Lone Friis Thing

Lone Friis Thing is Professor and Head of the Department of Sport and Social Sciences at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences (NIH) in Oslo. She holds a master's degree (5-years) in Humanities and Social Sport Sciences and Biology (4 years) from the University of Copenhagen, where she also earned her PhD from the Department of Sociology. With extensive experience in academic leadership, she previously served as Head of the section 'Sport, Individual & Society' and Head of studies for graduate programs at the University of Copenhagen.

Her research focuses on health promotion and prevention in relation to sport and physical activity, particularly examining heart disease and lifestyle interventions for the elderly, as well as innovative cultural strategies for organizational changes in Danish Upper Secondary Schools. Drawing inspiration from Norbert Elias's figurational sociology and Goffman's interaction theory, her work specifically addresses body and emotions within sports contexts. Her recent publications reveal consistent thematic patterns spanning sports sociology, health promotion, gender studies, and educational reform.

Thing has served on the board of Norwegian School of Sport Sciences (NIH) in Oslo (2017-2019) and has been an external examiner for sport science and Public Health educations in Denmark. She brings significant expertise in managing academic mergers and organizational changes, with five years of experience as a section leader at NEXS, University of Copenhagen and ten years as study leader for master's degree programs in Sports at the Science Faculty.

Her current research projects include The Doctoral Training Network in Sport Ethics and Integrity (DAiSI), reflecting her ongoing commitment to advancing ethical considerations in sports science. She has contributed to international journals such as the European Journal of Sport Science (EJSS) and the International Review for the Sociology of Sport (IRSS), demonstrating her international scholarly impact.