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Erlend Lavik is Professor at the Department of Information Science and Media Studies, University of Bergen, Norway. Specialising in television studies, film history, and digital criticism, he leads research on cinematic television, narrative complexity, and the scholarly video essay. He is a key figure in the study of HBO’s The Wire , which he frames as emblematic of the medium’s “third golden age.” Education 2008 – PhD, Changing Narratives. Five Essays on Hollywood History , University of Bergen 2001 – MA (hovedoppgave), Kjærlighet i seriemonogamiets tidsalder. Romantiske komedier i Hollywood , University of Bergen Research Interests Lavik’s work interrogates the intersection of aesthetics, narrative theory, and media policy. Core themes include: Serial television and long-form storytelling Film and television authorship (showrunner model, copyright aesthetics) Digital criticism and the video essay as scholarly genre Hollywood historiography from classical to post-classical cinema Documentary ethics and truth claims in factual media Publication Trends Across more than 60 publications, Lavik moves fluidly between peer-reviewed journals, academic monographs, trade-press essays, and experimental video essays. Recurrent case studies include The Wire , The Sopranos , Succession , and blockbuster cinema, examined through lenses of narrative complexity, intertextuality, and cultural memory. Selected Public Engagement & Service Chairman of the jury, Best Norwegian Documentary, Bergen International Film Festival 2012 Keynote speaker, Nordic Media Conference, Akureiri 2011; NTNU seminar on video essays 2012 Public lectures at NRK Drama, University of Tromsø, Bergen Public Library, and numerous film clubs Labs, Teams, Collaborations Lavik is affiliated with the research group Film, Television, and Visual Culture at the University of Bergen, where he collaborates on projects concerning production studies, visual aesthetics, and digital distribution. While specific grant numbers are not listed, his sustained output and conference presence indicate ongoing funded research within Norwegian and European media-studies networks.

• Television Studies
• Film History
• Film and TV Analysis
• +3 more

Signe Rix Berthelin is an Associate Professor in Norwegian Didactics at the Department of Teacher Education, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). She holds a position focused on language education, multilingualism, and linguistic research with particular emphasis on indigenous languages and pedagogical approaches. Her research interests span a wide range of linguistic and educational fields including metaphors and creative figurative language, multilingualism and translingualism in educational settings, Sami language integration in Norwegian teacher education, pragmatic particles in Norwegian (such as 'da' and 'jo'), and semantics and pragmatics. She has specialized expertise in Inuit languages, particularly Inuvialuktun and Alaska Iñupiaq, with research focusing on modality, evidentiality, and relevance theory. Her work also addresses language revitalization, educational grammar explanations, and research ethics in linguistic fieldwork. Berthelin's scholarly output demonstrates consistent productivity across multiple linguistic domains. Her recent publications show a strong focus on multilingual education practices, particularly translingual approaches in writing instruction and the integration of multiple language resources in classroom settings. She has made significant contributions to understanding metaphorical creativity in multilingual contexts and the didactics of neighboring languages. Her earlier work established expertise in Inuit language documentation, especially concerning modal expressions and evidential markers in Uummarmiutun and related dialects. Aurora Research Institute Research Fellowship Grant (2015) Aurora Research Institute Research Assistant Grant (2015) Travel and research grant from the Nordic Association of Linguists (2011) Berthelin actively supervises master's students through the PRANO project (Praksisforankrede norskfaglige masteroppgaver), which creates collaborative frameworks between schools and teacher education institutions. She has received funding from multiple sources including the Aurora Research Institute, NTNU's humanities faculty, and LingPhil. Her fieldwork in Utqiagvik (2011) and Inuvik (2014, 2015) demonstrates her commitment to linguistic documentation of endangered languages. She participates in several research networks including Indigenous Topics in Education, Linguistic Diversity in School and Society, Aesthetics Across Disciplines, and Neighboring Language Didactics. She co-leads the Lydrik(k) project, an annual collaboration where teacher students, pupils, professional artists, and teacher educators explore connections between music and poetry through songwriting and lyrical work.

