Ole Arve Misund (57) will take over as director of the University Centre in Svalbard after Gunnar Sand. Misund has worked at the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) for the past 25 years, and is looking forward to start his new position on Svalbard next year.

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The Arctic marine biology group at UNIS has gotten over 12 million NOK from RCN to investigate the vertical migration rhythms of Arctic zooplankton during the Polar Night. – This is genuinely a new and innovative project that will give us important new knowledge, says Professor Jørgen Berge at UNIS.
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UNIS has vacant a permanent position as Leader of the Study Administration, one permanent position as Student Advisor and one temporary position as Student Advisor.

Application deadlines: 16 January and 18 January 2012.
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New research by PhD candidate Monica Sund show that the dynamics of both surge- and tidewater glaciers must be taken into consideration when assessing the glaciers’ response to climate change. Sund will defend her PhD on 15 December at the University of Oslo.

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Avalanche season is getting closer. What dangers and what factors do you need to take into consideration when you travel by snowmobiles or by ski around Longyearbyen? New UNIS research can now give you some answers.

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The UNIS department of Arctic Geophysics announces two PhD positions within the Space Physics Group. One is in Middle Atmospheric Physics (announced in November) and the other in Auroral Physics.

Both positions have application deadline on 15 January 2012.

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An international team of scientists in Ny-Ålesund and Longyearbyen is waiting for the right conditions to launch an aurora rocket.

The aim: to investigate space weather and find out why GPS signals are disrupted.

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There are still available student places at BSc and MSc level within the technology and geology department in spring 2012. The extended admission will be on a first come, first serve basis so apply today!

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The Department of Arctic Geophysics at UNIS has a vacant PhD position for four years within the atmospheric-/space physics group focusing on optical measurements of processes in the middle atmosphere. The successful candidate must have a Masters’ degree or equivalent in physics. Application deadline: 15. January 2012.
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As temperature increases, Arctic plants need to migrate to find new habitats. Sexual reproduction and dispersal abilities are important. In his PhD thesis, Eike Müller concludes that these plants produce viable seeds and disperse well. Müller will defend his PhD thesis on 16.11.11.
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A three-year PhD scholarship entitled “Physical dynamics of permafrost in Svalbard and Zackenberg” will be available at the Department of Geography and Geology, University of Copenhagen in cooperation with UNIS. Application deadline is 15 November 2011.
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Oceanographic measurements along western Spitsbergen show that the warm water is back in the fjords. So the prospect of solid fjord ice cover in winter 2012 is bleak, however, the wind climate over Svalbard will be the deciding factor for whether there will be ice or not.
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Anatoly Sinitsyn has studied the mechanical behaviours of saline frozen soils in order to define the main factors influencing technologies of pile installation and the bearing capacity of piles afterwards. His PhD thesis was defended successfully in September in Saint Petersburg.
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Svalbard Science Forum allocates funding for fieldwork in Svalbard to Master students, PhD students and researchers from, or collaborating with, Norwegian institutions. The scholarship covers additional costs due to the fieldwork location in Svalbard.
Application deadline is 20 November 2011.
Read more (SSF web)

The Arctic geology department at UNIS has three vacant positions: Two PhD positions within sedimentology and Arctic rift basin geology and a Post Doc position within seismic studies of Arctic rift basins and reservoirs.
Application deadline for all three positions is 25 October 2011.
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UNIS is an exhibitor at the Worldskills 2011 from 5-8 October. If you are in the area and want to stop by for a chat or more information about UNIS and Svalbard, then visit the Worldskills Norway stand at ExCel London.

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A helicopter crashed and sank in Adventfjorden in December 2003, never to be seen again – until last week. An underwater robot was cruising at 70 meters depth to take images of the ocean floor for a UNIS research project, when it hit upon the remains of the helicopter.

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New research shows that humans can unwittingly bring alien plant species to Svalbard. Increased travel activity and expected temperature increases may make the establishment of new plant species in the archipelago’s vulnerable ecosystem possible. This calls for a closer look at the management policy for travelling to Svalbard.
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Invertebrates play a an important role in Arctic ecosystems, but very little is known about their recent history. María Luisa Ávila Jiménez has studied the distribution of invertebrate species in Svalbard. Jiménez will defend her PhD thesis on 22 September at UNIS.
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Today UNIS signed a new cooperation agreement with seven of the Norwegian mainland universities. Tora Aasland, the Minister of Research and Higher Education, was also present. – UNIS plays an important role for the mainland universities, said minister Aasland.
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UNIS offers three back-to-back master/PhD courses in Arctic environmental pollutants and toxicology in spring 2012. Each course is a 10 ECTS course and you can apply for one or more of these courses. Application deadline is 15 October 2011.
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Arctic fjords represent one of the most challenging environments in the world for weather prediction and climate models. PhD candidate Tiina Kilpeläinen has identified the main challenges for the weather prediction models. Kilpeläinen will defend her thesis on September 15 at UNIS.
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The auroral forecast operated as a service from the Kjell Henriksen Observatory (KHO) is now available for mobile telephones (Android v 1.5 or higher). The program is freeware and can be downloaded from the KHO homepage.

