Katarina Howner

I am a medical doctor and double specialist in psychiatry and forensic psychiatry. I obtained my PhD in 2010 with the thesis: Offenders with Mental Disorder: Psychosocial and Neurobiological Aspects, at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet. Since completing my PhD, I have continued my research at Karolinska Institutet, and since November 2021, I have been the researchroup leader for the research group Forensic behavioral neuroscience. In May 2022, I became an Associate Professor in Psychiatry. Currently, I am employed as a senior consultant at the National Board of Forensic Medicine, where I work with forensic psychiatric assessments part-time and spend the remaining time on research. I have also served as the Director of Studies for the Research School in Clinical Psychiatry at Karolinska Institutet from 2021-2025.

Education:

Basic course in Criminology, Stockholm University, Spring 1995

Medical degree, Karolinska Institutet, 1996-2001

Medical License, 2004

Step 1 Training in Cognitive Therapy, Danderyd Hospital, 2008-09

PhD, Karolinska Institutet, 2010

Specialist in Psychiatry, 2013

Specialist in Forensic Psychiatry, 2018

Associate Professor in Psychiatry, Karolinska Institutet, 2022

My research area focuses on the biological correlates of psychopathy and lack of empathy. I have led a postdoctoral project, From Gene to Brain – Various Aspects of Psychopathy (GeBra), which is divided into two parts:

GeBra I: This study involves data from incarcerated offenders in all Class I prisons within the Swedish Prison and Probation Service.

GeBra II: This study focuses on brain imaging and examines psychopathic traits according to the triarchic model. Data collection was completed in early 2025.

Furthermore, I am the deputy project leader for the research project RPU 2.0, conducted at the National Board of Forensic Medicine, where we investigate the relationship between mental disorders, crime type, and victim relationship. Within this project, there are several subprojects, including: TriFE Project: This subproject examines the triarchic model of psychopathy and its relationship to fearlessness temperament and empathy. We study individuals undergoing forensic psychiatric assessments and their ability to interpret emotional expressions and heart variability in relation to psychopathic personality traits.

I am also the principal investigator for a population-based registry study that investigates parents involved in custody disputes. The study maps their profile prior to the dispute and the potential consequences for both parents and children.

Finally, I am in the initial stages of a new doctoral project, The Time Before the Crime, which is a medical record review study examining individuals undergoing forensic psychiatric assessment and their contact with psychiatry three months before the crime.

I regularly give lectures in the undergraduate education for doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and police officers on the topics of personality disorders and forensic psychiatry. I also regularly teach a course on brain imaging techniques within the research school in clinical psychiatry, as well as a course on psychopathy and PCL-R assessments at the National Board of Forensic Medicine (RMV). Since Autumn 2021, I have been offering a specialist training (ST) course in forensic psychiatry. Additionally, I regularly lecture for specialist training doctors (ST) in psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, and addiction medicine.

Completed main supervision: PhD Malin Pauli (2020).

Completed co-supervision: PhD Karolina Sörman (2015), PhD Shilan Caman (2017).

Ongoing main supervision: Hannibal Ölund Aloso (2017-), Ayman Fakih (2019-), and Tim Tengberg (2025-) at Karolinska Institutet.

Ongoing co-supervision: Anja Fernqvist (2021-) at the University of Gothenburg.

I have previously, together with my research colleague Shilan Caman, run a popular science podcast where we explore psychological phenomena behind human behaviors: "Det Mörka Psyket" (www.detmorkapsyket.se).