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Extended application deadlines

Would you like to study in Svalbard this autumn? We have extended application deadline for Arctic Geophysics. Apply now – first come, first serve!

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.

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.

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.

New episode of The ColdCast

A new episode of The ColdCast is out! Join our chat with Pernille B. Eidesen about FieldPass, a project testing alternative assessment methods for practical skills.

Apply for autumn courses 2023

Apply now for UNIS autumn semester courses! The application deadline is 15 April 2023.

Melt down of the Arctic Ocean: Dead end or new opportunities?

The Arctic Ocean is changing towards a warmer and ice-free state in summer. Warm Atlantic water continuously carries plankton organisms from south to north. Boreal species usually perish in the cold, dark Arctic Ocean but that may change as climate warms, sea ice shrinks, and the primary production season lengthens.

Another species named after Professor Coulson

UNIS professor Steve Coulson has yet another mite species named after him. The Platynothrus coulsoni is the fifth (!) species named in his honour.

Observing Arctic marine life — from the seabed to space

NTNU researchers from AMOS, the Centre for Autonomous Marine Operations and Systems, with help from UNIS students, used small satellites and subsea robots — and everything in between — to study marine life in Svalbard’s Kongsfjorden in a first-ever experiment in May.

Science communication with a view

A cooperation between the tourist vessel MS Bard and UNIS gives students a unique opportunity to practice their science communication skills. For the guests onboard it is a fantastic way to learn more about the research in the pristine location they visit during their holiday.

Robotic mapping of Svalbard’s marine forest

With the novel use of unmanned surface vehicles (USV), it has become safer and easier to collect data from glacier fronts. Master student Milan Beck is one of the first who utilised this sustainable way of monitoring the pristine and vulnerable Arctic nature for his thesis.

“UNIS is a fantastic innovation”

Morten Wedege had dreamed of studying and working in the tropics, when a small advertisement on a student board made him aware of Svalbard. It became the start of the career path, that would bring him to every corner of Spitsbergen over two decades.

Kongsfjorden’s Wingman

Student in the 90’s: Career-changing studies

With only 35 fellow students at the entire university centre, Katrine Borgå attended the first biology course at UNIS in 1994-95. She tells of a camaraderie that’s still strong after nearly three decades, and an introduction to a career path that she excels at today.

Apply for autumn courses 2022

New FRAM initiative: Research in the Arctic, for those who live there

The Fram Centre has launched five new research programs with a total budget of 250 million NOK over five years. UNIS is involved in three of the new research programs.

Fieldwork without getting cold feet

Summer courses 2022 – Open for application

Apply for spring courses 2022

From your home to the lab: household items in the life of a marine scientist

Dramatic temperature rises in the Arctic hits vital sea ice algae

Major biological changes on the shoreline of Svalbard

Aliens in the Arctic? The outer-worldly life that resides within sea ice

Drone-based reindeer counting in Svalbard

Fjord ice in Svalbard – an important kindergarten for seafloor animal babies

Digital learning arena for Arctic biology

Let’s talk dirty

Arunima Sen is a postdoc in the Benthic Ecology group at Nord University and soon-to-be associate professor at UNIS. She has two primary research agendas : sub-Arctic fjord ecology, and carbon and nutrient cycling in the high Arctic. She is also a part of the Nansen Legacy research project, and this blog is from a cruise in spring 2021.

UNIS Annual Report 2020

Teamwork makes dream work 

Hidden biodiversity inside of Svalbard’s sea ice

Climate change “squeezing” Arctic animals and plants: new circumpolar report

Polar bear conflicts in Svalbard – how dangerous are our Arctic icons?  

Nansen Legacy project blog: Tiny Arctic wildlife matters

Nansen Legacy project blog: The hunt for the hidden life in water

Apply for autumn courses 2021

Where is the sea ice?

Found traces of antidepressants and painkillers in crustaceans on Svalbard

Summer courses 2021 open for application

The tiny rulers of Arctic Seas

Understanding the roles of microbial eukaryotes in the High Arctic ecosystems

Warm Atlantic water wants in, but is prevented from entering Isfjorden

About cheese, sea ice and a warmer Arctic

Stepping back into the past – UNIS repeat a 30-year old beach study in Storfjorden

Herbivores and a warming climate affect tundra plant community nutrient levels

Apply for spring courses 2021

What’s on the menu for small Arctic animals?

A life in isolation

Flower love in Bjørndalen

What are those weird things in Bjørndalen? The Arctic Biology Department at UNIS has co-located many research and education projects in Bjørndalen with the aim of building a "field laboratory". The idea is that co-location of research projects gives less environmental footprint, increased collaboration, and the opportunity to put data sets together to understand larger relationships in nature. Among other things, we study the interaction between insects and flowers.

2020 – A good sea ice year in Svalbard?