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News

From course activities to space flight communications

Anbudskonkurranse på kantinedrift i Forskningsparken

Universitetssenteret på Svalbard (UNIS) inviterer interesserte leverandører til å inngi tilbud på drift av kantinen ved Forskningsparken. Vi ønsker en samarbeidspartner som kan tilby våre studenter, ansatte og gjester et sunt, variert og smakfullt mattilbud – både til lunsjservering, catering og hyttemat.

Check out the Weather in Svea!

Svea has a new weather station

Utlysning: Jan Christensens legat

Husk søknadsfrist 31. mars 2025

Svalbardseminaret live stream

To dedikerte Svalbard-venner og publikumsfavoritter går på scenen for å avslutte årets Svalbardseminar. Samtidig markerer vi starten på et jubileumsår – 100 år siden Norge formelt overtok suvereniteten over øygruppen gjennom Svalbardtraktaten, som trådte i kraft 14. august 1925.

Svalbardseminaret 2025

The annual seminar series Svalbardseminaret starts on Tuesday 14 January and runs twice a week until 28 January. Note that all lectures are only given in Norwegian.

Welcome to a new semester at UNIS

We are excited to welcome each of you as you begin your studies on January 8th.

Extended collaboration to ensure future recruitment

Director Jøran Moen of the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) and Director Camilla Brekke of the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI) recently signed a renewed collaboration agreement between the institutions. The agreement builds on an already strong partnership and aims to secure a steady and sustainable recruitment of highly qualified candidates for polar research.

Apply for Eli and Jens Eggvins grant

Are you from Northern Norway and passionate about a career in marine research?

SolarMaX: Astronauts Team Up with UNIS Space Physicists and Citizen Scientists

Fram2 will be the first human space mission to travel around the Earth’s polar regions. Named after the historical ship Fram, which went on groundbreaking expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica, this mission will pioneer to be the first ever human space mission in polar orbit. Onboard Fram2 are four commercial astronauts, Chun Wang of Malta, Jannicke Mikkelsen of Norway, Rabea Rogge of Germany and Eric Philips of Australia.

Acclaimed snow conference holds post-excursion at UNIS

UNIS and the Arctic Safety Centre are hosting a large post-excursion with participants from three different continents: Australia, the USA, and Europe.

Taught by the glaciers

Welcome to a new semester at UNIS, Autumn 2024

We are excited to welcome each of you as you begin your studies on August 5th 2024.

Utlysning: Jan Christensens legat

Husk søknadsfrist 20. april 2024

Apply now for an unforgettable summer school experience in Svalbard 

Join the Polar Academy in Svalbard in June for an unforgettable summer school experience.

Collaboration in Svalbard

OsloMet has entered into collaboration with the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS).

Svalbardseminaret 2024

The annual seminar series Svalbardseminaret starts on Tuesday 16 January and runs twice a week until 30 January. Note that all lectures are only given in Norwegian.

Welcome to a new semester at UNIS

We are excited to welcome each of you as you begin your studies on January 8th.

Twilight effect from a rocket?

Watch the video here

30 years as a leading polar research institution

A recent analysis of publication trends in Arctic research (Aksnes et al., 2023) confirms that the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) has established itself as a leading polar research institution after 30 years of engagement in the north.

UNIS Christmas Calendar

Get ready for daily updates this festive season with our Christmas Calendar research quiz!

The Impact and Coping Strategies for the Polar Nights

The polar night brings a range of challenges that can affect our physical and mental health in various ways. Therefore, the student counselling office has initiated a Full Spectrum Lamp Café for all residents of the student accommodations at Elvesletta.

CanSats, Drones, and Spectacular Views

Lisa Baddeley is a professor in Space physics – radar applications at UNIS, and for many years, she led the field work AGF-223 at Breinosa. Now, she wants to say hello to her colleagues taking over the lecturing, and I and Walter, the dog, are lucky to tag along.

Student counselling available for our students

Extended application deadline for autumn 2025 courses

Have you ever considered spending a semester in the Arctic? Check out available courses.

Hanna Resvoll to participate in oil spill preparedness

Last week, the research vessel Hanna Resvoll and crew participated in a comprehensive exercise in Svalbard after obtaining oil spill response certification.

Imaging geological complexity to better understand fluid flow in the subsurface

Doctoral candidate Peter Betlem at the Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, is defending the thesis "De-risking top seal integrity - Imaging heterogeneity across shale-dominated cap rock sequences" for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor.

Student involvement contributes to enhanced learning experience

Students as partners is a buzzword in academia, and for many years UNIS has been working on the topic, but what does the term mean, and how can one practically facilitate student involvement and partnerships in everyday study life? We had a talk with both staff and students to learn more about the initiatives UNISbreakfast and UNISprout.

