, Dr. Russell moved to Tech, and I mentioned my research idea to her. She then told me about the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program and what a great fit my research idea was for the program. The prospect of having her as my supervisor closed the deal for me. She is absolutely brilliant and a joy to work with!

What was the scope of your work here?
I was awarded a scholarship from the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Sciences (ICTAS) at Tech, which stipulated that I could not take on any graduate assistant roles. That allowed me to fully focus on my broad research problem, looking at quality of life outcomes from engaging in sustainable consumption in a circular economy. 

That work established foundational models for understanding how circular economy systems affect real people, psychologically, socially, economically, and what conditions are needed to support high well-being outcomes. This, in turn, support adoption, because if we can establish, and communicate, that a circular economy offers enhanced opportunities for well-being compared to today’s systems, that increases social acceptance and support for the circular economy transition.   

Since coming up with this research idea, I’ve become really fascinated by a central tension: the way we currently produce and consume is destroying planet-wide systems and depleting natural resources. This destruction is often framed as a necessary trade-off, something we must accept if we want a high quality of life. But the research shows that that doesn’t holds up. There are at least two reasons why. First, after a certain point, more consumption doesn’t make us better off. In fact, modern mass consumption — often driven by materialism and convenience aspirations — undermine our well-being. Second, more sustainable ways of living and consuming don’t just reduce environmental harm; they can actually also improve our quality of life, such as by lowering living costs, strengthening social connections, and increasing feelings of autonomy and competence. 

So, the paradox is this: we’re currently damaging our only home, planet Earth, while also settling for a lower level of well-being than we could achieve. Changing how we live could not only help preserve a habitable Earth, but also make us happier in the process. 

The challenge lays in capturing exactly what well-being enhancing conditions consist of and how to bring them about. And that is what Russell and I are working on.   

By winning the award, you’ve demonstrated that you’ve been successful here. What are your greatest achievements?
My greatest achievement consists of how I managed to cover so much ground in my dissertation; it consists of nine academic papers across disciplines and methods, and two regular dissertation sections that I am in the process of submitting to three publications.

Across my dissertation, I developed and applied a systems method that I want to spend the coming years refining. All this was made possible because Jennifer Russell trusted my instincts and was not afraid to explore uncharted territories together with me. We made a great team! I also had an exceptionally supportive committee, especially Dr. Joseph Sirgy from the Pamplin College of Business, who helped me navigate the quality-of-life science. 

Any thoughts on CNRE and prospective grad students considering coming here?
CNRE has been very supportive of my journey, and despite being formally with the Interdisciplinary Ph.D Program, I was always made to feel at home at CNRE and SBIO. I experienced some unexpected health issues and both CNRE and SBIO were incredibly helpful and supportive. They sure take care of their students!  

What’s next?
I am currently a postdoctoral research associate in SBIO, working under Russell on modeling the circular bioeconomy. I consider myself very lucky I get to stay on and work with her.