News archive

Recent months have brought significant international recognition to Professor Ilan Kelman, affiliated with the Secure Societies.

Professor Kelman has been awarded the 2026 Professor Douglas Paton Distinguished Researcher Lifetime Legacy Award, received the Geoethics Medal 2025, and has been elected to Academia Europaea.

While these distinctions acknowledge an extraordinary scholarly career, they also speak to something broader: a vision of research grounded in collaboration, education, and public relevance. Across disaster studies, climate research, and resilience scholarship, Professor Kelman’s work has consistently connected rigorous academic inquiry with practical societal concerns.

We are grateful to count him among our affiliated scholars and warmly congratulate him on these recognitions.

This month we highlight the work of Chinwe Philomina Oramah, whose research sits at the intersection of risk communication, climate-related security challenges, and disaster governance. Her work explores how communication strategies function in fragile and crisis-affected contexts, and how climate-driven risks shape governance structures at both local and global levels. She also teaches across our bachelor’s and master’s programmes in risk management and societal security.

Chinwe’s scholarly output in 2025 reflects this breadth. Her climate-communication study from Nigeria highlights how language barriers can unintentionally exclude communities from meaningful climate action. Her comparative analysis of malaria information and mosquito-net use in West Africa sheds light on how health messaging affects real behaviour. Most recently, her Social Return on Investment evaluation of environmental protection plans in Thailand reveals how targeted interventions can generate substantial benefits for health, the environment, and local resilience.

You can read the articles here: 

1. Addressing the Impact of Complex English Use in Communicating Climate Change in Nigerian Communities: Through Contextual Understanding. 
2. A comparative analysis of the predictive influence of access to malaria messages on utilization of mosquito nets by under-five children in West Africa.
3. Evaluating the Cost-Effectiveness of Environmental Protection Plans in Quarrying Using the Social Return on Investment Framework.

Across these projects runs a common thread: rigorous empirical work grounded in real-world problems, with practical relevance for policy and community engagement. We are proud to have her as a member of the Secure Societies group.

The Societal Security Conference 2025 is now behind us — and what a two-day event it turned out to be. Over 130 registered participants joined panels, workshops, and discussions that brought new perspectives on preparedness, resilience, and security in the Arctic.

 

We are especially pleased with the strong participation from national and international partners, the engagement of students and local actors, and the lively interest from the media.

With a full programme of panels and workshops, the event showcased the breadth of work underway in our field and created a space for thoughtful exchanges across disciplines and sectors. Participants also contributed to a rich public conversation, with coverage from NRK and active engagement across social media.

Our sincere thanks to all who contributed. The momentum from this year’s conference will carry us well into the work ahead.

At the Arctic Circle Assembly 2025 in Reykjavík (18th October 2025), Dr. Karina Larsen, Associate Professor at the Department of Technology and Safety and member of UiT Secure Societies Research Group, represented UiT in the international session “Resilience – Lessons from the Arctic.” The panel, organised by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Arctic Initiative in collaboration with Nord University, Oulu Business School, University College Cork, and UiT The Arctic University of Norway, gathered experts to discuss how Arctic communities and high-risk sectors develop resilience through practice, training, and adaptive leadership.

From 2–8 August 2025, the Secure Societies Research Group hosted the second edition of the GLOBSEC Summer School, welcoming ten students from Stellenbosch University (South Africa) and ten UiT students for a week of intensive learning and cross-cultural exchange.

Centred on the theme “Comparative Analysis of Security Policy”, the programme combined lectures, workshops, and collaborative projects, culminating in group presentations comparing security policies across countries. Students explored topics such as food security, cyber policy, public health, and climate resilience, while building valuable international networks.

The week also included a memorable field visit to Kåfjord and guest lectures on emerging challenges in societal security. The event was covered on UiT’s news and social media channels, as well as in the local press. you can read more about the event here.

We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Stellenbosch University through guest lectures, joint research initiatives, and future exchanges.

We are proud to announce that the UiT Societal Security Conference 2025 has been awarded funding from the Norwegian Research Council. This recognition will enable us to deliver a high-impact, two-day event in Tromsø on November 4–5, 2025, under the timely and critical theme:
“The Responsibility to (Self)Protect?”

 

Who protects society when the threat is not military — but everything else?
In an era of blurred frontlines and civilian-first crises, we are all told to “be prepared.” But what does that actually mean — for citizens, institutions, or the Arctic communities on the frontline of disruption? This year’s conference will explore preparedness beyond the barracks. Topics will include:

• Emergency preparedness in the High North

• Food security under strain

• Critical infrastructure in an age of cascading risks

We’re planning a dynamic programme of presentations, panels, and an interactive workshop designed to cut across institutional boundaries and spark meaningful collaboration.

Keynote speakers are already confirmed from New Zealand, Taiwan, and Finland — with more to be announced soon.

Mark your calendars! We look forward to welcoming voices from academia, public institutions, and private industry — across Norway and beyond.

The Secure Societies research group was invited to contribute to the NATO-led Tabletop Exercise Coherent Resilience 2025 Arctic (CORE 25-A), held on 17–18 June 2025 in a hybrid format.

 

Co-organised by the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence, Naval Postgraduate School, Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies, and the European Commission Joint Research Centre, the exercise focused on hybrid threats in the Arctic, particularly those targeting energy systems, maritime infrastructure, and critical supply chains.

CORE 25-A gathered experts to evaluate NATO's collective resilience and operational readiness in the face of evolving threats and environmental challenges in the region. Themes included interoperability, strategic communication, and technological capability gaps in Arctic operations.

