Helle Nedergaard Nielsen

Helle Nedergaard Nielsen is an Associate Professor at the Department of Sustainability and Planning, Aalborg University, affiliated with The Technical Faculty of IT and Design and The Danish Centre for Environmental Assessment. Her work focuses on environmental impact assessment (EIA), strategic environmental assessment (SEA), renewable energy policy, and problem-based learning in sustainability education.

Research Interests

Her research emphasizes community engagement in planning processes, particularly in renewable energy projects and waste management systems. She explores how participatory methods like PBL (Problem-Based Learning) enhance sustainability education and policy implementation. Key themes include:

• Ethical and social dimensions of EIA/SEA
• Community acceptance of renewable energy infrastructure
• Circular economy transitions in Southeast Asia and Scandinavia
• Policy design for transparent public participation

Projects

She leads/co-leads projects such as the Integrated ecological, genomic and oceanographic analysis for planning marine habitat protection (2024–2027) and UNLOCKING THE SUPPLY OF RARE EARTH ELEMENTS IN EUROPE (2023–2027). Notable collaborations include the SEA-ASIA initiative for capacity building in environmental assessment.

Advising & Grants

As a Principal Investigator (PI), she oversees projects funded by national and EU grants, focusing on marine governance and sustainable resource management. She advises on PhD projects related to environmental policy and participatory methods.

Labs/Teams

Maintains active roles in the Danish Centre for Environmental Assessment and collaborates with institutions like the University of Agder and BioNetGain Foundation.