• Metaphors
• Creative figurative language
• Multilingualism
• +13 more

Rhonna J. Robbins-Sponaas is an Associate Professor and Head of the English Department at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Her academic journey blends creative writing, American literature, and fiber arts studies. She holds a Master’s in creative nonfiction and a doctorate in American literature, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to literary analysis. Robbins-Sponaas has extensive experience in military service, administrative roles, and educational technology, spanning institutions like FSU, SNHU, and NTNU. Her research focuses on three overlapping areas: creative writing pedagogy, American women writers and Southern literature, and the cultural significance of textiles. Recent work examines themes such as sexual abuse in young adult fiction, racial identity in Black Lives Matter-era narratives, and feminist speculative fiction. She has supervised numerous master’s theses addressing topics ranging from disaster narratives to strategies of patriarchal oppression in pop culture. Robbins-Sponaas teaches courses like ENG6012 (Literature) and ENG6018 (Literature), emphasizing hybrid and online education formats. Her creative interests in fiber arts inform her academic work, integrating craft practices with literary analysis. She is also active in mentoring initiatives, crisis counseling, and literary editing, reflecting her commitment to community-driven intellectual and creative endeavors.

• Creative Writing
• American Literature (with focus on Women Writers and Southern Literature)
• Textiles and Fiber Arts in Cultural Representation

Niamh Anna O'Dowd is a Research Fellow at the University of Oslo, specializing in cognitive linguistics and critical discourse analysis. Her work focuses on figurative language in environmental and climate discourses, particularly the interplay of multimodal elements (text and imagery) in shaping public perception. She holds a PhD from the University of Oslo (2021–2025) and an MA in Applied Linguistics from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (2019–2020). O’Dowd is Co-Chair of MetNet Scandinavia and a founding member of the Figurative Communication research group. Education: PhD in Linguistics, University of Oslo (2021–2025) MA in English Applied Linguistics, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (2019–2020) BA (Hons) in English and French, University of Exeter (2013–2017) Research Interests: Her studies explore how metaphor, metonymy, and irony function in climate activism (e.g., Fridays For Future slogans) and environmental NGO campaigns. She investigates multimodal framing effects, especially in plastic pollution and climate change discourses, combining experimental methods with socio-cognitive approaches. Recent work analyzes the emotional and evaluative dimensions of figurative language in youth climate activism and cross-linguistic comparisons of climate change hope discourses. Awards and Roles: Completion Grant Fellow, University of Oslo (2025) Co-Chair, MetNet Scandinavia (Scandinavian metaphor researchers' network) Teaching: Teaches courses on English linguistics, literature, and climate communication, including ENG4152 (Varieties of English Texts) and MEVIT2616 (Communicating Climate Change). Research Groups: Active in Figurative Communication and Pragmatics: Theory & Experiments at the University of Oslo.

• Cognitive Linguistics
• Multimodal Discourse Analysis
• Climate Change Communication
• +3 more

Ingrid Lossius Falkum is a Professor at the University of Oslo with a shared position between the Department of Philosophy (IFIKK) and the Department of Linguistics (ILN). She is affiliated with the Centre for Philosophy and the Sciences (CPS) and the Centre for Multilingualism in Society across the Lifespan (MultiLing). Her academic career spans multiple prestigious research grants and leadership roles in both Norwegian and European research initiatives. Education: PhD in Linguistics (2011), University College London (supervisor: Robyn Carston) MA in Pragmatics (2005), University College London (supervisor: Deirdre Wilson) MA in French Linguistics (2004), University of Oslo Research Interests: Professor Falkum's primary research focuses on semantics and pragmatics of verbal communication, with particular emphasis on how children acquire pragmatic abilities to express intentions and make inferences about others' intentions. Her work spans lexical semantics, contextual modulation of word meanings, and the challenges of modeling human communication in AI systems. She investigates non-literal language use including metaphor, metonymy, and irony across typical and atypical development (particularly autism spectrum disorders). Research Trends: Her recent publications demonstrate a clear trajectory examining pragmatic development through experimental methodologies, with growing integration of AI communication challenges. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics, developmental psychology, and cognitive science, increasingly focusing on how humans interact with language models and the implications for understanding human communication. Awards and Recognition: ERC Starting Grant (2020-2025) for DEVCOM project Research Council of Norway FINNUT project (2020-2024) HF Strategic Priority Grant (2024-2028) VELFERD Research Project (2025-2028) Young Research Talent Grant (2015-2019) Mentoring and Grants: Professor Falkum serves as Principal Investigator on multiple major research projects, mentoring numerous PhD students, postdocs, and research assistants. She leads the DEVCOM project investigating children's pragmatic competence development and the Creativity and Convention project examining pragmatic development in typical and atypical populations. Her current team includes researchers working on metaphor comprehension, irony understanding, noun-noun compounds, and pragmatic aspects of language in autism. Research Infrastructure: She oversees laboratory operations for the DEVCOM and Creativity and Convention projects, with Margareta Berg serving as Lab Manager. Her research groups include Communicative Processes (ComPros), Figurative Communication, Clinical Linguistics and Language Acquisition, and Pragmatics: Theory and Experiments.

