Hugo Jose Herrera de Leon is a Research Fellow at the Department of Geography, University of Bergen. His work focuses on socio-ecological resilience, system dynamics modeling, and policy planning for climate change adaptation. He is affiliated with the System Dynamics research group and has presented at major international conferences like the European Conference on Operational Research and the International System Dynamics Conference. His research explores bioeconomy transitions in Norwegian agriculture, resilience in farming systems, and participatory policy design. He has been funded by the Research Council of Norway (2021-2025) for projects investigating sustainable transitions in rural systems. Notable contributions include developing frameworks for assessing resilience through hybrid simulations and collaborative modeling approaches. Publications span topics like microworld simulations for policymaking, organizational impacts of group model-building, and system dynamics applications in food security. His doctoral thesis (2018) addressed public policy strategies for enhancing resilience in socio-ecological systems under climate change.
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.
Cecilie Schou Andreassen is a Professor at the Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Bergen . She specializes in behavioral addictions , including workaholism, social media addiction, and substance use interactions. Email: cecilie.andreassen@uib.no Visitor Address: Alrek Health Cluster, Årstadveien 17, 5009 Bergen Research Focus: Andreassen's work examines the psychosocial antecedents of addictive behaviors, with emphasis on personality traits , workplace dynamics , and digital platform interactions . Her research spans cross-cultural validation studies and longitudinal health outcomes related to technology and substance misuse. Article Trends (2017-2022): Analyzing 15 recent publications reveals a consistent focus on addiction scale validation , social media epidemiology , and workaholism's health impacts . Key themes include measurement invariance , digital-chemical addiction comorbidity , and psychological withdrawal mechanisms . Scientific Contributions: Co-developer of Bergen Work Addiction Scale Creator of Bergen-Yale Sex Addiction Scale Leadership in behavioral addiction epidemiology Recipient of Norwegian Research Council grants Advising & Collaborations: While no direct advisees are listed, Andreassen collaborates extensively with international researchers in work psychology , social media studies , and public health . Her work involves partnerships with Nottingham Trent University , Yale University , and National Competence Service for Sleep Disorders . Labs & Teams: Affiliated with the Department of Clinical Psychology and previously with the Department of Social Psychology at University of Bergen, she contributes to national health registry studies and cross-occupational research on addiction patterns.
Aleksander Madsen is a Researcher at the University of Oslo (UiO), affiliated with the Department of Sociology and Human Geography under the Faculty of Social Sciences. His primary research interests include social stratification, immigrant assimilation in labor markets, welfare state policies, and statistical methods. He holds a PhD from Oslo Metropolitan University and an MA from UiO. Education: PhD in Sociology, Centre for the Study of Professions, Oslo Metropolitan University (2014–2018) MA in Sociology, University of Oslo (2013) His research explores labor market integration of immigrants, gender disparities in male-dominated workplaces, and the impact of education-occupation mismatch on health outcomes. He has conducted longitudinal studies on long-term sickness absence and labor market trajectories using sequence analysis. Dr. Madsen has held postdoctoral and research positions at UiO and NIFU, and was a visiting scholar at Stanford University's SCANCOR (2024) funded by the Fulbright Foundation. His work spans interdisciplinary collaborations, including projects on workplace diversity, ethnic stratification, and policy evaluations. Awards: U.S. - Norway Fulbright Foundation Grant (2023–2024) His research group affiliations include the Social Inequalities and Population Dynamics team and the ORGMIGRANT project, investigating work organizations and immigrant assimilation. Recent publications address residential networks among immigrants, workplace ethnic diversity, and women’s attrition from male-dominated sectors.