The invitation reflects our group’s growing role in international conversations around societal resilience, infrastructure protection, and hybrid security threats — particularly in Arctic contexts.

We’re pleased to share that our group member, Dr. Monika Gabriela Bartoszewicz, has recently completed the prestigious Taiwan Fellowship, spending three months as a Visiting Scholar at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) in Taipei.

Hosted by what she describes as a “properly military institute”—uniform included—Monika conducted interviews, took part in field visits, workshops, and full-scale crisis exercises, contributing to her ongoing work on societal security and cultural resilience.

With two research articles now heading to publication, this fellowship not only showcases her active contribution to the field of societal security, but it also strengthens our group’s academic ties across Asia and signals new avenues for collaboration in the region.

We’re excited to share our colleague’s new paper, Combatting Disinformation – How Do We Create Resilient Societies? Literature Review and Analytical Framework, which takes a fresh look at the challenges of disinformation in highly digitized democracies.

 

The article reviews the literature from 2018 to 2022 to identify key elements that threaten societal resilience and introduces a novel typological framework covering legal, educational, political, psychological, and technological dimensions. An especially innovative aspect is the framework’s potential to transform into a computable, customizable tool for assessing the maturity of countermeasures, offering practical guidance amid evolving digital threats.

This work not only synthesizes existing research and fills identified gaps, but it also offers practical guidance for policymakers, educators, and technologists striving to protect information integrity and strengthen societal resilience.

While highlighting the persistent challenges posed by disinformation, it also points toward future research – notably, the shift from welfare migration to “prosper migration” remains an intriguing, yet to be explored topic.

For more details, read the full article here:
Combatting Disinformation – How Do We Create Resilient Societies?
(Also available on Springer: Link).

We're excited to announce a new publication by our research group members, Maria Sydnes,  and Are K. Sydnes, who, along with Morten Kjeve, have tackled one of the most enduring puzzles in emergency management: inter-organizational coordination (IOC).

Despite years of research, achieving effective IOC during emergencies remains a formidable challenge. This study explores the complexities of how coordination happens, rather than just why it works, offering fresh insights into the formal and informal mechanisms at play.

Focusing on Norwegian emergency response services, the authors explore how fire departments, emergency medical services, and police coordinate during real-life operations. The study sheds light on potential vulnerabilities and emerging threats that could escalate if not addressed by examining "minor" disasters—often overlooked yet critical— as the authors show.

For those eager to go deeper into this cutting-edge research, you can read the full article here: Sydnes, M., Kjeve, M., & Sydnes, A. K. (2025). Interorganizational coordination during emergencies and crises. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 105310.

We are thrilled to announce that our colleague, Masoud, has been awarded the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship for his groundbreaking project, "A Framework for Modelling and Optimising the Resilience of the Integrated Natural Gas Production and Transmission Network System" (RESILIENTGAS).

Masoud's project, supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme, aims to enhance the resilience of natural gas production and transmission (NGPT) networks, which are susceptible to failures that can lead to supply disruptions and methane emissions. By developing a new framework utilizing Markov Decision Process (MDP) and Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL), the project seeks to optimize the resilience of integrated NGPT network systems. This research, to be conducted at Politecnico di Milano in Italy over 30 months, will focus on strengthening European NGPT networks, benefiting gas producers and transmission operators alike.

This achievement underscores the robust and cutting-edge research conducted within our group and highlights the exceptional talent of our members. Securing a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship is no small feat, with a success rate of approximately 17% amidst thousands of scholars from across Europe and beyond competing for these prestigious grants. This accomplishment not only reflects Masoud's dedication and expertise but also showcases the exceptional quality of research conducted within our group, reinforcing our commitment to advancing knowledge and solutions in critical areas.

We congratulate Masoud on this remarkable achievement and look forward to the innovative contributions his work will bring to the field.

We are thrilled to announce the upcoming publication of A Time of Disastrous Anticipations: Essays on Life in the Shadow of Catastrophe, edited by two members of our research group, Reidar Staupe and Monika Gabriela Bartoszewicz.

 

This compelling volume highlights the role of anticipation in shaping societal narratives and explores strategies for redefining responses to catastrophic imaginaries. Through a combination of theoretical insights and practical examples, the book reveals that catastrophe is not so much a matter out of place, but primarily a matter out of time.

This publication truly showcases the versatile expertise within our group, featuring chapters by other members, including Leikny Bakke Lie, Miriam Matejova, and Barbara Schabowska. Their contributions cover a diverse range of topics, from natural hazards and disinformation to the mental health crisis, reflecting the breadth and depth of our research endeavors.

For those interested in learning more about the book, please visit: Routledge - A Time of Disastrous Anticipations.

We look forward to the impact this publication will have on the field and invite you to explore its insights.

On January 23, 2025, representatives from our team, Ingeborg Skjelmo and Are Sydnes, attended the NoCoU kick-off meeting in Oslo. The gathering was marked by a spirit of creativity, inclusivity, and openness, setting a positive tone for the collaborative efforts ahead.

The meeting featured a series of lightning talks where partners presented their European, national, and self-funded projects. This format facilitated a dynamic exchange of ideas and insights, highlighting the diverse expertise and innovative approaches within the network. Following the presentations, participants engaged in a brainstorming session focused on individual contributions and activities planned for the near future.

We are particularly excited about our role as the coordinating institution for Work Package 2 in this project. This position allows us to significantly influence activities at both the national level and within the regional nodes of the network. It is a great responsibility, but also a remarkable opportunity for our research group to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of civil security in society.

We look forward to leveraging this opportunity to enhance our research impact and foster stronger collaborations across the network. Stay tuned for more updates as we embark on this exciting journey.