"A golden opportunity": This year's master's students look back on their time at NUPI

Five master's students were affiliated with NUPI while finalizing their master's theses this spring.

Throughout the semester, they contributed to ongoing research projects across a range of fields at the institute and produced timely research of their own. NUPI thanks this year's students for their efforts!

"Rewarding"

Nore Ims, Sinikka Wasland Gjems, Julie Askeland Caspersen, Benedicte Egjar Engesland and Thea Virginia Mc Connell have written about war and conflict, UN peace operations and human rights, migration in China, Russian digital influence, and research policy in Svalbard.

"Being a master's student at NUPI has been rewarding both academically and personally. I was warmly welcomed into an inspiring, interdisciplinary environment, where seminars, conversations and everyday encounters with researchers, research assistants and fellow students have shaped my thesis and challenged the way I think," says Julie Askeland Caspersen.

The students particularly highlight the opportunity to present unfinished drafts to colleagues in the research groups and receive feedback along the way.

"My time at NUPI has also opened doors. I now work here as a research assistant, which allows me to keep exploring topics I find exciting. It's a unique opportunity to become part of a vibrant research community while you're still a student," says Caspersen.

The theses:

• Julie Askeland Caspersen was affiliated with the Research group on peace, conflict and development (PCAD). In her thesis, "The Impact of UN Peacekeeping Operations on Human Rights: Exploring the Relationship between Peacekeeping Components and Human Rights Standards in Host States", she examined the relationship between UN peace operations and the human rights situation in host countries. Using quantitative methods, she analysed peace operations in African countries between 1991 and 2016.
• Nore Ims was affiliated with the Research group on security and defence (SECD). His thesis, "Atoms for War: Commercial Nuclear Power Plants as Military Targets in Interstate Conflict", explores the role commercial nuclear power plants have played in the war in Ukraine. Drawing on open sources, he mapped Russian attacks on Ukrainian nuclear infrastructure and developed a theoretical framework for understanding the logic behind such attacks.
• Sinikka Wasland Gjems was affiliated with the Research group on Eastern Europe and Asia (EAST). Her thesis, "Producing Rural Pasts and Futures: How Migrant Entrepreneurs in China Navigate a Culture of Striving", looks at young Chinese people who are moving against the tide of the past 40 years: away from the big cities. Through fieldwork and interviews in Guangdong and Yunnan, she examined how these young people view rural life and today's working life in China, and how this connects to Chinese development policy.
• Thea Virginia Mc Connell was affiliated with the Research group on security and defence (SECD). In her thesis, "Russian Strategic Narratives in the Norwegian Online Information Space", she examined hybrid threats and Russian influence operations. She used machine learning and quantitative text analysis to map Russian narratives in the Norwegian digital information space.
• Benedicte Egjar Engesland was affiliated with the Research group on global order and diplomacy (GOAD). In her thesis, "Between Sovereignty and Cooperation: Polar Research as a Tool for Sovereignty Assertion and Diplomacy in Norwegian Svalbard Policy" (Norwegian original: "Mellom suverenitet og samarbeid: Polarforskning som verktøy for suverenitetshevdelse og diplomati i norsk Svalbardpolitikk") she studied Norwegian research policy in Svalbard in light of growing geopolitical tensions involving Russia, China and the United States.

Recommending NUPI

All five warmly recommend applying for a master's placement at NUPI:

"It's a golden opportunity to join an exciting, international and interdisciplinary environment with incredibly friendly colleagues. There's also plenty going on socially outside work, which can offer a much-needed break from thesis writing. Last but not least, NUPI serves fantastic coffee for all those late nights spent working on your thesis," says Nore Ims.

NUPI usually takes on master's students for the spring semester. Keep an eye on our vacancies page for current openings.