Habib Ullah is an Associate Professor in Data Science at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Norway, where he conducts research at the intersection of computer vision and machine learning. He is affiliated with the Institute of Data Science under the Faculty of Science and Technology. He has previously held academic positions at COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan, and the University of Ha'il, Saudi Arabia, and served as a postdoctoral researcher at The Arctic University of Norway. Educational Background: PhD in Information and Communication Technology (Computer Vision), University of Trento, Italy (2011–2015) MSc in Electronics and Computer Engineering, Hanyang University, South Korea (2007–2009) BSc in Computer Systems Engineering, NWFP University of Engineering and Technology, Pakistan (2002–2006) Habib Ullah's research is primarily focused on computer vision and machine learning, with applications in aquaculture, agriculture, and human behavior analysis. He investigates underwater fish feeding sounds using audio classification, develops zero-shot learning models for recognizing unseen classes, and applies deep learning to detect stress in salmon via skin dot patterns. He also explores AI-driven controlled environment agriculture, leveraging sensors and automation for optimal crop growth. His work emphasizes practical AI solutions for real-world challenges in environmental and biological domains. The recent publications highlight a strong trend in leveraging deep learning for zero-shot and semi-supervised learning, particularly in computer vision tasks such as sea ice classification, crowd anomaly detection, and agricultural monitoring. His research spans remote sensing, biomedical signal processing, and human activity recognition, demonstrating interdisciplinary versatility. The keywords reflect a focus on robust feature representation, knowledge transfer, and model generalization. Scientific Awards and Funding: Industrial PhD grant 'Advancing Controlled Environment Agriculture AI' from The Research Council of Norway (Project number 354125, 2 million NOK, 2024) Team member (Coordinator-Participant) in the Battery Cell Assembly Twin (BatCAT) project funded by Horizon Europe (7 mEuro, 2023–2027) Development of an AI-Based Image Analysis System for Monitoring Plant Status (Funding: 1.8 mNOK, starting 2025) Habib Ullah actively supervises PhD projects and contributes to academic service through editorial and organizational roles. He has served as an Associate Editor for IEEE Access, Guest Editor for MDPI Remote Sensing, and Editor of the Springer book Machine Learning Techniques and Sensor Applications for Human Emotion, Activity Recognition, and Support (ML-SHEARS) . He has also been a Track Chair and Program Committee Member for several international conferences, reflecting his leadership in the academic community. His research is supported by significant grants and collaborative projects, indicating strong institutional and international engagement. He is involved in multiple research teams and projects, including the BatCAT project on battery manufacturing and AI applications in controlled environment agriculture with RIFT LABS AS. His lab work integrates deep learning, sensor fusion, and data analytics for environmental and biological monitoring systems.
Kari Ingstad is a Professor of Sociology at the Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Nord University, and currently serves as Vice-Dean for Research. Her work bridges academia, clinical practice, and policy, focusing on healthcare organization, leadership, and innovation in Norway's health sector. She holds a PhD in Sociology from NTNU (2011) and has extensive clinical experience in municipal and specialist healthcare. Education: PhD in Sociology, NTNU, 2011 Nursing background from municipal and specialist healthcare sectors Research Interests: Workforce planning and staffing strategies in healthcare Impact of shift scheduling on employee well-being and patient safety Integration of artificial intelligence in healthcare operations Cross-sectoral collaboration and innovation in health services Recent Research Trends: Her 2024 publications emphasize strategic staffing solutions, AI-driven shift planning, and long-shift work-life balance. Key projects include the OptiCare-AI initiative (Norwegian Research Council-funded), exploring AI applications for optimizing healthcare resource allocation. Leadership & Grants: Leads the Acute Care, Innovation and Patient Safety (AKIP) research group Principal Investigator on OptiCare-AI (2023–present) Labs/Teams: Active collaborations with the AKIP group and national/international networks on healthcare workforce issues.
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.
Daniel Leunbach is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Business, University of Oslo , specializing in Entrepreneurship . He teaches courses in strategy, innovation management, and entrepreneurship while integrating philosophy and psychology into his research to study decision-making under uncertainty. Ph.D. in Strategy and Entrepreneurship, University of Oslo MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Oslo BSc in Molecular Biology, University of Bergen His research explores the intersection of entrepreneurship theory , philosophy , and psychology , focusing on how entrepreneurs navigate situations where outcome probabilities are impossible to quantify. Recent publications investigate topics such as entrepreneurial imagination through poetry , resource acquisition negotiations , and Wittgensteinian approaches to defining entrepreneurship . Leunbach collaborates with scholars like Truls Erikson and Glenn Roger Kristiansen , publishing in journals such as Academy of Management Review , Scandinavian Journal of Management , and Journal of Business Venturing Design . He is affiliated with the Entrepreneurship (ENT) research group and consults on entrepreneurial decision-making frameworks.
MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and SocietyNorway
Tatjana Schnell is a Professor of Existential Psychology at MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society, where she has worked since October 2020. She also holds a fellowship at the Humanistic University Berlin (since 2024). Her professional journey includes academic training in psychology, theology, religious studies, and philosophy across Germany, the UK, and Austria, with a doctorate from the University of Trier (Germany) and habilitation from the University of Innsbruck (Austria), where she founded the Existential Psychology Lab. Education : Psychology, Theology, Religious Studies, and Philosophy from the University of Göttingen, University of London, University of Heidelberg, and University of Cambridge Degree : Doctorate in Psychology (University of Trier, Germany) Habilitation : Psychology (University of Innsbruck, Austria) Tatjana Schnell's research focuses on existential themes including meaning in life, existential health, death attitudes, alienation, and religious/spiritual/secular worldviews. Her work bridges individual psychology with societal and environmental implications, with extensive international collaborations and publications. She has authored key works like "The Psychology of Meaning in Life" (2nd ed., 2025) and "Sinn finden" (2024). Her recent publications examine pandemic psychology, existential resources in gifted adults, workplace spirituality, and meaning-based interventions for chronic pain and cancer rehabilitation. Her research projects include "Making Sense of Volunteering," "Sinnmacher - The Meaning App," and studies on existential resources in palliative care. The Tatjana Schnell website provides further details about her work. Fellow : Humanistic University Berlin (2024) Tatjana Schnell has developed innovative tools like the Sources of Meaning Card Method (SoMeCaM) and Meaning in Work Inventory (ME-Work), with validated versions across multiple cultures. Her work emphasizes the practical application of existential psychology in mental health, organizational behavior, and ecological engagement. She founded the Existential Psychology Lab at the University of Innsbruck and continues to lead impactful research at MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society.
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.
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)
Professor Anne Burmeister is a full Professor of Organizational Behavior at the University of Cologne, Faculty of Management, Economics, and Social Sciences. She specializes in knowledge transfer, age diversity, inclusion, and interpersonal dynamics in workplaces. Her research bridges organizational psychology with practical applications in aging and diverse teams. Education: PhD in Psychology (summa cum laude), Leuphana University of Lueneburg (2016) MSc in Management and Organizational Analysis, Warwick Business School (2011) BSc in Business Psychology, Leuphana University of Lueneburg (2010) Research Interests: Her work focuses on work and aging, age diversity, inclusion, knowledge transfer, and workplace friendships. She investigates how social interactions influence productivity and organizational health, particularly in multigenerational environments. Recent Trends: Recent publications analyze DEI initiative responses, knowledge sharing dynamics, and interventions for aging workforces. Themes include cognitive load theory, intergenerational collaboration, and ambivalent employee reactions to diversity policies. Scientific Recognition: Awarded 40 leading HR minds 2025 by HR magazine Contact: Email: burmeister@wiso.uni-koeln.de Phone: +49 221-470-5887
Ronny Scherer is Center Director and Professor at CEMO (Center for Educational Measurement) and Deputy Director at CREATE (Center for Research on Equality in Education) at the University of Oslo's Faculty of Educational Sciences. His work bridges educational measurement, assessment, and evaluation with a focus on research syntheses and complex sampling surveys. Dr. Scherer's research spans two interconnected domains: substantive areas including digital divides, equity and equality in education, and measurement of complex cognitive skills (such as complex problem solving, adaptability, computational thinking, and executive functioning); and methodological areas focusing on advanced meta-analytic techniques, multilevel structural equation modeling, and spatial analysis of complex survey data. His work frequently utilizes international large-scale assessment data from PISA, ICILS, TIMSS, PIRLS, PIAAC, and TALIS. His publication record demonstrates a clear trajectory toward increasingly sophisticated meta-analytic approaches, with recent work focusing on second-order meta-analyses, AI-assisted screening methods, and advanced techniques for handling complex survey data. His research consistently addresses critical educational challenges related to equity, digital literacy, and measurement of 21st century skills. Dr. Scherer has secured significant research funding for projects including ARISE (Academic resilience in mathematics and science among vulnerable students), DiDiRes (Digital inequalities in education), and ADAPT21 (Educational assessments of the 21st century: Measuring and understanding students' adaptability in complex problem solving situations). Co-director of CREATE (Centre for Research on Equality in Education) since 2023 Professor of Educational Assessment and Measurement at CEMO since 2019 Extensive experience with international large-scale assessments including ICILS, TALIS, and PIAAC As an educator, Dr. Scherer teaches advanced courses in measurement models, multilevel models, meta-analysis, and equity in education. He actively supervises graduate students interested in his research areas and has developed numerous workshops on structural equation modeling and meta-analytic methods for international audiences.
