This spring, six master’s students have joined us at Polhøgda. Their projects address core questions in our research: ocean governance, Arctic politics, Indigenous rights, Svalbard, strategic minerals and EU climate and sustainability policy.

'Every semester we welcome a new group of master’s students to Polhøgda. It is both useful and enjoyable – we need fresh minds and new ideas to avoid becoming stagnant,' says Iver B. Neumann, Director of the Fridtjof Nansen Institute.

The students all work on issues that revolve around governance, law, power and transition. We look forward to the discussions, perspectives and energy they bring to the institute this semester.


Ingrid Habbestad

Master’s programme: Law, University of Bergen
Supervisor: Øystein Jensen
Contact at the FNI: Geir Hønneland
Working title: Cod, Treaties and Trust

Ingrid is conducting a legal analysis of how Norwegian–Russian fisheries management in the Arctic fulfils Norway’s international obligations related to sustainable resource use. She examines how the legal framework for fisheries cooperation functions in practice, and how robust the bilateral cooperation remains in times of political tension.

Her thesis analyses the interplay between international legal obligations on sustainable use, bilateral agreements and national implementation. The aim is to shed light on how law, governance and trust interact in one of Norway’s most important ocean management relationships.

Mathias Sivertsen

Master’s programme: Theory and Practice of Human Rights, University of Oslo
Supervisors: Matthew Saul and Svein Vigeland Rottem (co-supervisors)
Working title: A Rights-Based Approach to Arctic Security: Indigenous Participation in the Arctic Council
Research question: To what extent do Indigenous Peoples enjoy the right to effective participation within the Arctic Council?

Mathias examines Indigenous Peoples’ right to effective participation in the Arctic Council from a human rights perspective. He analyses the gap between the Council’s formal inclusion of Indigenous representatives and the actual influence they have over decision-making and outcomes.

Through interviews and legal analysis, he explores the power structures shaping decision-making processes in the Arctic and assesses whether existing arrangements meet international human rights standards for participation.

Aslak Espelund

Master’s programme: Politics and Governance of Global Challenges, University of Bergen
Supervisor: Arild Aurvåg Farsund
Contact at the FNI: Andreas Østhagen
Working title: Governing Through Research: Norwegian Statecraft on Svalbard

Aslak investigates why research policy has become an increasingly central instrument in Norway’s governance of Svalbard. As research activity and international presence on the archipelago have grown, Norwegian authorities have clarified their host role and strengthened political oversight of research activities.

The thesis analyses key policy documents, including the White Papers on Svalbard, as well as institutional changes such as the establishment of the Svalbard Research Office. It is grounded in the tension between maintaining an open international research environment and exercising Norwegian authority and control over the archipelago.

Tuda Oussous

Master’s programme: Politics and Governance of Global Challenges, University of Bergen
Supervisor: Simon Neby
Working title: Reconfiguring Access? Strategic Mineral Governance and Sámi Land Use in the Nussir Mining Project

In her master’s project, Tuda examines how the growing strategic importance of critical minerals has shaped reindeer herding districts’ access to land and resources over time, using the Nussir mining project as a case study.

In the context of the green transition, critical minerals have become a key premise for energy transformation. At the same time, Indigenous Peoples have gained increased recognition as rights holders and knowledge holders. Nevertheless, significant tensions arise when renewable energy and mining projects place substantial pressure on land areas vital to reindeer herding.

Drawing on legal protections rooted in ILO Convention No. 169 and Norwegian legislation, she analyses how gaps may emerge between formal rights and their actual implementation in land-use conflicts. The thesis explores legal, structural and relational power mechanisms that either strengthen or limit reindeer herding districts’ access to and control over land resources, and discusses what this means for a just transition.

Live Amalie Krogsrud

Master’s programme: Organisation, Leadership and Work, University of Oslo
Supervisor: Lars Klemsdal, Department of Sociology and Human Geography
Research question: How do Norwegian companies perceive and respond to changes in EU sustainability reporting requirements (Omnibus I), and how do these changes affect corporate sustainability practices?

Live examines the implications of the EU’s simplification package for sustainability reporting, known as Omnibus I, for Norwegian companies. She analyses how selected firms adapt to and respond to regulatory changes originating from the EU.

More broadly, the thesis seeks to identify potential implications of these legal changes for sustainable finance and the pace of the green transition, and how new reporting requirements influence companies’ concrete sustainability practices.

Emeline Fouasson

Master’s programme: Double Master’s Degree in European Social and Environmental Political Studies, Jagiellonian University (Poland) and Sciences Po Strasbourg (France)
Supervisors: Dr Grzegorz Pożarlik, Jagiellonian University (Poland) & Mme Hélène Michel, Sciences Po Strasbourg (France)
Working topic: The adoption of the Delegated Act on low-carbon hydrogen and fuels

Emeline examines the adoption process of the EU Delegated Act on low-carbon hydrogen and fuels, which establishes the methodology for defining what qualifies as low-carbon hydrogen.

While the act sets out technical criteria, its adoption proved highly political. A broad range of stakeholders, including Member States, industry actors, NGOs and Members of the European Parliament, were actively involved in shaping the text. The proposal sparked significant debate within the Council and triggered an unusual level of mobilisation from both industry associations and civil society organisations.

Emeline explores how technical climate and energy rules become politicised in EU decision-making processes, and what this reveals about the balance between climate ambition, industrial interests and regulatory design in the Union.

We look forward to discussions, shared lunches and new perspectives throughout the semester. Master’s students are an important part of our academic environment and of the knowledge community at Polhøgda.