Tiril Vold Hansen
RESEARCHER II
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Researcher with expertise in geopolitics, resource policy and environmental policy in the North.
Tiril Vold Hansen is a researcher at Nordland Research Institute geopolitics, resource politics and environmental politics in the North, with a particular focus on Arctic politics and Svalbard. She is interested in energy transition processes, environmental and climate policy, research policy, sovereignty claims and the connections between them. She has researched power and interests in Norwegian Svalbard political processes, and her work sheds light on how political, economic and environmental considerations are balanced in one of Norway's most strategically important areas.
Competence
Tiril has in-depth knowledge of Norwegian Arctic policy, with particular emphasis on Svalbard as a geopolitical and environmental hub. She researches how environmental concerns, business interests and the exercise of sovereignty are shaped and exercised in the face of different interests.
She has published several articles on topics such as conflicts of interest in energy transition, connections between research policy and geopolitical considerations, power and interests in environmental policy processes. Tiril has solid expertise in various qualitative research methods, with a particular focus on case study methodology. Her research is also particularly linked to theories of power and interests in political processes.
Education and work experience
Tiril holds a PhD in sociology from Nord University (2024), where she researched power and interests in Norwegian Svalbard politics. She also holds a Master's degree in political science from the University of Oslo (2020), and a Bachelor's degree in the same subject from Nord University (2018).
She has previously been a master's fellow at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, and taught in High North studies at Nord University (2022, 2025). Since January 2025 she has been a researcher at Nordland Research Institute in the research group "Sustainability – climate, natural resources and nature loss".
Projects and publications
Tiril has published in renowned journals such as Polar Record , Political Geography , Environmental Sociology and Polar Geography , and has also contributed to book chapters and reports. She is currently involved in projects on permafrost in Svalbard, the salmon lice problem and co-production of knowledge in climate change adaptation processes.
Lectures and dissemination
Tiril is an active research communicator and has participated in a number of panel discussions and workshops, including during Arctic Circle in Reykjavik, Svalbard Science Conference, and Arendalsuka.
She also teaches Nordic area studies at Nord University. In addition, she sits on the board of the Svalbard Social Science Initiative and is on the preparatory committee for the Svalbard Science Conference 2025.
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No completed projects
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