I first met Arild in 1978, when he was one of my supervisors for my master’s thesis. He played a crucial role in clarifying our analytical perspective and was an exceptionally thorough and constructive advisor. Since then, he has held a similar role for generations of students at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI), supervising both master’s and doctoral work over several decades. In that regard, it is fair to say that no one has contributed more to the academic development of our institute.

Although Arild was clearly among the foremost in his field and could easily have published most of his work on his own, he was a firm believer in collaboration. From the early 1980s until around 2020, my colleagues and I had the pleasure of working closely with him on a number of major international projects. All of them centred on international resource and environmental politics – the core of FNI’s research. It started with law of the sea in the 1980s, and later moved towards various aspects of international environmental governance. In these projects, Arild was the analytical mastermind; we contributed the empirical foundation. Together, we formed a well-balanced team.

Much of his analytical work focused on the relationship between science and politics, and particularly on the implementation and effectiveness of environmental agreements. On these issues, he helped push the research frontier forward – often in close collaboration with internationally renowned scholars such as Oran Young.

Despite his academic stature, Arild was a remarkably modest, considerate and generous person. His door was always open if you needed advice, and he never sought the spotlight – unlike many others in his position. As a researcher, he was deeply serious, but he also had a dry and disarming sense of humour. We share many good memories from our numerous project meetings – not least from the collaboration with Ed Miles at the University of Washington.

Although Arild had an exceptionally clear mind, his achievements did not come effortlessly. He had an extraordinary work ethic and often started his day several hours before the rest of us. It was not uncommon to receive an email from him shortly after 04:30 in the morning.

He was not only an outstanding researcher and supervisor, but also a brilliant lecturer. When I stood in for him at the Department of Political Science while he was serving as Rector of the University of Oslo, I spent a great deal of time reviewing his lecture series in order to be properly prepared. Only then did I truly understand the Norwegian expression ‘like jumping after Wirkola’ – the challenge of following someone whose performance set the bar so high that simply doing it justice felt daunting. Just as there is only one Wirkola, there was only one Underdal.

We extend our deepest respect and gratitude.

Steinar Andresen,
On behalf of colleagues at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute

Editor's note: Arild Underdal was affiliated with the Fridtjof Nansen Institute as a researcher from the mid-1970s until 1983. He also served as a member of the institute’s advisory council from its establishment in 1991 until he stepped down in 2002.