Fostering Academic Excellence: An Interview with Merle Scheiner in SCOPE

We had the privilege of speaking with Merle Scheiner, one of the organizers behind a student-led conference. SCOPE has grown over the years and provides a platform for students to showcase their research and presentation skills while fostering a strong sense of community and support. 

Scientists and local community explore new mystery aurora together

In a new project supported by the Research Council of Norway, aurora scientists and enthusiasts come together to join forces.

The Arctic Field Grant call opened 4 October

NOK 6 millions is available for fieldwork in Svalbard (including Bjørnøya and Hopen) and Jan Mayen. 

Apply for spring courses 2024

The deadline for spring semester courses is approaching. For 30 years we have been educating the next Arctic experts. Are you one of them? Apply by October 15, 2023.

UNIS 30

I forbindelse med at UNIS fyller 30 år, åpner vi dørene for å vise det beste av vår forskning. Du kan forvente eksperimenter, kule premier, beltevognkjøring, skredsøker-jakt, og mye, mye mer!

Svea – a window of opportunity for Unis

This fall marks 107 years since Swedish miners established Svea at the head of Van Mijenfjorden in Svalbard. From the winter 2024, research will take over and a new chapter in the history of Svea will begin. If we seize the opportunities now, Svea could become an essential showcase for UNIS.

UNIS to lead two new UArctic network projects! 

Kim Senger and Hanne H. Christiansen have received grants totalling 800,000 NOK from the Norwegian UArctic Network funding to support their collaboration projects on Arctic climate archives and on developing closer inter-university collaboration.

Two excellent papers from the UNIS geology team

On the onset of hyper-aridity in East Antarctica and the digitization of the renowned Festningen section in the outer part of Isfjorden.

Arctic technology joins a new project for renewable energy

Last week, Anna Sjöblom and the Arctic Technology department hosted two days kick-off meeting for the new ZEESA project, funded for four years by the Research Council of Norway and industrial partners such as Store Norske and Statkraft.

Maria Jensen has been awarded as ” Excellent Teaching Practitioner”

- My philosophy is that everyone should be able to learn geology.

It’s a wrap – season 1 of The ColdCast 

What does PFAS, Arctic safety, ocean currents, science communication and FieldPass have in common? You can learn more about it in The ColdCast. As season 1 comes to an end, we have had a chat with host Maria Philippa Rossi.

Impacts of climate and environmental change on tourism in Svalbard

A report published in Western Norway Research Institute reviews and summarizes the existing literature on climate change and ecosystem change on Svalbard, with particular focus on the consequences of rapidly changing climate and environmental conditions for tourism in the archipelago.

Extra podcast episode: large extinct marine reptiles on Svalbard

Why are there so many marine reptiles to be found on Svalbard? How old is the oldest ichthyosaur ever? And what in the world is a “krafse”?

With love for Svalbard

Cecilie H. von Quillfeldt's love for the archipelago started in the mid-80s when she came as a student in marine biology. She has been hooked ever since. Almost forty years later, she still gets euphoric talking about Svalbard.

“Just one more sample!”

Janne Søreide is known for her constant search for innovative data collection methods and tireless work ethic. She effortlessly transitions from fieldwork to winning at Trappers trail to conducting lab experiments. As Janne turns fifty, we want to take this opportunity to honor our esteemed colleague.

New podcast episode: Arctic Safety Centre

In this episode we are joined by Holt Hancock, Siiri Wickström and Stig Andreas Johannessen from the Arctic Safety Centre.

Larissa Beumer and Samantha P. Dwinnell secured funds for their projects

Tuesday was a good day for the Arctic Biology department at Unis when Larissa Beumer and Samantha P Dwinnell received grants from Svalbard's Environmental Protection Fund.

Pool of science

It was neither a new tourist venture nor the jacuzzi of MS Nordstjernen that drifted on shore. The pool on the ice below SSU was a student project in Arctic technology led by Prof. Alexey Marchenko.

New podcast episode: Gijsbert Breedveld

In this episode we talk to doctor Gijsbert Breedveld about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS as it's also called.

Utlysning: Jan Christensens legat

The deadline to apply for the Jan Christensen's endowment is 15 May 2023.

New podcast episode: Arunima Sen

A new episode of The ColdCast is out! We are going deep into the ocean, into the bottom sediments, where Arunima is doing benthos research as a part of the Nansen Legacy project.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre briefed on Arctic field work preparations at UNIS

The Norwegian Prime Minister met with students from UNIS and received a briefing on Arctic safety and the preparations needed to attend academic field work in extreme Arctic conditions.

Call for Applications for the NVP Summer School in Svalbard 2023

The Norwegian Scientific Academy for Polar Research (NVP), in cooperation with The University Centre in Svalbard, are pleased to announce that applications for the NVP Summer School 2023 are now open.

Tiny technology to outwit deadly winter threat

Local experts and organisations have developed a new avalance monitor system to mitigate a growing danger.