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Last week a new method of remote sensing of polar waters and ice was tested in the cold laboratory at UNIS and during field work by using Raman and Rayleigh scattering LIDAR onboard the “Viking Explorer” in Isfjorden and Van Mijenfjorden.

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UNIS offers 22 courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level in spring and summer 2012. You can now apply for these courses on-line. More information about courses and application procedure is below.
The application deadline is 15. October 2011.

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The Arctic Biology department at UNIS has a vacancy for a PhD position for four years within the marine biology group focusing on diversity and function of arctic protists. The position is available from January 2012. The successful candidate must have a Master degree or equivalent in biology. Application deadline: September 20. 2011.

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UNIS seeks a director with highly professional and administrative skills in leading the institution’s overall operations. Applicants must document experience from leading positions in relevant organizations; relevant scientific qualifications, and have good knowledge of Polar research. Application deadline: 15. September 2011.
Read the full announcement (in Norwegian) here

Norway has been shaken by two terrorist attacks. Many of our finest young people were massacred. We owe them to continue their work and counter the ideology of the mad man and his network, by further promoting the values of a multicultural community. This goes right to the heart of UNIS’ mission, writes managing director Gunnar Sand.
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They are no bigger than 2mm and yet their total biomass in Svalbard is probably bigger than the biomass of all Svalbard polar bears together! New research can tell us more about how, when and from where the springtails arrived in Svalbard.

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A three-year PhD scholarship in “The ground thermal regime of permafrost landforms within the Nordic area including Greenland” will be available at the University of Copenhagen in cooperation with UNIS. Application deadline: 25. August 2011.
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There are still some available courses in Arctic Biology, Arctic Geology, Arctic Geophysics and Arctic Technology in autumn 2011.

Applications will be processed on a first come – first served basis, so apply today!

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Summer is here and so are the summer schools. This week the third IPY Field School commenced with 25 students from 12 countries. Next week “The Role of Sea Ice in the Climate System” Summer School starts with 50 students.

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NTNU is hosting the new Research Based Innovation Centre “Sustainable Arctic Coastal and Marine Technology”. Up to 7 PhD positions are available within the centre at NTNU and at UNIS. Application deadline: 20. July 2011.
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Sigurd Henrik Teigen has investigated heat loss processes in the West Spitsbergen Current outside Svalbard. Through idealized calculation models he has investigated the importance of flow instability for the cooling of the current. Teigen will defend his thesis on June 16 at UNIS.
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“Impact of climate change on resources, maritime transport and geopolitics in the Arctic and the Svalbard area” (21-28. August) is for PhD students and Post Docs in the fields of Arctic climate, resources, maritime transport and geopolitics. Application deadline: 24 June 2011.
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Zooplankton is the main fare for Arctic cod, marine birds and bowhead whales. The delicate balance of the food chain depends heavily on the copepod Calanus glacialis, the most important animal in the Arctic. UNIS scientists have made new discoveries about the relationship between sunlight and plankton, and the critical role the sea ice plays in it all.
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PhD candidate Karoline Bælum has investigated subsurface reservoirs in certain areas of Spitsbergen, producing new knowledge about structures that one day can become important reservoirs for CO2 storage. Bælum will defend her PhD thesis on June 10 at UNIS.
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This week, 63 scientists from 12 countries gather in Longyearbyen for the fifth international APEX conference. Their aim is to increase the knowledge about the Arctic’s role in the global climate system.

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In 2010, UNIS has taken new steps towards achieving its overall goal of being a leading international centre for Arctic studies. The introduction of a quality assurance system for education activities ensures that UNIS lives up to NOKUT's requirements. This is accompanied by good research results in several areas.
Read the UNIS Annual Report 2010 (Pdf)

