Researcher 1 before turning 40

Newly appointed researcher 1, Helga Eggebø. Photo: Karoline OA Pettersen

With a few months to spare, Helga Eggebø (39) achieved the goal she set for herself as a bachelor's student.

Researcher 1 is the research institute's answer to the professor title and is held in very high regard. Reaching this milestone is a great achievement for any academic. To do it before the fortieth birthday is nothing short of outstanding.

– It's easy not to get another slap in the face, says Eggebø about the expert committee's decision to grant promotion.

Yes, right?

Despite Helga Eggebø's young age, her path to professorship has not been without setbacks. She already had a fellowship position in her pocket when she appeared for her master's oral exam. But the examiners gave her a grade of C, which is not good enough to become a doctoral student.

"You have no research potential. You are not a researcher," was the heavy message.

A new chance

The fellowship position was rejected. And Eggebø, who had already set herself the goal of becoming a professor before she turned 40, was dealt a stinging blow.

As she writes on her blog: “I was ashamed that I had been arrogant and took the top grade for granted. I was ashamed of the paper I had written. I was ashamed that I had no research potential. But most of all, I was ashamed of my own feelings. I was ashamed that I was completely devastated.”

But six months later, the committee that didn't want to hire her had changed its mind. The project description was so good that they set aside the grade requirement and gave the C student a chance.

And just 15 years later, another committee has found Eggebø worthy. Her research efforts in the areas of family immigration and immigration regulation, living conditions among queer people, and aging and care have convinced the demanding judges. At the end of a long assessment, they write: “Her CV is strong and shows impressive scientific and other merits. The committee concludes that Helga Eggebø fulfils the criteria for promotion to Researcher 1.”

Impressive communication skills

Managing Director at Nordland Research Institute , Iselin Marstrander, is not the least bit surprised that Eggebø has been promoted.  

– This is so well-deserved! We are all happy with her and proud to have another researcher 1 in the Welfare Group, she says.   

– Helga works in a very structured and goal-oriented manner, and has a burning commitment to research and research communication in her field.

And communication has been a shining thread in Eggebø's research life. She writes columns, gives lectures, has her own blog and is constantly being interviewed. The column "Does she know you again?" in Bergens Tidende has currently been read by over 100,000 people. The committee that granted her promotion was particularly impressed by Eggebø's communication skills. They write:

"Eggebø is a prolific writer for a wide variety of national broadsheet and online news media and specialist magazines, and also publishes her own online blog. These varied and frequent forms of dissemination to academic and non-academic audiences are a particularly impressive aspect of Eggebø's sustained emphasis on research-informed knowledge exchange."

And it is precisely that assessment that makes Helga Eggebø truly happy.

Meaningful work

– During my career, I have been through many assessments where popular science communication is supposed to count positively, but I have mostly gotten the impression that they don't really care and that it is the scientific publications that are worth something, she says.

– But this time I see that the committee really recognizes my communication work and that means a lot to me. For me, communicating my research to a wider audience is what makes research meaningful.