Oleksandr Kapranov is an Associate Professor of English at NLA University College's Teacher Education program. His work intersects discourse analysis, climate change communication, and English language teaching (ELT), with a focus on sustainable development education and intercultural communication. Research areas include political speeches (e.g., Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak), corporate disclosures (Bank of England, Vedanta Resources), and media framing (Greenpeace branches, King Charles III). Key pedagogical interests: digital competence, beginner EFL training, and discourse markers in academic writing. His recent publications analyze climate change discourse through syntactic structures, metonymy, modality, and evidentiality, emphasizing institutional and political narratives. While no formal awards are listed, his work spans interdisciplinary collaborations with NGOs, governments, and universities.
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.
Marianne Nordli Hansen is a Professor at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography , University of Oslo. With a career spanning decades, her research focuses on social stratification , class and inequality , labor market conditions , economic inequality , and elites . She has taught courses like Sociological Theory (SOS4001), Theory Specialization in Sociology (SOS4011), and Inequality: Class, Gender and Ethnicity (SOS4100). Education: MA in Sociology (University of Oslo, 1984), Dr. philos in Sociology (University of Oslo, 1996) Positions: Associate Professor (ISS, UiO, 1996), Professor (ISS, UiO, 1999) Her research explores wealth accumulation , intergenerational mobility , social networks , and educational policy . Key collaborators include Professor Olav Korsnes and Associate Professor Johannes Hjellbrekke at the University of Bergen. Current projects focus on social inequality in Norway , with publications analyzing elite professions, wealth distribution, and class-based educational disparities. She has contributed to significant works on Nordic welfare models and public sector impacts on segregation and equality.
Norwegian University of Science And TechnologyNorway
Toril Aalberg is a Professor and Head of the Department of Sociology and Political Science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. She was previously Head of the same department from 2017-2021 and serves as Guest Professor at Mid Sweden University in 2024-2025. Aalberg is a member of the research networks NEPOCS (Network of European Political Communication Scholars) and EVPOC (Elections, Values and Political Communication). Her research interests include comparative politics , election campaigns , media effects , public opinion , and stereotypes in political contexts. She has led major projects like the COST Action IS1308: Populist Political Communication in Europe (2014-2018). Toril Aalberg has authored or co-authored 9 books, including Populist Political Communication in Europe (2016) and Communicating Populism (2019). Her recent articles focus on misinformation during crises , media’s role in political efficacy , and cross-national disinformation studies , often analyzing data from 17-19 democracies. She has conducted extensive research on media polarization , immigrant attitudes , and news consumption patterns . Aalberg has held visiting appointments at institutions including the University of California, Berkeley , Stanford University , and University of Oslo , with current affiliations at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Oslo and Mid Sweden University . Her work spans political communication theory , media sociology , and democratic processes .
Western Norway University of Applied SciencesNorway
Professor Kjetil Grimastad Lundberg serves at the Institute for Welfare and Participation, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), appointed Professor of Welfare Sociology in 2020 after joining HVL in 2018. A University of Bergen PhD graduate (2012), he previously worked as Researcher II at Uni Research Rokkansenteret (2011-2018). His academic credentials include: PhD in Sociology, University of Bergen, 2012 Master's in Sociology, University of Bergen, 2007 Lundberg's research critically examines intersections of welfare systems, poverty, and marginalization through institutional ethnography. He investigates street-level bureaucracy in NAV (Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration), digitalization impacts, and child/family perspectives in low-income contexts, emphasizing stigma, power dynamics, and activation policies. His work bridges theoretical sociology with practical welfare challenges. His 15 most recent publications (2017-2024) reveal consistent focus on welfare-state dynamics, with recurring themes of work inclusion mechanisms, user experiences in complex interventions, and poverty's structural dimensions. Methodologically, he employs qualitative institutional ethnography across European Societies, European Journal of Social Work, and Social Policy and Society, demonstrating longitudinal analysis of policy evolution. Lundberg supervises multiple PhD candidates on work inclusion and poverty interventions while leading the NAV-funded project 'Barneperspektiv i Nav' (2023-2027) and participating in three additional studies addressing long-term poverty effects and cross-sectoral coordination. His grant portfolio spans NAV-FOU, Sparebankstiftelsen, and NFR funding. He contributes to HVL's 'Rights, Democracy and Welfare' research group, advancing critical welfare sociology through teaching in social science, sociology, and social work programs while examining urban poverty, bureaucratic practices, and marginalized family experiences.
