Dag Henrik Tuastad is a Professor of Middle East Studies at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages (IKOS) at the University of Oslo. His research focuses on kinship dynamics in Palestinian politics, rebel governance (notably Hamas rule in Gaza 2007–2023), political representation crises, and the intersection of sports and politics in the Middle East. Current projects include senior research at Football and Religion in the Middle East (FORM) , funded by the Norwegian Research Council (2021–2026) Former project leader for Rebel Governance in the Middle East (2017–2021) PhD in Social Anthropology (2008) on kinship in Palestinian politics His recent publications analyze Hamas’s symbolic authority, football’s role in Jordanian-Palestinian identity formation, and the erosion of legal frameworks in the West Bank. He critiques media bias (e.g., in Qatar World Cup coverage) and explores how football culture reflects broader political tensions. Teaching: Courses on Middle East history, cultural anthropology, and conflict resolution Regional Focus: Palestine, Jordan, Gaza, and the Levant
Anna Chalachanova is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health at VID University College, Norway. Her academic work centers on disability research, inclusive methodologies, and citizenship studies, with a primary focus on people with intellectual disabilities across Norway, Slovakia, and Great Britain. Her research spans inclusive research practices, citizenship frameworks for people with intellectual disabilities, higher education accessibility, sexual citizenship, religious inclusion, and protective care. She investigates how intellectual disabilities intersect with everyday citizenship experiences, voting rights, educational participation, and personal assistance services through participatory and co-creative methodologies that prioritize disabled voices. Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2019-2025) reveals consistent thematic focus on citizenship and inclusion, with methodological emphasis on participatory research. Key trends include comparative studies between Norway and Slovakia, sexual citizenship barriers within personal assistance systems, and higher education experiences for intellectually disabled students. Her work demonstrates strong commitment to amplifying marginalized perspectives through narrative and co-created research approaches. Chalachanova actively contributes to multiple research initiatives including the ongoing PATHWAYS project (Faculty of Social Sciences) examining vulnerable institutional pathways for youth, and "To allow in" focused on barrier reduction for people with intellectual disabilities. Completed projects include "Higher education for people with intellectual disabilities" and "My vote counts too!" which evaluated voting participation mechanisms. These projects involve collaborations across Norwegian institutions, Slovakia, and Great Britain. Based in VID University College's Department of Health, she operates within interdisciplinary teams addressing disability inclusion through international partnerships. Her work connects Norwegian higher education contexts with Slovakian comparative frameworks, driving initiatives that transform citizenship practices and educational access for people with intellectual disabilities through evidence-based interventions.
Britt Kramvig is a Professor at the School of Business and Economics , part of the Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics (BFE) at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Her research intersects decolonization , Indigenous (Sámi) studies, and creative industries , with a focus on storytelling, archive decolonization, and Arctic land-seascapes. She coordinates PhD studies in Tourism and Northern Studies and teaches courses on qualitative methods, climate change impacts on tourism, and knowledge co-production. Research Interests: Kramvig explores the decolonial potential of Indigenous archives , creative industries as decolonial praxis , and Arctic environmental humanities . Her work emphasizes ontology over epistemology , art-science collaborations (e.g., Dark Ecology, BAT), and indigenous survivance in tourism and cultural policy. She actively disrupts appropriation processes in Arctic landscapes through pluriversal storytelling. Key Collaborations: Kramvig contributes to international projects like Surviving the Unthinkable and The New Sámi Renaissance , advocating for indigenous data sovereignty and decolonial research ethics . She leads interdisciplinary efforts to integrate Sámi epistemologies into environmental science and policymaking. Recent Publications: Her 2023-2025 works address Arctic decolonization , indigenous archival practices , and co-creation in tourism , often published in journals like Environmental Research Letters and GeoHumanities . Notable topics include counter-mapping , indigenous survivance , and collaborative listening in Arctic soundscapes. Academic Affiliations: Member of the Norwegian Scientific Academy for Polar Research and the Indigenous Voices research group at UiT. She participates in the OKTA - Sami Art and Friction-Filled Communities on Festivals project.
