Changing Arctic

About the research school

The research school focuses on renewable energy, food security, and health and welfare in the Arctic. We will collaborate with actors in both the private and the public sector. The research outcomes will contribute to transformation and resilience in the Arctic and will thus operationalize Sustainable Development Goals.

The training provides PhD candidates with knowledge, professional and transferable skills, and general competences that enable them to contribute to innovative and sustainable solutions for societal challenges in the Arctic.

“Changing Arctic” will arrange courses, seminars, workshops, and excursions, and will organise secondments in industry, private enterprises, NGOs, as well as public institutions involved in management and policy making. This is to ensure the relevance of project outcomes and enhance the employability of the PhD graduates.

News

27.01.2023

Changing Arctic scientists contribute to the development of aquaculture for low trophic species

19.01.2023

Join the PhD course: Impact by targeted communication, 13-17 February in Abisko, Sweden

14.03.2022

Søker stipendiater til ny forskerskole

All news

Required courses

Available PhD positions affiliated with Changing Arctic

See detailed project descriptions below and apply within the deadline (specified below)

Trygghet og tillit i helsefelleskap i Arktis (23 February)

Weather panel performance & design for protection of arctic outdoor working environment (28 February)

Impacts of climate change on the marine ecosystem and aquaculture industry in northern Norway (28 February)

Genomics and archaeology of reindeer domestication and its impact on the Northern human diets and ecosystems of the past (28 February)

Heat and cold strain in persons with type 2 diabetes in a changing climate (23 February)

Transformative Change for Sustainable Blue Food Systems (23 February)

PhD projects 2023

Heat and cold strain in persons with type 2 diabetes in a changing climate

Ikäheimo, Tiina / Höper, Anje Christina /

Transformative change towards sustainable blue food systems in Northern Norway

Wickson, Fern / Hausner, Vera Helene /

Weather panel performance & design for protection of arctic outdoor working environment

Sundsbø, Per-Arne /

Genomics and archaeology of reindeer domestication and its impact on the Northern human diets and ecosystems of the past

Gusarova, Galina /

Sami children and the right to a future

Haugli, Trude /

Trygghet og tillit i helsefellesskap i Arktis 

Aure, Marit /

Impacts of climate change on the marine ecosystem and aquaculture in northern Norway

Abdel-Fattah, Dina /

Become a member

Requirements for membership

You must have been admitted to a PhD program at UiT before you can apply for membership
Your research topic should be within the fields covered by the research school
You are expected to have a transdisciplinary approach in your project, including a secondment in the public or privet sector during your PhD training
You are expected to participate in the courses and events of the research school
If none of your supervisors are Changing Arctic members, we appreciate if you encourage your supervisors to join us.

Application to become a member of the research school

Why you want to become a member of Changing Arctic (expectations/contributions)
A description of your field of interest or if you are a PhD candidate, the title of your PhD project and a short description, including the secondment
Do you already have cooperation with Changing Arctic member(s)?
PhD candidates should name their supervisors
Please, also attach a short CV
Applications are sent to ChangingArctic@uit.no
The Changing Arctic Board will evaluate the applications monthly

Projects 2022

Food, environmental impact and lifestyle diseases

Kucuk, Bahar / Rylander, Karin Charlotta Maria /

Glacier GEOHEALTH

Sinclair, Colin / Wadham, Jemma Louise /

Winterization of sea technology

Visich, Aleksandra / Sundsbø, Per-Arne /

Genetics in plant-herbivore systems

Mjøen, Hedvig Elisabeth / Gusarova, Galina /

Sustainable seafood supply chains

Kochanska, Adrianna Walentyna / Aschan, Michaela /

Ecosystem approach for ocean governance

Gkikas, Nikolaos / Jakobsen, Ingvild Ulrikke /

Green hydrogen for communities

Cheng, Claudia / Kristoffersen, Berit /

PhD candidates 2022

Hedvig Elisabeth MjøenDoctoral Research Fellow

Adrianna Walentyna KochanskaDoctoral Research Fellow

Claudia ChengDoctoral Research Fellow

Colin SinclairDoctoral Research Fellow

Bahar Kucuk

Aleksandra VisichDoctoral Research Fellow

Nikolaos GkikasDoctoral Research Fellow

Steering Group

Jemma Louise WadhamProfessor

Tiina IkäheimoProfessor

Ingvild Ulrikke JakobsenProfessor

Per-Arne SundsbøProfessor

Hans-Kristian HernesProfessor

Anne HusebekkProfessor

Berit KristoffersenAssociate Professor

Berit Kristoffersen – Associate Professor

Research interests:

Berit Kristoffersen is an Associate Professor in Political Science the Department of Social Sciences at UiT and Arctic Centre for Sustainable Energy (ARC). She leads the research project RENEW (connected to Smart Senja) and UiT sustainability comittee. As a political geographer by training, her research contributions have included work on state space, critical geopolitics, climate change and energy politics. Her work has been published in journal such as Geoforum, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, and Arctic Review on Law and Politics.

Her post-doc (finished 2017) focused on resource and tourism practices and PhD (2014) and master (2007) thesis' on the territorial, political and representational geographies of 'opening up' the Norwegian Arctic for oil and gas activities, themes that are still ongoing research subjects. At present her research is also focused on developing theory and methods for interdisciplinary and social sciences approaches to energy transition and supply-side climate policy perspectives.

Contact:

E-mail: berit.kristoffersen@uit.no

Work phone: +4777646967

Private phone: +47 95 70 26 00

Link to employee page

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Galina GusarovaResearcher

Michaela AschanProfessor (Group leader)

Michaela Aschan – Professor

Research interests:

Michaela Aschan is Professor in Fisheries Biology and Management at UiT, the Arctic University of Norway, and has a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Helsinki, including additional training in statistics, geography and philosophy. She has served as the Vice Dan with responsibility for science activities at the Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics. This involves science strategic planning at the UiT level, overall responsibility for the PhD-education programme at the Faculty as a central role in the Faculty lead. This experience has given her leadership opportunities and training as well as the opportunity to assemble multidisciplinary teams for solving new scientific challenges. Her research covers a wide range of scientific areas including stock assessment and population biology of shellfish; fish and benthic communities; sampling design; bio-economic aspects of fisheries regulation and management; and climate induced changes in the marine ecosystem. She has wide experience from national projects, EU projects, other international projects as well as ICES Working Group leadership and participation and Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification.

Ongoing projects:

ClimeFish Coordinator => https://climefish.eu/

FarFish WP leader =>https://www.farfish.eu/

BSEco and BarentsRisk Norwegian Research Council

News: https://www.euronews.com/2019/04/29/fish-are-growing-faster-with-the-changing-climate

Contact:

E-mail: michaela.aschan@uit.no

Work phone: +4777646953

Private phone: 99 26 14 58

Link to employee page

Link to this page