Sveinung Sandberg is a Professor at the Department of Criminology and Sociology of Law, University of Oslo. His research spans marginalization, illegal drug markets, radicalization, and narrative criminology, combining theoretical frameworks from Bourdieu and narrative analysis. Academic Interests: Marginalisation, Legal & Illegal Drugs, Violence, Radicalization, Bourdieusian Criminology, Narrative Criminology, Latin American Studies, Social Movements Education: PhD from University of Bergen Research Focus includes: Street capital theory in criminology Drug market cultural dynamics Narrative approaches to extremism Latin American criminal trajectories Recent Publications examine pandemic-related crime shifts, gendered drug use patterns, and narrative mechanisms in criminal justice. His 2021-2025 projects Radicalization and Resistance and Crime in Latin America (CRIMLA) involve cross-country life-story analyses. Scientific Awards: Fridtjof Nansen's Award for Young Researchers (2011) The Meltzer Prize for Young Researchers (2010) Editorial Roles include board memberships at Theoretical Criminology , Deviant Behavior , and International Criminal Justice Review . He has conducted fieldwork in Mexico and held visiting positions at institutions including CIDE (Mexico City) and European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (Lisbon).
Jan Oskar Engene is an Associate Professor in the Department of Comparative Politics at the University of Bergen, Norway. His academic career spans several decades with significant contributions to both terrorism studies and heraldry research. Engene's research interests have evolved significantly over time, beginning with a strong focus on terrorism, political violence, and European security. His early work centered on the TWEED (Terrorism in Western Europe: Explaining the Trends) dataset, which documented terrorist incidents across Western Europe from 1950 onward. Over the years, his research expanded to include political symbolism, heraldry, and flag history, particularly regarding Norwegian political symbols and their evolution. His work demonstrates a unique interdisciplinary approach, bridging political science with historical and symbolic analysis. Analysis of Engene's publication trends reveals a clear evolution from predominantly terrorism-focused research in the 1990s and early 2000s toward increasing engagement with heraldry, political symbolism, and Norwegian historical identity markers in recent years. The earlier works focus on quantitative terrorism analysis, counterterrorism policy, and European security frameworks, while more recent publications examine municipal heraldry, county coats of arms, and historical political symbols. This shift demonstrates Engene's ability to apply political science methodologies to diverse research areas while maintaining a consistent focus on political symbolism and identity. Engene has supervised numerous Master's theses at the University of Bergen, primarily in the areas of terrorism studies, European politics, and political identity. His supervision record includes students researching topics such as state responses to terrorism in Italy, Nordic political systems, and regional identity in Western Europe. While specific grant information isn't detailed in the available materials, his TWEED project represents a significant research undertaking that likely involved external funding. Engene maintains active engagement with public discourse through media appearances, having participated in numerous television and radio programs discussing terrorism, security policy, and political symbolism. His work with the TWEED project established him as a leading expert on European terrorism patterns, while his more recent heraldry research has positioned him as a specialist in Norwegian political symbolism and historical iconography.
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.
Reidar Staupe is an Associate Professor in Public Safety at the Department of Technology and Security, UiT The Arctic University of Norway. He previously held a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (2020-2022) at Roskilde University, Denmark. Research Interests: His work bridges civil security, disaster risk reduction, and anticipatory governance. Key themes include: Temporalities of crisis perception and response Cultural/political impacts of disaster declarations Creeping crises (AMR, climate change) Disaster terminology evolution Wind power development conflicts Polycrisis dynamics Publication Trends: Recent articles (2022-2025) explore the interplay between societal security, slow-onset disasters, and interdisciplinary collaboration. His work appears in journals like Time & Society , Policy & Politics , and International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction , with forthcoming books on doomscrolling and global crisis cooperation. Scientific Awards: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship Teaching: Courses include SVF-3202 Crisis Management SVF-3616 Crisis and Disaster Management His research group The Grey Zone – Secure Societies examines security narratives in crisis contexts.
Vladimir Tikhonov is a Professor at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, Faculty of Humanities, University of Oslo. Specializing in Korean history, his research focuses on Korean Buddhism, nationalism, modernity in East Asia, and labor movements. He holds a PhD from Moscow State University (1996) and has taught at KyungHee University (1997-2000). Current roles include co-leadership of the 'Militarism and Religions in Modern Asia' project and responsibility for the MA program in East Asian Culture and History. Research interests span colonial-era Korean perceptions of Japan and Russia, religious militarism, and the intersection of nationalism with Buddhist thought. Notable works include Buddhism and Violence (2012) and Modern Korea and Its Others (2015). Ongoing projects explore Korean communist movements and critical biographies of nationalist figures like Han Yongun. Teaching covers East Asian culture, history, and politics, with courses like EAST4510 and KOR4504. His publications combine historical analysis with transnational perspectives, addressing topics from colonial-era intellectual debates to contemporary South Korean military chaplaincy dynamics.