• Semantics
• Pragmatics
• Language Acquisition
• +5 more

Cecilie Cathrine Takle is an Associate Professor in Nordic literature at the University of Agder, specializing in children's and young adult literature. She leads the university's Children's and Young Adult Literature research group and serves on the board of Barnebokkritikk and the Norwegian Children's Book Institute's council. Her academic background includes a Doctorate in Nordic literature from the University of Oslo (thesis on honor representation in Siri Pettersen's The Ravens trilogy) and a Master's from UiA focusing on Maria Parr's Tonje Glimmerdal . She also holds specialized education in children's literature from institutions across Scandinavia. Research interests span children's poetry, fantasy genres, Norse mythological influences, and authorship studies of figures like Tove Jansson, Håkan Hellström, and Anne-Cath. Vestly. Her work bridges literary analysis with pedagogical applications, emphasizing narrative techniques in texts like Harry Potter and Buster Oregon Mortensen . Publications focus on adaptation studies (e.g., Buster's Mother in text/film comparisons), radio literature history (Anne-Cath. Vestly's contributions), and Norse cultural currents in modern fantasy. She actively engages with media through radio features and journalistic commentary on Håkan Hellström's literary legacy. Teaching responsibilities include courses on Norwegian language education, children's literature pedagogy, and school library practices at UiA. Her research group collaborates internationally, with recent projects examining Swedish-Norwegian authorial exchanges and the cultural impact of children's media.

• Children's Literature
• Young Adult Literature
• Fantastic Literature
• +7 more

Melina Antonia Buns is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Stavanger, affiliated with the Department of Cultural Studies and Languages within the Faculty of Arts and Education. She is a core member of the Greenhouse Center for Environmental Humanities and leads the international research project Energy Lives! Infrastructural Citizenship in Nordic Energy Transitions , funded by NordForsk. Her work spans environmental, energy, and international history, with a focus on the Nordic region, nuclear waste, and imperial legacies in energy infrastructures. PhD, University of Oslo, 2021 Her research lies at the intersection of environmental and energy history, emphasizing nuclear waste, Nordic environmental diplomacy, and the socio-political dimensions of energy transitions. She explores how historical processes shape contemporary debates on sustainability, citizenship, and environmental justice. Her work engages with transnational environmental movements, the performance of 'green modernity', and the imperial logics embedded in extractive industries such as North Sea oil and gas. Her recent publications reveal a strong trend in analyzing Scandinavian anti-nuclear activism, the historical development of Nordic environmental cooperation, and the material and spatial dimensions of nuclear waste. She frequently examines how environmental policies are intertwined with national identity, economic interests, and geopolitical strategies, particularly in the Nordic context. Her work also critically engages with the concept of 'green transitions' by uncovering colonial continuities in energy infrastructure. Three-year Researcher Project with International Mobility grant, Research Council of Norway (Nuclear Nordics project) NordForsk grant for Energy Lives! project (project no. 181638) Member of the Young Academy of Norway (2024–2028) Research Event Coordinator, Greenhouse Center for Environmental Humanities (since 2023) Member, ESEH 2025 Conference Organising Committee Melina Antonia Buns has secured significant research funding and leads a major international project involving scholars from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. She mentors MA students affiliated with the Energy Lives! project and collaborates widely across disciplines. She is actively involved in academic service, including organizing research seminars and contributing to public discourse through media and podcasts. Her work is embedded in collaborative research collectives such as the Ghosts of Empire in the North Sea, where she investigates wastelanding and radioactive waste disposal in the North Sea. She is a key figure in the Greenhouse Center for Environmental Humanities and co-leads the CREATURE research group focused on creative methods in environmental humanities. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in environmental history, historiography, and the cultural history of technology, and has guest lectured at institutions including KTH Royal Institute of Technology and the University of Oslo.