Kristin Soraya Batmanghelichi is a Professor in Middle East Studies at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages (IKOS), Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo. She is a feminist scholar with a PhD from Columbia University and has held academic positions at Leiden University, Columbia University, and Princeton University. Her research focuses on gender, sexuality, cyberactivism, and political Islam in Iran and the broader Middle East. PhD in Iranian Studies, Columbia University (2013) MA in Human Rights and MA in Middle Eastern Studies, Columbia University (2004, 2007) Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute of Religion, Culture and Public Life (IRCPL), Columbia University (2016–2017) Visiting Lecturer, Leiden University (2014–2016) Her research interests include feminist theory, postcolonial studies, cyberactivism, women's movements, and the politics of class, sex, and race in the Middle East. She explores how gendered public spaces and digital platforms shape resistance and identity in Iran. Her work bridges activism and academia, particularly through feminist engagements with digital culture and diasporic politics. Her recent publications and monograph Revolutionary Bodies: Technologies of Gender, Sex, and Self in Contemporary Iran (2021) examine the intersections of technology, gender, and selfhood in Iran. Articles span topics such as cyberfeminism, government morality, and feminist challenges on social media, reflecting a strong focus on digital publics and feminist epistemology in the Iranian context. Scientific Awards and Fellowships: Independent Research Fund Denmark (2023–2026), Co-PI President's Global Innovation Fund, Columbia University (2017) Whiting Foundation Dissertation Fellowship (2011–2012) Columbia University Jackson Fellowship (2008–09) Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship (2006) Multiple research and travel fellowships from Columbia University and the Houtan Foundation She has supervised master’s theses and taught courses such as Iran in the World , Gender & Revolutions , and Fieldwork in the Middle East . She is Co-PI on a major Danish-funded project on diasporic Iranian politics and digital publics (2023–2026). She has co-organized international conference series on populism and pluralism across Amman, Tunis, Paris, and New York. She is an original member of the Theory of the Margins Collective in Oslo and founder of the Digging Collective , both of which support critical and interdisciplinary feminist scholarship.
Hilde Fiva Buzungu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work, Child Welfare and Social Policy at Oslo Metropolitan University, Faculty of Social Sciences. Her work bridges social anthropology, applied linguistics, and public policy, with a strong focus on language and communication in welfare services for minority language speakers. Her research interests include: Language discordance and interpreter-mediated communication in social work and healthcare Multilingualism and migration Professional practices in child welfare and public administration Interpreter training and quality assurance Human rights and minority inclusion Intersectionality in social services Buzungu's recent publications (2020–2024) reveal a consistent focus on the challenges of language access in public institutions such as NAV, child welfare, and hospitals. Her work critically examines how language barriers affect service delivery, professional decision-making, and equity. She investigates systemic issues in interpreter availability, quality, and integration, particularly during crises like the Ukrainian refugee influx. Her research combines ethnographic methods with policy analysis, emphasizing the 'space between' where meaning is negotiated across languages and cultures. She has contributed extensively to both academic and public discourse, publishing in journals like Nordic Social Work Research and Kritisk juss , as well as producing key reports for governmental bodies like Integrerings- og mangfoldsdirektoratet and Oslo University Hospital. Her book Language Discordant Social Work in a Multilingual World: The Space Between (2023) synthesizes her core themes. Buzungu actively disseminates her findings through public lectures, media engagement, and policy forums, advocating for improved language services in the Norwegian public sector. She is affiliated with the research group on Professional Qualification and Professional Practices in Social Work and Child Protection.
Unn Røyneland is a Professor of Scandinavian Linguistics and Multilingualism at the University of Oslo 's Faculty of Humanities . She is affiliated with the Center for Multilingualism in Society Across the Lifespan (MultiLing) and has been a key figure in Norwegian language policy and standardization efforts, including the Nynorsk 2011 orthographic revision . Current Research Focus: Multilingual and multilectal practices on social media Dialect acquisition among migrants Dialect levelling and language attitudes Language and embodiment Multiethnolectal speech styles Language policy and planning Ongoing Projects: Multilectal Literacy in Education (2020-2025) (RCN-funded, Co-PI) Multilectal Practices on Social Media (2020) (with Øystein A. Vangsnes) Urban Talk and Text (MultiLing Core-group project, 2021) AquaAurora (2021, UiT The Arctic University of Norway) Her scholarly work spans 15+ years of research output, with recent publications analyzing: Language activism and social justice (2024) Multilingualism across the lifespan (2022) Migration-induced dialect acquisition (2020) Youth multilingual practices in digital spaces (2018) Nynorsk standardization processes (2016) Multiethnolectal speech patterns (2008-2010) As Co-Chief Editor of the LME Linguistic Minorities in Europe Online series at De Gruyter, she continues shaping academic discourse in multilingualism studies.
Rania Maktabi is an Associate Professor at the Department of Welfare, Management and Organization, Østfold University College. Her research focuses on political relations in the Middle East, particularly the legal status of Arab women, citizenship, and the interplay between religion, law, and politics in Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, Qatar, Morocco, and Egypt. Key research areas include citizenship studies , gender and law , legal reforms in authoritarian regimes , and post-Arab Spring dynamics . She has published extensively on female lawyers' mobilization , patriarchal nationality laws , and women's political participation , including the 2018 edited book Brennpunkt Midtøsten: Byene som prisme . Her notable awards include the 2014 Prize for Research Dissemination . Collaborations include projects like "The Unfolding Transformation of the State System in the Middle East" (2019–ongoing) and "Gender and Judging in the Middle East & Africa" (2016–2022). She is actively involved in the interdisciplinary research group AreaS , focusing on electoral politics, medialized politics, and women's political participation in the Middle East and beyond.
