I am Vice Dean of research since January 2021. It is my responsibility to facilitate the Faculty's employees to deliver research at a high international level. My goal is that all employees at the Faculty have good working conditions, and that those who have the potential to become internationally leading, individually or as part of a research group, manage to realize this potential. It is also my responsibility to lead the development of the researcher education, and I focus on career development of younger researchers, both towards academic top positions and other career paths.
Research leadership
From January 1st 2018 until the end of 2020, I was director of the Njord centre at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (MN). Njord is a cross-disciplinary physics-geoscience centre, including the first-generation Norwegian Centre of Excellence (CoE) Physics of Geological Processes (PGP) and the Oslo-node of the current CoE Porous Media Laboratory (PoreLab).
Before that, I was section leader of the PGP section at the Department of Geosciences (2013-2018) and co-director (2003-2006) and Director (2006-2013) of PGP during the CoE period.
I have also been leading a Strategic Research Initiative (EarthFlows) at MN (2014-2018), a project at the Center of Advanced studies at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (Dynamics of fluid-rock interfaces, 2000-2001), and a Strategic University Project (Fluid rock interactions) funded by the Norwegian Research Council (1997-2001).
Research
My main research interests: Dynamic transformation processes in the Earth’s crust, in particular processes controlled by fluid-rock interactions and involve coupled heterogeneous reactions and deformation. I am particularly interested in processes that operate far from equilibrium and involve spontaneous patterns formation.
As a hobby project, I have also studied structures and communication networks in public agencies, notably research and health organizations.
Funded projects include:
- ERC Advanced grant – Disequilibrium metamorphism of stressed lithosphere (‘DIME’) (2015-2021)
- Strategic University Program, UiO - Earthflows (2014-2018)
- Norwegian Center of Excellence from the Norwegian Research Council – Physics of Geological Processes (‘PGP’) (2003-2013)
- Center for Advanced Studies (CAS), the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters – Dynamics of Fluid-Rock Systems (2000-2001)
- Strategic University Program (SUP) from the Norwegian Research Council – Fluid-Rock Interactions (1997-2001)
Teaching
From 1993, I have been teaching general geology, mineralogy, petrology and geochemistry at all levels at the University of Oslo and supervised about 20 Cand Scient / Master students and 15 PhD students. Current teaching:
Background and positions
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Director Njord, UiO (2018-)
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Director PGP (2006-2013)
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Co-director PGP (2003-2006)
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Professor of petrology, UiO (1993-)
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Odd Hassel stipendiat (Postdoctoral Fellow), University of Bristol (1991-1993)
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Dr. scient, UiO, 1990
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Cand.scient UiO, 1986
Awards
- Teacher of the year from the students at the Department of Geoscience, UiO (2018)
- The Alexander von Humboldt Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany (2014)
- The Möbius Prize (the annual research award from The Norwegian Research Council for all disciplines of research) (2012)
- Fellow of the Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemistry (2012)
- The Fritjof Nansen Award from the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (2010)
- Elected member of the Royal Society of Norway (2001)
- Elected member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (1996)
- The Reusch Medal from the Norwegian Geological Society (1993)