We meet on the bridge outside his office. The industrial landscape stretches out, and the rapid waters beneath us are turbulent. Norrköping has beautifully restored its old neighborhoods, and it's here that Reverend Crispin, the research leader of the Organic Energy Materials research unit at Linköping University (LiU), has chosen to begin the interview. However, the conversation won't focus so much on geographical locations or his career, but rather on his inner journey.
Who were you as a child?
"I was born in the city of Charleroi in Belgium and was a restless child, struggling with low self-esteem and an inner voice that constantly told me I wasn't good enough. Eventually, that became the truth, leading me to misbehave in school. It got to the point where my teachers thought I was intellectually challenged and placed me in a special education group for children who had difficulties in school."
I am taken aback. He nods in confirmation.
"Yes, it's true. But then there was a turning point. I spent a year in that special class with a loving teacher who built both my self-confidence and self-esteem. She was a gift in my life. I learned that I can succeed if I work hard."
Young Crispin also received an experimental kit from his parents, filled with various liquids, jars, and containers that he played with and was greatly fascinated by.
"It was like a magical world! How could a drop of one substance make the other react like that? I wanted to know everything! And that's where the dream of becoming a researcher was born."
His studies progressed, and he eventually secured a doctoral position at Mons University in Belgium. Towards the end of that period, he spent two months at LiU conducting experiments.
"And there in the lab, was another like-minded individual! She was Swedish and very beautiful... One thing led to another, and together we had three children, and I stayed in Sweden."
Crispin's childhood was filled not only with anxiety but also with precious moments, such as attending church with his parents.
"But I was skeptical; I saw no signs that the God they talked about actually existed. So, at the age of twelve, I decided that he wasn't real. And it took thirty years before I became a believer again."
Are you religious today?
"Yes, I am a Christian. You can call it a way of life, one that influences most aspects of my daily life..."
Is there a paradox in spending a lifetime trying to measure, weigh, and prove the existence of things whilst also believing in something that is unlikely to ever be proven as a measurable truth?
"One might think so, but not for me. I have experienced episodes in my life that I cannot explain with natural science, but where I have found some answers in the Bible, a text from which we have a lot to learn. About ourselves, about history, about the psychological and the interpersonal aspects of life. And this cannot be explained with the same methods as the ones I use at work. Then you have not understood its purpose."
And where does your affinity for nature come from?
"We often went outdoors with the family when I was young. And later, when life became difficult, I felt a connection with nature and found deep peace there. I also vividly remember that, somewhere out there, I suddenly felt how everything is interconnected. How divine everything is, if you wish. For me, it is self-evident to want to care for that part of our reality as well."
Reverend Crispin is involved in a variety of companies founded in the Norrköping region, including Ligna Energy, Cellfion, and Catalyz02.
What is the key to successful collaboration?
"There was a professor during my early years at the university who taught me that humility is the only path to good leadership, to a sensible approach to life. So, I do my best there..."
You are now married to a woman from a completely different culture?
"Yes, my wife Ève is from Burundi. It's a completely different world to visit her family down there. And to have her in my life, for that matter," he laughs. "There's a closeness and a naturalness between people in everyday life that is incredibly beautiful. We should learn more from that."
Time flies, and other demands beckon. Before we part ways, he ensures that I have everything I need and, in his humble generosity, says that I can reach out anytime. And with that, we exchange farewells as he calmly heads back towards the office by that rapid water and the view of a bridge.
TEXT & PHOTO: ANNA WALLENTIN
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