Carola Freiin von Villiez is Professor of Philosophy at the Department of Philosophy, University of Bergen. Her work bridges Kantian ethics, Adam Smith's moral philosophy, and contemporary debates on international justice. Education : Habilitationsschrift (2006) and PhD (2001) from University of Bremen Research : Focuses on national sovereignty , self-determination , democratic peace , and transcultural ethics , with major projects funded by the University of Bergen and DAAD/NFR. Key research trends from her 15 most recent publications (2004-2024) include Kantian legal philosophy , Smithian sentimentalism , Rawlsian internationalism , and transcultural moral frameworks . Academic leadership includes co-editing Zwischen Rechten und Pflichten (2021) with Jean-Christophe Merle and supervising doctoral research on moral sentimentalism (2019).
Iris Nguyen Duy is a Professor at the Department of Law, School of Business and Law, University of Agder. She holds a PhD in Public Law from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, France, and has extensive experience as a researcher and postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oslo. Her research focuses on constitutional law, comparative public law, parliaments, democracy, judicial review, administrative law, and digital governance. She leads the Comparative and Public Law research group at UiA and is Deputy Secretary General of the International Association of Constitutional Law (IACL-AIDC). Education: Joint Master in Advanced Studies in Comparative Law (DEA de droit comparé) from Université Paris 1 & Paris 2; PhD in Public Law (Université Paris 1). Research interests include constitutional democracy, open government, and digital disinformation. She is a member of multiple international research networks, including DEFIDEM (citizen participation in governance) and OLA-Europe (local autonomy). Teaching includes courses on constitutional law, human rights, legal history, and comparative law. Key publications span constitutional frameworks, parliamentary sovereignty, and digital governance challenges. She has advised on legal reforms related to local democracy and digital surveillance in Norway and Europe. Labs/Teams: Active in DEFIDEM, a transdisciplinary project on citizen engagement in policymaking, and contributes to constitutional studies at UiO and UiB. Her work bridges legal theory with practical governance challenges in democratic societies.
Synne Sæther Mæhle is a Professor at the Faculty of Law , University of Bergen. She specializes in legal theory and methodology, with a focus on interdisciplinary research involving law, health data, and environmental protection. Email: synne.mahle@uib.no Research Interests: Her work explores legal methodology, welfare law, and the intersection of law with emerging technologies like big data. She has published extensively on property rights, environmental law, and the evolution of legal thinking. Publication Trends: Recent outputs (2017–2023) emphasize legal education reform (e.g., Juridisk metode i et nøtteskall ), biolaw, and environmental law. Collaborations with Ragna Aarli dominate her textbook contributions. Labs & Teams: Active in the Research Group for Legal Theory and Research Group in Welfare Law , fostering interdisciplinary discourse.
Jan Buts is an Associate Professor at the Sustainable Health Unit within the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Oslo, specializing in the intersection of translation theory, medical humanities, and corpus linguistics with a focus on sustainable health and development discourses. His academic background includes: Linguistics and Literature studies at KU Leuven (Belgium) PhD in Translation and Intercultural Studies from the University of Manchester (UK) Postdoctoral research at Trinity College Dublin (Ireland) Assistant Professor position at Boğaziçi University (Turkey) Buts' research centers on corpus-assisted discourse analysis applied to translation theory, medical humanities, and sustainable development. He actively develops the Sustainability and Health Corpus to analyze how language shapes public health narratives, gender discourses in development aid, and conceptual frameworks around sustainability. His work bridges linguistic analysis with critical perspectives on social justice and health equity. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trajectory toward integrating corpus linguistics with medical humanities and sustainable development goals. Key trends include examining gendered vulnerabilities in policy discourse, translation's role in knowledge dissemination for sustainability, and digital media's impact on health communication – all characterized by methodological innovation in corpus construction and conceptual analysis. His scientific recognition includes: Runner-up for the Martha Cheung Award (2023) Buts serves on the executive council of IATIS (International Association for Translation and Intercultural Studies) and leads multiple research initiatives including the SHE Corpus project. His grant activities focus on interdisciplinary collaborations between translation studies and medical humanities, particularly through projects like KNOWIT (Knowledge in Translation) and MEDRA (Medicalisation of Democratic Rights in Abortion debates). He directs the Sustainable Health Unit, fostering cross-disciplinary teams that combine linguists, medical researchers, and public health experts to advance data-driven critical analysis of health and sustainability discourses through innovative corpus methodologies.
