Work with thought leaders and academic experts from MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society

I completed my DPhil (or PhD) at the University of Oxford in 1999 and I have been a full professor since 2007 working mostly in Oslo but holding a number of research affiliations in other parts of the world as well. Both as a scholar and public intellectual my primary interest has always been to understand how worldviews and ideas shape political behavior. Conflict and extremism has been a particular focus for my research and teaching. I have led several large research projects and I have extensive experience in leading research groups and centres. Brief examples: 2016-2018 I was research director at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). My work was to help around 60 full time researchers and a number of younger research fellows develop their research and their proposals for external funding. In 2019 I joined Oslo Metropolitan University where I started and led the Diversity Studies Centre Oslo (DISCO), a centre of research excellence. In September 2023, I joined the Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society. I have also extensive experience in working with policy makers. For instance: In 2015 I was asked by the Norwegian Ministry of Science and Education to lead a commission to create national guidelines for open access publishing.