• Environmental History
• Energy History
• Nuclear Humanities
• +9 more

Jade Dillon-Craig is an Associate Professor of Children's Literature and Young Learners at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), specializing in visual and textual representations of childhood and girlhood. She co-founded the Children's Literature Education and Research (CLEAR) group and serves as a founding board member of the Association for Research on Children's Literature in English in Norway (ARLCEN) . Key research areas: Children's Literature, Alice Studies, Visual Methodologies, Gender Theory Currently working on eBLINK (2021-2025) - a digital English picturebook initiative for Norwegian EAL classrooms Research Focus merges multi-theoretical frameworks with: Visual storytelling in postmodern picturebooks Alice iconography across media Gendered body representation in YA literature Girlhood agency in digital/physical texts Her 2024 Kvalifiseringsstipend for Kvinner supports collaboration with Seven Stories (UK) and International Youth Library (Germany) for multiliteracy research. Supervision includes 15+ MA/FoU theses on topics ranging from transgender representation to feminist film analysis . Key Publications include: Theorising Oliver Jeffers’ Picturebooks (Routledge 2025) Family in Children's and Young Adult Literature (Routledge 2023) Scientific Awards Kvalifiseringsstipend for Kvinner (2024) - Rector's Gender Equality Fund

• Children's Literature
• Alice Studies
• Visual Methodologies and Aesthetics
• +5 more

Stein Erik Grønningsæter serves as Senior Lecturer in Arts and Crafts at the Department of Teacher Education, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), a position held since 2016. His professional background spans cultural institutions including Troms County Cultural Center and Norwegian Council for Cultural Schools, with board roles in Trøndelag Visual Artists and European Music School Union. His research focuses on investigative processes in art education, particularly non-figurative wood sculpture and paper architecture. He examines how teacher students navigate creative problem-solving through rhythm, line, and material movement, while exploring micro-moments and body language in visual arts pedagogy. This work bridges practical craft techniques with theoretical frameworks in educational psychology. Recent publications reveal consistent investigation into spatial creation through material manipulation, with emphasis on stop-points in creative processes and non-verbal communication in art classrooms. His scholarship integrates Scandinavian craft traditions with contemporary educational methodologies. Scientific awards and honors: Scholarship from the Visual Artists' Remuneration Fund, Norwegian Cultural Council (2004) Grønningsæter supervises master's candidates in art education research, notably guiding Katie Aurora Lineer and Rosemary Kate Martin's thesis on micro-moments in teaching practice. His institutional service includes national representation on museum program councils and architectural federations, demonstrating commitment to arts infrastructure development.

• Arts and Crafts
• Visual Arts
• Design
• +4 more

Ronny Grønning Spaans is a Professor of Nordic Literature at the University of Oslo (UiO), affiliated with the Department of Nordic Literature under the Faculty of Humanities. He holds a PhD in Literary Studies from UiO (2015), focusing on the poetry of Joannes Six van Chandelier. His roles include teaching NOR1301 – Nordic Literature before 1800 and previous positions as Associate Professor at Nord University (2018–2023) and part-time lecturer in Dutch Language and Literature at UiO (2017–2023). His research interests center on literary history, historiography, early modern literature, poetry, and Norwegian-Dutch relations. Key areas include Petter Dass’s poetry, Dutch Golden Age literature, and interdisciplinary studies of science and religion in Nordic texts. He has published widely on topics such as Arctic sea monsters in Petter Dass’s work, natural history in verse, and the cultural influence of Dutch Renaissance poets like Jan Six van Chandelier. Recent publications (2024–2021) highlight critical analyses of Petter Dass’s contributions to Norwegian literary tradition and explorations of Dutch-Norwegian cultural exchanges. His work frequently bridges literary criticism with historical, scientific, and religious contexts, emphasizing cross-disciplinary approaches. No scientific awards are explicitly listed in his profile, though his extensive publications reflect significant scholarly contributions. He advises students in Nordic literary studies and collaborates on projects involving historical literary analysis and cultural history. Spaans is based at Henrik Wergelands hus in Oslo and maintains active research in early modern Nordic literature, with a focus on under-explored connections between Norwegian and Dutch literary traditions.

