Nina Græger

Nina Græger is Professor and Head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Social Sciences since 2019, leading a department of 120 staff including 25 PhD students. She is recognized for her expertise in international security, defense policy, and European/Nordic foreign affairs, with research published in top journals like Journal of Peace Research and Global Studies Quarterly.

Her academic credentials include an MSc in Economics (Cand. Polit.) from the University of Oslo (1994) and a PhD in Political Science from the same institution (2007), where her dissertation analyzed Norwegian defense discourse through practice theory. This foundation underpins her current research on geopolitical tensions in the Arctic and transatlantic security frameworks.

Græger's research focuses on security dynamics through theoretical lenses like Practice Theory and Discourse Analysis, with geographic emphasis on Europe, the Nordic region, and the Arctic. She examines how everyday practices sustain cross-border collaboration despite geopolitical conflicts, as demonstrated in her 2024 study of High North border communities. Her work bridges military sociology, international organizations (EU/NATO), and geopolitical shifts affecting small states.

Her publication portfolio reveals consistent thematic trends: evolving EU-NATO cooperation, polarity in international systems, and Nordic security practices. Recent works analyze informal security governance, kinship metaphors in military institutions, and how illiberal trends challenge middle-power security strategies, reflecting her dual focus on theoretical innovation and policy-relevant insights for European security architecture.

Græger has secured substantial research funding as Principal Investigator for major projects including "The Duty of Care" (Research Council of Norway, 2015-2018), "GR:EEN" (EU Framework Programme, 2011-2015), and the current "CEE Security Hub" (Horizon Europe, 2024-2026). She manages international consortia across 16 institutions in eight countries, demonstrating exceptional capacity in complex collaborative research.

As department head, she established strategic research units and a five-member pre-award research support team serving the entire Faculty of Social Sciences. She chairs the Centre for Military Studies Steering Board and leads the Nordic International Studies Association, while actively contributing to public discourse through media engagements and policy consultations on Nordic security matters.