Inaugural lecture: Safety and humans
How can we understand humans and make everything safer? A safety travel from oil and gas through cars over to preparedness and crisis management training, ending in Arctic Safety, as Gunhild Birgitte Sætren holds her inaugural lecture 10 October.
Who: Dr. Gunhild Birgitte Sætren
When: 10 October
Time: 1100-1200
Where: Lassegrotta UNIS
How can we understand humans and make everything safer? A safety travel from oil and gas through cars over to preparedness and crisis management training, ending in Arctic Safety.
Are you curious about how human behavior affects safety? Interested in how we can reduce human error and improve training? How to use technology in student learning? Then this is the lecture for you!
Dr. Gunhild Sætren shares insights from years of research into how systems can be designed with people in mind—especially in high-risk environments like the Arctic. She explores:
- ✅How to prevent human error through smart system design
- 🧠 How simulators and technology can improve learning for adults
- 🚨 How we can work on preparedness and train for crisis management
- ❄️ Why this matters especially in the High Arctic
Did you know Dr. Sætren led a research project that established a simulator lab for training driver instructors for safer teaching? Her work combines deep academic insight with practical tools that make a real difference.
Whether you’re a researcher, student, or simply curious about safety and humans—this lecture promises to inspire and inform.
Short academic bio:
Dr. Gunhild Birgitte Sætren is a professor in Safety Psychology. She holds a PhD in psychology from NTNU, specializing in safety during change processes in high-risk industries. Her research focuses on how systems can be designed to support the people who use them—making safety not just about procedures and technology, but more about understanding how to design for you who are using it.
She is also deeply passionate about education and learning processes. Through several pedagogical research projects, she has explored how to create better learning environments for students.
One of her major achievements is her work in driver instructor education, where she has become internationally recognized for her expertise in using simulators for training. Her research has helped shape how simulators are used in the industry in Norway today.
In recent years, her focus has shifted toward preparedness, crisis management, and Arctic safety and she is the manager of the Arctic Safety Centre at UNIS. Together with her research team, she has published important findings on how to train for crisis situations and ensure societal safety in the High Arctic.