Thomas Michael Sattich is an Associate Professor at the University of Stavanger , affiliated with the Faculty of Social Sciences and Department of Media and Social Studies . His research focuses on geopolitical implications of sustainability transitions, particularly energy policy interdependence and EU-China relations. PhD in Political Science and Economics Expertise in qualitative methods, mixed methods (cluster analysis), and data visualization Lead researcher on EU-funded digital climate negotiation simulation projects His recent publications examine renewable energy geopolitics, industrial policy competition, and sustainability education frameworks. Methodologically, he specializes in Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and network analysis, contributing to debates on energy security and regional cooperation.
Mikaela Vasstrøm (b.1977) is an Associate Professor at the Department of Global Development and Planning, University of Agder. She holds a PhD from the University of Copenhagen and leads significant research projects including the Norwegian Research Council-funded WINDPLAN initiative, which analyzes social acceptance and governance challenges in onshore wind power development across Norway, Scotland, and Denmark. She co-leads work packages in the WINDREG project focusing on procedural justice and knowledge co-production for energy transitions. Her research examines: Just energy transitions and energy democracy Governance challenges in renewable energy deployment Public participation in environmental conflicts Local/regional development implications of energy policies She co-directs UiA's participation in the Empowered Futures research school, developing PhD-level expertise in energy policy frameworks. Publications focus on wind energy governance, policy legitimacy, and spatial planning conflicts, with consistent themes of: Energy justice in policy design Local government capacity in energy transitions Participatory approaches in sustainability planning Research group affiliations include: Energy and Society Urban and Regional Planning (URPLAN)
Erlend Hem is a Professor II at the Department of Behavioral Medicine , University of Oslo. He is also affiliated with the Department of Health Management and Health Economics as a student. His research focuses on suicide epidemiology, mental health among healthcare professionals, and mortality statistics. University of Oslo Department of Behavioral Medicine Department of Health Management and Health Economics (student) His work includes analyzing suicide rates in physicians and veterinarians, psychological distress in intensive care workers during the pandemic, and disparities in cancer outcomes. Studies like the NORVET survey and methodological research on mortality recording highlight his interdisciplinary approach. Recent publications address English language barriers in medical literature comprehension and historical medical practices. Scientific contributions span journals like Tidsskrift for Den norske legeforening , BMC Psychiatry , and BMJ Open . Collaborative projects involve teams from Norwegian public health and emergency medicine sectors.
Anne Berit C. Samuelsen serves as Associate Professor at the Department of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, where she also holds the position of Head of Education. Her academic foundation includes a Cand.pharm. degree and Dr.scient. doctorate, establishing her expertise in pharmaceutical sciences. Her research centers on polysaccharides from natural sources—particularly higher plants, cereals, and fungi (Basidiomycota)—with specialized focus on β-glucans. Key interests include carbohydrate chemistry, pharmacognosy, and the development of biopolymer-based pharmaceutical applications. Her work bridges fundamental structural characterization with practical drug delivery solutions, notably through liposome coating technologies and immunomodulatory compound development. Recent publications reveal a strong trajectory in fungal polysaccharide research, particularly with Pleurotus eryngii and Albatrellus ovinus species. Her team employs advanced techniques like diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy to analyze polysaccharide structures while investigating biological activities related to immune receptor binding (Dectin-1, Toll-like receptors) and therapeutic applications. This work demonstrates consistent output in high-impact journals including Carbohydrate Polymers and ACS Applied Bio Materials . She actively contributes to academic instruction through courses such as FARM1150 (Pharmaceutically Oriented Biochemistry), FARM3100 (Pharmacognosy), and FARM5200 (Use of Biopolymers in Pharmaceuticals). Her leadership extends to the Bioactive Natural Substances and Health Effects (BioNatH) research group and the Glyconor Consortium, where she investigates natural product applications for health improvement.
Christina Gjestvang is an Associate Professor at the Department of Sports Medicine, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences. She earned her PhD in 2022 from the same institution, researching fitness clubs as public health venues. With 23 peer-reviewed publications and over 50 invited presentations, she received the institution's research communication award in 2020. She maintains 17+ years of practical experience as a fitness instructor and chairs the Norwegian Association of Exercise Physiologists. Her research focuses on: Fitness club industry dynamics and member behaviors Exercise initiation/adherence mechanisms Women's health including pregnancy exercise Body image and mental health in fitness contexts Public health interventions through physical activity Publication analysis reveals consistent themes in exercise psychology, public health implementation, and fitness industry studies. Recent work emphasizes digital health interventions, pregnancy physiology, and disordered eating in fitness environments. Awards: Norwegian School of Sport Sciences Research Communication Award (2020) As chairman of the Norwegian Association of Exercise Physiologists, she promotes professional standards for exercise-based health interventions. Her extensive industry experience informs both research and teaching in exercise prescription methodologies.
