Westlund is associate professor at University ​of Gothenburg (Sweden) and professor (II) at Volda University College (Norway). He is an award winning researcher and teacher. He has researched the production, distribution and consumption of news through various methods for a decade, focusing especially on the shifts towards digital technologies such as mobile media.

He has also done research on technological dependence, media innovation, mobile search, media trust, etc. Westlund has authored more than 100 different publications, including articles in approximately 20 different journals, official inquiries for the Swedish government and the EU-commission, and many book chapters. He serves on the editorial board of six different journals, and has guest edited special issues/sections for two different journals.

From 2017 to 2020 he leads a major research project on digital journalism, for which he received a large grant together with professors in Sweden and the US. He is also an external collaborator/professor for research grant projects focusing on mobile media and other ICTs in relation to journalism, in Singapore and Spain respectively.