Terese Johannessen serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Nursing Sciences at the University of Agder (UiA), Norway. Her academic work focuses on quality improvement, leadership development, and implementation science within healthcare settings, particularly in nursing homes and home care services. Dr. Johannessen's research primarily centers on understanding quality and safety in long-term care environments. Her work investigates contextual factors influencing healthcare quality, leadership interventions for improvement, and the conceptualization of 'quality' among healthcare providers. She employs qualitative methodologies to explore managers' experiences, implementation challenges, and the development of practical tools for frontline staff. Her research has significant implications for improving care delivery in nursing homes and home care services through evidence-based leadership approaches. Analysis of Dr. Johannessen's publication record reveals a strong thematic focus on the SAFE-LEAD project, a comprehensive research initiative examining leadership interventions for quality and safety in nursing homes and home care. Her work spans multiple dimensions including intervention design, implementation challenges, contextual mapping, and evaluation of leadership approaches across different healthcare settings. The research demonstrates a methodological preference for qualitative and mixed-methods approaches to capture the complex realities of healthcare improvement work. Dr. Johannessen collaborates extensively with researchers including Siri Wiig, Eline Ree, and Ingunn Aase, primarily through the SHARE Centre for Resilience in Healthcare at the University of Stavanger. Her work bridges academic research and practical application in healthcare settings, with significant contributions to understanding how quality improvement efforts can be effectively implemented in real-world contexts. Her research portfolio demonstrates consistent productivity with multiple publications annually, showing progression from foundational studies on contextual factors to the development and testing of specific leadership interventions. The SAFE-LEAD project represents a cohesive research program addressing critical challenges in long-term care quality and safety through systematic investigation and practical tool development.
Johanne Thunes is a Research Fellow at the Department of Informatics (IFI), University of Oslo, specializing in Information Systems. She holds a Master’s degree in Informatics and a Bachelor’s degree in both Informatics and Political Science from UiO. Her research focuses on digitalization in the public sector, IT strategy, low-code development, and IT outsourcing/insourcing dynamics. She has contributed to prominent conferences like HICSS and ECIS, addressing topics such as digital government transformation and low-code-driven backsourcing. Thunes teaches courses on platform ecosystems, software engineering, and systems design. She is affiliated with the Information Systems research group and serves on the Department Board at IFI. Education: Master’s in Informatics: Design, Use & Interaction, UiO (2020–2022) Bachelor’s in Informatics: Design, Use & Interaction, UiO (2018–2020) Bachelor’s in Political Science, UiO (2015–2018) Teaching Highlights: IN5320 – Development in Platform Ecosystems (2022) IN1050 – Introduction to Design, Use, Interaction (2019–2021) IN2000 – Software Engineering with Project Work (2021–2022) Research Trends: Her work bridges IT strategy and public sector challenges, emphasizing resilience, governance, and low-code solutions for organizational agility. Recent publications explore targeted insourcing models and backsourcing phenomena in digital transformation contexts.
