Morten S. Andersen promoted to Research Professor
Morten S. Andersen has reached an important milestone in his research career.
His application was unanimously approved by a committee consisting of Catarina Kinnvall (Lund University), Felix Berenskötter (King’s College London) and Torbjørn L. Knutsen (NTNU).
Research Professor is the highest position on the research career ladder, equivalent in academic and administrative terms to a full professor in the university sector.
“This is a milestone one works towards in an academic career, so I am of course very happy to have reached it. Being able to work on what interests me the most, and to spend time asking weird questions, is a great privilege. And receiving this kind of recognition also provides motivation to continue doing precisely that,” says Andersen, before drawing on the German sociologist Max Weber:
“Weber said that there is no position that requires as much luck to attain as that of a professor. What is certainly true is that in addition to hard work, getting there also depends on understanding and flexibility at home, and a stimulating and collegial work environment. In that respect, I have indeed been lucky both at home and at NUPI,” he adds.
Andersen has worked at NUPI for almost 19 years. During that time he has led the research projects COINS and ANGER, been part of the management of the Norwegian centre for geopolitics and headed the research group on Global Order and Diplomacy. In 2021 he won the the prestigious Brain Power Award. Andersen believes both his research and his own mental health have depended on inspiring, supportive colleagues and a workplace that prioritizes the long-term pursuit of knowledge.
Praised by his collagues
NUPI’s director of research Kristin Haugevik is impressed by her colleague.
“Morten is a true NUPI researcher. His work is characterized by originality and theoretical curiosity, and by an impressive thematic breadth. He has written insightfully on topics ranging from historical empires and "the balance of power" to present-day diplomatic gift-giving, foreign investment, and uniforms in international politics. In addition to his many scholarly achievements, Morten is a highly valued colleague at NUPI,” says Haugevik, adding:
“I warmly congratulate him on this well-deserved promotion!”
Also NUPI's Director congratulates Andersen:
"Morten has spent almost twenty years at NUPI asking questions most of us never think about: Where do our concepts come from, and what do they do to politics? His forthcoming book on the balance of power is the fruit of that patience. At the same time, he has led two major projects funded by the Research Council of Norway, helped established the Centre for Geopolitics and won the Brain Power Award for making theory fun. That says something about both the depth and the breadth of his work. The promotion is well deserved, and we are proud of you, Morten," says Osland.
Historical research with present-day relevance
Amongst other things, Andersen works on what we call historical research on international politics, and the concept of the balance of power has been central to that work. Still, he insists that historical research on international politics must also speak to the present:
“We are living through a period in which many of these taken-for-granted assumptions about international politics are being challenged, broken apart, and perhaps put together in new ways. One thing historical research can remind us of is that the principles, rules, institutions, and concepts we take for granted - including the international order itself - are not inevitable and will not last forever. A historical perspective might actually make it easier to imagine different political alternatives and futures,” he says.
His forthcoming book, The Balance of Power: How a Contested Concept Shaped International Order, is also discussed in the evaluation.
“This is a fascinating storyline that demonstrates creative, ambitious and independent thinking based on careful empirical research and probes important questions regarding the link between practical and theoretical knowledge,” the committee writes. The three committee members also find that the book contributes both to conceptual history and to our understanding of the foundations of mainstream IR theories.
The book will be published by Columbia University Press in 2027.