Dr. Mingyuan Zhang Betancourt is a socio-cultural anthropologist affiliated with the University of Oslo's Institute of Community Medicine and Global Health. Specializing in cross-cultural analysis between China and Africa, her work examines pharmaceutical supply chains and postcolonial development dynamics. PhD in Anthropology, University of Western Ontario (2018) Former Writing Fellow, University of Toronto Scarborough Her research spans multiple disciplines: Pharmaceutical Anthropology : Analyzing antibiotic shortages across India/China production networks China-Africa Relations : Investigating cultural identity formation through historic sugar plantations and Confucius Institute operations Political Ecology : Documenting resource conflicts in Malagasy agrarian systems Recent publications demonstrate: 2024 study on pharmaceutical production history 2023 comparative analysis of China-India trade disputes 2022 critique of cultural standardization in educational programs 2021 pandemic discourse analysis She actively explores: Global antibiotic accessibility Postcolonial development paradigms Transnational identity politics
Elisabeth Oxfeldt is a Professor of Scandinavian Literature at the University of Oslo's Faculty of Humanities, Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages. Specializing in Danish and Norwegian literature from the 19th to 21st centuries, she examines cultural narratives through postcolonial and orientalist frameworks with particular focus on guilt discourse in Nordic contexts. Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Scandinavian Literature from U.C. Berkeley (2002), M.A. in Scandinavian Literature (1996), and B.A. in French Literature (1988). This interdisciplinary foundation informs her transnational approach to Nordic literary studies. Oxfeldt's research centers on Scandinavian narratives of guilt and privilege within globalization, exploring how Orientalism, postcolonialism, and (post)nationalism manifest in literature and visual media. Her work critically engages with Hans Christian Andersen adaptations, war literature, travelogues, and literary activism, revealing tensions between Nordic self-perception as egalitarian societies and historical complicity in colonial structures. She frequently analyzes word-image relationships and adaptation processes across media. Publication trends show sustained engagement with postcolonial critique since her 2005 monograph Nordic Orientalism , evolving toward contemporary analyses of activist voices and guilt narratives. Recent edited volumes address literary rights struggles (2024) and ecological perspectives in Nordic literature (2023), demonstrating expanding interdisciplinary scope while maintaining core focus on representation and power dynamics. Awards and honors: Member of Det Danske Akademi (The Danish Academy) Advising and grants information was not specified in source materials, though her leadership of major research projects suggests significant supervisory and funding acquisition activities. Teaching responsibilities include courses on Nordic literature after 1800, Norwegian world literature, and literary activism. Oxfeldt co-leads the DINO (Diversity in Nordic Literature) research group and previously participated in ECODISTURB. Her current projects include 'Scandinavian Narratives of Guilt and Privilege in an Age of Globalization' (ScanGuilt) and 'Norwegian Romantic Nationalisms' (NORN), examining historical and contemporary constructions of Scandinavian identity through literary lenses.
Ole Martin Moen is a Professor at the Institute of Nursing and Health Promotion , Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway. His research spans bioethics, philosophy, and social justice, focusing on topics such as end-of-life ethics, palliative care, emergency ethics, and the moral implications of healthcare policies. He is actively involved in the VoldAm project, investigating violence and threats against ambulance personnel in Norway. Research Focus: Bioethics, Palliative Care, Emergency Ethics, Social Justice, Human Enhancement Key Collaborations: Aksel Braanen Sterri, Brian Earp, Julian Savulescu, and others. Moen’s recent publications explore ethical dilemmas in drug policy, assisted dying, and intrinsic value theory. His outreach includes public debates on cross-disciplinary challenges and societal fears, reflecting his engagement with contemporary ethical issues.
Lilja Øvrelid is a Professor at the Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, leading the Language Technology Research Group. Her research focuses on syntactic and semantic text processing using machine learning techniques such as dependency parsing, negation analysis, and sentiment analysis. She teaches courses including IN1140: Introduction to Language Technology , IN5550: Neural Methods in NLP , and INF5830: Natural Language Processing . Her academic interests span natural language processing, machine learning, and computational linguistics, with a particular emphasis on Norwegian language technology. Recent publications highlight work in sentiment analysis (including patient feedback), event extraction from Norwegian news, benchmarking language models, emotion analysis for under-resourced languages (Pashto, Farsi-Dari), and bias detection in multilingual models. She actively contributes to the development of Norwegian language resources such as NorBench, NorQuAD, and NoReC. Current projects include BigMed and SIRIUS , focusing on biomedical text mining and AI infrastructure. Collaborations with colleagues like Erik Velldal, David Samuel, and Vladislav Mikhailov are frequent in her work. Despite no explicit mention of scientific awards, her contributions to NLP and computational linguistics are substantial through publications, datasets, and tool development.
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