Trude Nilsen

Trude Nilsen is a Research Professor at the University of Oslo's Department of Teacher Education and School Research and a leader in the CREATE Centre for Research on Equality in Education. She specializes in educational inequalities, quantitative methods, and international large-scale assessments like TIMSS, PISA, and TALIS. Her work focuses on analyzing teaching quality, teacher competence, and school climate to improve educational equity and outcomes.

Education: PhD in Science Education and International Large-Scale Assessment, MSc in Astrophysics, and studies in pedagogy and computer programming.

Research Highlights: Leads projects such as TESO (Teachers' Effect on Student Outcomes) and contributes to global expert groups for TIMSS, TALIS, and TALIS Starting Strong. Her studies have explored factors influencing mathematics performance, sleep/nutrition impacts on academic achievement, and systemic approaches to educational equity. She combines structural equation modeling and multilevel analyses to address causal relationships in education.

Grants & Projects: Norwegian Research Council-funded CREATE (2023–), TESO (2018–2024), and multiple international collaborations. Supervises PhD/master students and teaches advanced quantitative methods courses.

Key Contributions: Over 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, including analyses of Nordic education systems' equity trends and validation of teaching quality instruments. Her work bridges policy implications with rigorous data-driven insights.