Background and experience
I am an Associate Professor in development studies at the University of Agder, where my work explores the intersections of global development, humanitarianism, and social change. I have a PhD in Development Studies and a background from commissioned research which influenced my early career before starting at UiA. I have held several academic leadership roles, including serving for nine years as Head of the Department of Global Development and Planning. I also served as Vice Dean for Research at the faculty from 2021 to 2023, contributing to the development of research strategy and interdisciplinary collaboration.
My research is interdisciplinary in nature, drawing on perspectives from anthropology, sociology, and political ecology, and is grounded in extensive qualitative and ethnographic fieldwork in both the Global South and Norway.
My research focuses on emerging forms of development and humanitarian engagement, with particular attention to citizen-led initiatives. Together with colleagues, I have examined how individuals and small-scale actors participate in global solidarity efforts, and how these practices challenge established understandings of aid, governance, and legitimacy.
A second strand of my work addresses migration and integration, exploring how refugees and migrants are received, categorized, and incorporated into local communities. I have also published on gender and academic work, analysing how institutional structures shape knowledge production and collaboration within higher education.
I have also been part of FEMPROF - a NRC-funded project exploring gender and diversity at UIA in particular and in academia, more generally. The project is embedded in a feminist framework. I am currently engaged in a large NORHED project involving universities in Uganda, Tanzania and Norway - GENDIG. This project looks at gender and digitalisation across contexts and involves both education and research.
I am actively engaged in radical interdisciplinary research, collaborating across fields to address complex societal challenges. I am, for instance, involved in international research on global health through DUALSAVE, a project that addresses neglected tropical diseases such as female genital schistosomiasis (FGS). The project unites medical science and social science, and I supervise two PhD students as part of this work.
Earlier in my career, I conducted research on environmental governance, tourism, and resource management, particularly in African contexts. Across my work, I maintain a strong commitment to applied research and collaborative knowledge production, often engaging with interdisciplinary teams and policy-relevant questions.
I hold a PhD from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, where my thesis focused on land rights, land conflicts and competing jurisdictions in Mozambique.
I enjoy teaching and have done a lot of teaching and course design together with colleagues. I am a strong believer in collective work and collaboration. I enjoy student supervision and find it to be an important and rewarding part of my academic work.
Areas of responsibility
I serve on the faculty board of Humanities and Pedagogics. I am also the faculty representative on the Diversity and Equity board at UiA.
Teaching
I teach the following courses:
SV - 423: Kjønn og Teknologi (with Hege Wallevik)
ME - 523: Master Thesis Seminar
UT - 407: Mobilitet, sted, diversitet (with Hege Wallevik
SV - 161: Migrasjon, mobilitet og materialitet i et kjønns- og mangfoldsperspektiv
I also supervise bachelor's, master's, and PhD students
I have previously taught the following courses:
UT - 407: Mobilitet, sted og identitet (designed and taught with Hege Wallevik
UT - 408: Gender, Culture and Everyday Life (designed and taught together with Hege Wallevik)
UT - 112: Introduction to Latin America: history, society and development (designed and taught together with Asle Jøssang)
UT - 109 Field course Bolivia (designed with contributions of Kjell Einar Barreth and Camilla Michaelsen)
UT - 106/113: Introduction to Development
UT - 107: Power, development and resistance (with Kjell Havnevik)