Research

My approach to research is an interdisciplinary and problem oriented social science, which is empirically focussed on the Nordic, North Atlantic and Arctic communities. My research interests can be summarized in the following paragraphs:

• Local and regional development
  Innovation and entrepreneurship
• Planning
• Island studies
• Higher education
• Social history
• Leadership

Current projects

• Building Sustainable Knowledge in the Arctic Periphery(BuSK). Project about sustainable land use with a focus upon local participation and the use of geographical information systems (GIS). The project is supported by the Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme (2016-2019), with partner som the Finland, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, Faroe Ilands, Iceland, and Greenland. More information at: www.interreg-npa.eu/projects/funded-projects/project/156/.
• Faroe Islands in the 1800s. This is a historical sociological project, which intends to shed new light upon a crucial part of Faroese history. Formally speaking the project has ended, but still there is much material to elaborate upon. The project shows that the period before free trade explains much more about modern Faroe Islands than was hitherto believed. This project is a co-operation with associate professor Hans A. Sølvará, assistant professor Erling Isholm and prof. emeritus, Rolf Guttesen.
• Regional co-operation in the West-Nordic. This research concerns the ways in which West Nordic co-opeartion is changing due to changes structural conditions set by internationalisation and globalisation. This is a research endeavour I have been undertaking in co-operaton with Professor Grétar Thór Eythórsson from University of Akureyri.
• Status and future possibilities in Greenlandic farming. This is a cross disciplinary research about greenlandic agriculture and its challenges and possibilities under changed climatic conditions. The project is organised through Greenlandic Perspective and supported by the Ilisimatursafik research fund. My part of this work is done in cooperation with professor Anne Merrild Hansen, Aalborg University and Ilisimatusarfik.
• Problembased teaching and learning environments at the university. The idea of this start-up research is to create and accumulate knowledge about learning environments at small universities. This is a project started up in cooperation with professor Peter Berliner, Aarhus University and Ilisimatusarfik.
• Greenlandic Leadership. A start-up research project focussing on the special conditions in doing leadership in greenlandic organisations. The project is undertaken with Mette A. Rasmussen, Uffe K. Hansen and Poul B. Olsen from Roskilde University.

Finished projects

• “Faroe Islands in the 1800s”. Research project financially supported by the Faroese Research Council (Granskingarráð Føroya), 2012-2016.
• Geografic Information Systems (GIS) and geographic mobility. International seminar, May 2012, supported by Nordic Atlantic Regional Cooperation (NORA).
• Recruitment to the fisheries (Rekruttering til fiskivinnuna). 2003-2004. A research project that approached the challenges of recruiting people into the fisheries sector. The Faroese foundtaion “Búagrunnurin” and a few private companies supported the project financially.
• Nordic Innovation Marine Marketing Programme (NIMMP). Innovation Boot-Camp: Tórshavn, 2012, 01-04 November. A fisheries innovation initiative between Innovit Entrepreneurship centre in Iceland (lead), University of the Faroe Islands, Copenhagen Businness School (Stardust), Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Science. The project was supported by Nordic Innovation. 
• Nano-based Functional Food Ingredients from Marine Secondary Products (2008-2010). This was a research project between Atlantic Biotechnology, University of the Faroe Islands, Technical University of Denmark (DTU-Aqua), Aarhus University (iNANO/DJF). The purpose of this project was to work with approaches towards sustainable usage of bi-products from fish. In the project period (2009-2015), three ph.d.-studenst were enrolled.
• Future Challenges to Small Municipalities. The Cases of Faroe Islands, Iceland and Åland Islands. 2003-2004. Project financially supported by Nordregio, Stockholm.
• Globalisation, embeddedness and local coping strategies. Ph.d. stipendiate at Roskilde University, 1996-1999.