Anja Gabrielsen

Anja Gabrielsen serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Science at the Faculty of Humanities, Sports and Educational Sciences, University of Southeast Norway (USN), based at the Porsgrunn Campus. She teaches science education with a specialized focus on environmental and sustainability challenges, working extensively with children and young people to address climate concerns while fostering constructive hope for the future.

Professor Gabrielsen's research centers on science didactics, emphasizing how environmental education and sustainable development can be effectively integrated into teaching practices. Her work investigates the use of local environments and nature as learning arenas, promoting interdisciplinary approaches to address complex sustainability challenges. She explores how to counteract feelings of powerlessness among young people while distinguishing between naive and constructive hope for the future in the face of climate anxiety.

Her recent scholarly work demonstrates a strong focus on education for sustainable development, with particular attention to outdoor learning environments, teacher education, and practical implementations of sustainability concepts in Norwegian schools. Gabrielsen frequently examines collaborative approaches with external partners and interdisciplinary teaching methods that bridge theoretical knowledge with real-world environmental challenges.

As an academic leader, Gabrielsen mentors students at bachelor's, master's, and PhD levels, guiding research in science education and sustainability. She leads the Science Didactics research group at USN and coordinates the university's participation in the Nordic network ALKA, which focuses on science and sustainability education across Nordic countries.

• Head of Science Didactics research group
• Norwegian coordinator for Nordic network ALKA
• Member of USN's Qualitative methods in professional practice research group
• Member of national Uterommet research group (collaboration with UiO and NTNU)