Sea spray icing is a dominant source of ice accumulation on ships and offshore installations and can be quite dangerous. PhD student Anton Kulyakhtin (24) from Russia performs field measurements in Longyearbyen which will be used for validation of a future 3D-model predicting ice accumulation on ships and floating structures.
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Dr. Jørn Hurum, associate professor in paleontology at the University of Oslo, has been named "Emerging Explorer" by the National Geographic Society. Dr. Hurum, who holds an adjunct position at UNIS, is recognized for his work with excavating fossils at Svalbard. He is the first Norwegian scientist to be given this honor.
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Marine organisms in the Arctic Ocean have a daily rhythm cued on by light– even in the dark season when the ocean has a thick ice cover preventing light from penetrating. But how light sensitive are these organisms – and what light sources affect their behavior? Experiments at UNIS is part of a Ph.D. project aiming at finding out just that.
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PhD candidate Henrik Nygård has studied the ecological traits and adaptations of benthic amphipods in the High Arctic. His findings also provide unprecedented insights into the life and ecology of related species living in ice infested waters.
Nygård will defend his PhD thesis at UNIS on Monday May 2.
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The Arctic Geology department at UNIS has a vacancy for a Ph.D. position for four years within the Cryosphere Research Group focusing on Surging Glaciers. The position is available from July 2011. The successful candidate must have a Master degree or equivalent in a relevant background. Application deadline is May 15, 2011.
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UNIS is looking for a provider of cleaning services for the new building UNIS Guest House (UGH). UGH is currently under construction and is to be completed in August 2011. The deadline for submitting an application is Monday, May 9 at 12:00 noon.
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Ph.D. students can apply for scholarships to attend some of the UNIS postgraduate courses in biology and geology this summer through the BioCold network. The application deadline for the UNIS courses is 15. April, and the application deadline for BioCold scholarship is 15. May.

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Research on invertebrates (insects, worms, and other species without backbones) is a relatively young science in Svalbard. UNIS is now arranging a Norwegian-Russian workshop in order to strengthen collaboration and expand our knowledge of these creepy-crawlies.
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UNIS staff will visit Norwegian universities to inform about our course portfolio and application process: University of Oslo and University of Stavanger: 22. March; University of Life Sciences (UMB): 23. March; University of Bergen and University of Tromsø: 24. March; NTNU (Trondheim): 30. March
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UNIS has currently a vacant position within our IT support unit, and one vacant position in chemical oceanography (Full/Associate Professor).
Application deadlines: 27. March and 10. April 2011.

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The International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) has awarded the IASC Medal 2011 to Professor Martin Jakobsson, who holds an adjunct position in marine geology at UNIS. The medal will be presented to professor Jakobsson in Seoul on 29. March 2011.

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UNIS offers 25 courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level in summer/autumn 2011. You can now apply for these courses on-line. More information about courses and application procedure is below.
The application deadline is 15. April 2011.

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UNIS have five vacant positions within geophysics and biology:
Full/Associate Professor – incoherent scatter radar applications (deadline 15.03.11); Full/Associate Professor – terrestrial ecology (deadline 15.04.11). Ph.D. positions (deadline 15.04.11): Upper-; and Middle atmospheric physics; and Terrestrial molecular ecology.
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UNIS offers a 5 week course this spring called “Geological constraints of CO2 sequestration”. The 10 ECTS master-/Ph.D. course is scheduled to run between 16. May and 17. June.
Application deadline: 15. March 2011

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On Thursday, February 24, UNIS will host a workshop on excellence in research. Contributors from the Research Council of Norway (RCN) will present insights on the value of excellent research and Norwegian research policy in an European perspective.

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Applications to the third IPY Field School are now accepted. The course will run from June 20 through July 8 and only 25 highly qualified undergraduate and early graduate level students will be admitted.
Application deadline is 1. April 2011.

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UNIS has currently two vacant positions within the administration: personnel consultant and financial consultant. Both positions require good skills in Norwegian and English.

Application deadline is 28. February 2011.

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The Jan Christensen endowment for Norwegian students and staff at UNIS has a number of stipends available.

Application deadline is February 20, 2011.

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Linda Bakken spent a year as a trapper in Mushamna, an old trapper station in Woodfjorden on Spitsbergen. On Wednesday 2.February at 18:00 she will hold a lecture in Møysalen at UNIS about her year as trapper with photos and video clips. The lecture will be in Norwegian.
Admission: 100 NOK (adults); 50 NOK (children/students).
Read more (Pdf)

The course offers an overview of Svalbard’s history from its discovery in 1596 until the present day. Main aspects of economic history, politics, social and cultural development are covered.

Course start: January 31 at 17:15 in auditorium "Lassegrotta".

Read more (course webpage)

UNIS offers two graduate/Ph.D. courses in marine biology this spring. The “Biotelemetric Methods” and the “Ecosystems in Ice Covered Waters” are open for applications. Application deadline: February 15, 2011.
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As of 1 February 2011, the identity of all travellers between Svalbard and the Norwegian mainland will be checked both upon arrival and departure.

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