• Literary History
• Literary Historiography
• Early Modern Literature
• +3 more

Barbro Djupvik is a Senior Lecturer at Queen Maud Memorial College for Early Childhood Education, affiliated with the Drama Department under the Department of Language, Art and Culture. She has worked at DMMH since 1996 and served as section leader since 2019. Cand. Philol in Drama and Theater from NTNU (2002) Nordic Theatre School Aarhus, New Performing Arts (1990) Cand. Mag. from NTNU (1987) Her research focuses on drama and theater pedagogy, emphasizing improvisation, storytelling, aesthetic learning processes, and site-specific theater for children. Key projects include sensory and interactive theater like Kari Trestakk (2013) and Beyond Time (2017), which explore interdisciplinary methods and dramaturgical frameworks. Her work often involves collaborations with kindergartens and institutions such as Vestfossen Art Laboratory, supported by the Arts Council of Norway and Buskerud County Municipality. She has developed artistic projects like RISLE RASLE (2017) and Poetry of Space (2017), focusing on sensory and collective creative processes. Funding sources include the Arts Council of Norway and DMMH, though no scientific awards are explicitly mentioned. She has extensive experience in teaching topics such as figure and object theater, body memory, and non-verbal storytelling, with a strong emphasis on children's culture and interdisciplinary artistic processes.

• Drama Education
• Theater Pedagogy
• Children's Theater
• +4 more

Nicholas Elwyn Allott is a Senior Lecturer in the English section at the Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages (ILOS) at the University of Oslo. He holds an additional position as honorary research associate at the Department of Linguistics, University College London. Allott is co-principal investigator on the research project "How do we Understand Machines that Talk to Us?" (2024-2027) and is a founder of the Pragmatics: Theory & Experiments research group at the University of Oslo. He is also a member of the Centre for Philosophy and the Sciences, engaging in interdisciplinary research on life, mathematics, and language. Allott's research focuses on pragmatics, particularly Gricean and post-Gricean approaches including relevance theory. His work explores inference, reasoning, and rationality in communication; lexical modulation and the literal/figurative distinction; legal language and interpretation in English-language common law traditions; and the philosophy of linguistics, especially cognitively realistic approaches like generative grammar and relevance theory. He has made significant contributions to understanding Chomsky's thought across linguistic, psychological, and philosophical dimensions. His recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on foundational questions in pragmatics and linguistic theory, with particular attention to the cognitive mechanisms underlying communication. Allott's work often bridges theoretical linguistics with practical applications in legal interpretation and philosophical inquiry. His research shows a progression from analyzing specific pragmatic phenomena toward more comprehensive theoretical frameworks that integrate cognitive science perspectives with traditional linguistic analysis. Allott has received recognition for his scholarly work, including being a finalist in the philosophy category of the Association of American Publishers' PROSE Awards in 2022 for his co-edited volume "A Companion to Chomsky". His publications span prestigious journals and presses in linguistics, philosophy, and cognitive science. As an educator, Allott teaches courses including Semantics and Pragmatics, Language and Literature in English, and Pragmatics: Meaning, Communication and Cognition. He expresses interest in supervising graduate work on pragmatics topics and the application of pragmatic theory to literary texts. His research methodology combines theoretical analysis with attention to empirical phenomena across diverse linguistic contexts.

