Organisation
The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs has about 100 employees, including part-time positions and guest researchers. The institute is organised in five research groups that reflect our thematic core competences, and in addition the Administration department and the Communications department.
How is the international climate regime evolving? What are the implications of climate policy and the transition to clean energy for international politics and economics? How will Norway’s position in the world be affected by these changes?
The group conducts academic and applied research on such questions. The geographical scope of this research is global. We use both quantitative and qualitative research methods, with an emphasis on mixed methods, big data, creation of new datasets through data scraping, and in-depth knowledge when we do research on specific counties. We aim to produce research with high academic impact and policy relevance.
The group cooperates with colleagues at institutions such as Harvard University, Cornell University, NY University, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, Ghent University, Tampere University, the OSCE Academy, and the ASEAN Center for Energy.
The group is lead by Senior Research Fellow Roman Vakulchuk.
Some publications produced by members of the group include:
- The misallocation of climate research funding
- Renewable energy and geopolitics
- The ASEAN climate and energy paradox
- Energy democracy as a process, an outcome and a goal
- The GeGaLo Index: Geopolitical Gains and Losses after Energy Transition
- EU Climate and Energy Policy: New Challenges for Old Energy Suppliers
People
NUPI's administration department handles the economy of the institute, operation and human resources. The administration department is also responsible for NUPI's premises and IT systems. Head of Administration is Mikkel Frøsig Pedersen.
People
Research results and research-based information is communicated to both specific target groups and the general public. This is the main responsibility of the Communications department in cooperation with NUPI's research groups. Our communication staff prepare, facilitate and make information available through NUPI's journals, our website, other NUPI publications and the media.
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Director: Kari M. Osland
Head of administration: Mikkel F. Pedersen
Head of communications: Åsmund Weltzien
Research Director: Halvard Leira
Research Director: Kristin M. Haugevik
Research group leaders
Security and Defence: Niels Nagelhus Schia
Russia, Asia and International Trade: Julie Wilhelmsen
Global Order and Diplomacy: Øyvind Svendsen
Peace, Conflict and Development: Jon Harald Sande Lie
Climate and energy: Roman Vakulchuk
People
Chair of the board
- Karl Erik Haug, Professor of Modern History and Head of Department at NTNU (Trondheim)
Members
- Teija Tiilikainen, Director of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Helsingfors)
- Laila Susanne Vars, Senior Adviser at the Sámi Parliament (Kautokeino)
- Simen Bræin, Senior Vice President at Statkraft (Asker)
- Christian Chramer, Director of the Norwegian Seafood Council (Tromsø)
Deputy members
- Lise Rakner (1st deputy member), Professor of Political Science at the University of Bergen (Bergen)
- James Jerome John Cameron (2nd deputy member), Associate Professor of Modern North American History (Oslo)
Employee representatives
- John Karlsrud (Research Professor, NUPI)
- Marie Furhovden (Senior Communications Advisor, NUPI)
- Jenny Lorentzen, vara for John Karlsrud (Senior Researcher, NUPI)
- Kacper Szulecki, vara for Marie Furhovden (Research Professor, NUPI)
NUPI’s research group on global order and diplomacy conducts research on the changing character of international politics, and the making and practice of states’ foreign policy within it. Special attention is given to developments in and changes to Norwegian foreign policy.
Researchers in the group conduct theory-driven as well as empirically grounded research, and seek to contextualize current affairs historically and comparatively.
The group is led by Øyvind Svendsen.
People
NUPI conducts applied and academic research on peace operations and peacebuilding. We provide policy advice to relevant actors, and work to promote greater cooperation between the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union and other regional organizations. Here we can draw on a wide range of international partnerships with international organizations, other research institutes and civil society organizations, including sister institutes in Belgium, Brazil, China, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey, the UK and the USA.
Our geographical focus is on countries affected by war or conflict, or that host peace missions. The research we conduct in this area is grounded in extensive fieldwork. Central research topics include security sector reform in general and international police reform in particular, the rule of law, gender issues, local peacebuilding, protection of civilians, civilian capacities, youth in conflict, child soldiers, organized crime, war crimes, and new technologies.
Jon Harald Sande Lie is head of the research group.
People
Central research topics are energy politics and economics, including oil, natural gas and renewable energy. Also in focus are ethnicity, nation-building and nationalism in Russia and Asia and the Arctic, and democracy and human rights in these countries.
Further research areas are Russian foreign and security policy, the indigenous peoples of the Russian North, the geopolitics of natural resources and territory in the Arctic and the Caspian region, and relations with China and other significant neighbours.
The group is lead by Julie Wilhelmsen.
People
We study military strategy and geopolitics, EU foreign and security policy, terrorism and organized crime, and the privatization of security, with an emphasis on new security actors.
The geographical focus in this research area ranges from the USA, Asia and the Pacific, to North Africa and Europe. Issues related to military concepts and doctrines, irregular and hybrid warfare, civilian–military relations, maritime security, cyber security and technology, security governance, and reform of intelligence and security services are also addressed.
Head of the Research group on security and defence is Niels Nagelhus Schia.