• Pragmatics
• Relevance Theory
• Gricean/post-Gricean pragmatics
• +7 more

Professor Jamie Christopher Callison is a faculty member at the University of Agder, Norway, serving as Professor of English Literature in the Department of Foreign Languages and Translation. He holds a prominent role in the Faculty of Humanities and Education. His career includes positions such as Associate Professor (2022–2023) and Research Fellowships at institutions like the Oxford Centre for Christianity and Culture (2015–2016). His research focuses on modernism, literature and religion, and literary editing, with a particular emphasis on figures like T.S. Eliot, David Jones, and H.D. Callison’s scholarship bridges literary studies and religious culture, exploring themes such as mysticism, orthodoxy, and the archival turn. Notable works include the monograph Modernism and Religion: Between Mysticism and Orthodoxy (2023) and the co-edited volume The Grail Mass and Other Works by David Jones (2018). He has contributed to leading journals such as ELH , Modernist Cultures , and Literature and Theology . His teaching spans undergraduate and graduate programs, including courses on modernism, Beat culture, and literature and religion. He has supervised master’s theses on topics like Shakespearean performance, literary representations of domestic abuse, and adaptation of Greek myths. Callison is also active in research initiatives such as the Bloomsbury Handbook of Modernist Archives (2024) and his upcoming project Enchanting Poetry: Counterculture, Literature and Religion in the Long 1960s . His awards include a shortlist for the ESSE first book prize (2023). Callison collaborates with international research networks, including the Sensus communis group, and has curated exhibitions like Frankenversions: 200 Years of Adapting Frankenstein (2018).

• Modernism
• Literature and Religion
• Twentieth-Century Religious Culture
• +3 more

Signe Rix Berthelin is Associate Professor of Norwegian Didactics at NTNU, specializing in multilingual education and metaphor studies. She leads research on translanguaging pedagogy and develops Inuvialuktun language resources through collaborative documentation. Research foci include: Translanguaging in writing instruction Creative metaphor use in multilingual students Semantic-pragmatic analysis of Norwegian particles Indigenous language pedagogy She directs the PRANO project integrating practice-based research in teacher education. Her fieldwork with Inuvialuit elders produced digital learning materials for Uummarmiutun, supported by the Aurora Research Institute. Current work examines metaphorical creativity across languages in educational contexts.

• Translanguaging pedagogy
• Metaphor analysis
• Multilingual education
• +2 more

Brynjar Åbel Bandlien is an Associate Professor of Dance at the University of Stavanger, Faculty of Performing Arts, within the Department for Jazz, Dance, PPU and Music Production. He holds a PhD in dance from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts (KHIO) and is actively engaged in artistic research and performance. Since 2022, he has led the PKU-supported research project All Tomorrow’s Parties: post-pandemic dancing (2022–2025), exploring the evolving role of dance in a post-pandemic world. His educational background includes training at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts (1991–1993) and the Hamburg Ballet (1993–1995). He performed with the Netherlands Dance Theatre 2 in The Hague, establishing a strong foundation in professional contemporary dance before transitioning into academia and artistic research. Bandlien’s research centers on choreographic practices, artistic research, and the concept of amphibiousness as a metaphor for fluid identities and ecological relationships. He explores queer strategies in art, physical lectures as performative formats, and the re-emergence of communal dance practices after global disruptions. His work bridges performance, theory, and embodied inquiry, often challenging traditional boundaries between art and research. The recent publications and performances highlight a consistent focus on post-pandemic themes, choreographic experimentation, and queer discourse in dance. His artistic output functions as both creative expression and scholarly investigation, particularly through the All Tomorrow’s Parties series, which integrates physical lectures, public performances, and collaborative research. Although no formal scientific awards are listed, Bandlien’s extensive contributions to artistic research and performance have been presented at national and international forums, including Artistic Research Weeks, Darkness 2019, and Arctic Floating University Conference. His collaborative projects with Amanda Steggell, Andrew Morrison, and Hans-Jørgen Wallin reflect a strong network in the field of embodied and ecological art practices. He has mentored and collaborated with PhD candidates in dance and has contributed to academic and public discourse through presentations, publications, and performances. His work is supported by institutional research funding, indicating active engagement in grant-based artistic development. Bandlien is a key figure in advancing dance as a form of knowledge production within higher education. Bandlien is involved in several collaborative artistic teams, including the Amphibious Trilogies project, which investigates littoral landscapes and embodied ecologies. His current research group for All Tomorrow’s Parties functions as a creative lab exploring post-pandemic social and artistic reconnection through dance.

• Dance
• Choreography
• Artistic Research
• +7 more