This text is translated from Norwegian using UiO GPT.
– What preoccupies you at the moment?
– Right now, in a world undergoing total change, it's hard not to be focused on the various actions of the American administration and how the European countries and the EU respond to this.
– If you were to explain to an eight-year-old what you are doing in three short sentences, what would you say?
– I try to understand what it takes for countries to choose cooperation, even when they disagree. Sometimes they must cooperate to solve big problems like climate change or war, but they don't always agree on how. I aim to figure out what drives them to collaborate – or not.
– What motivates you in your job?
– I've always been interested in European politics and European integration. As the leader of ARENA, I have a unique opportunity to work on precisely this with many talented researchers. I'm also committed to ensuring that European research is interdisciplinary and problem-focused. Therefore, it should include various disciplines that utilize different methods and approaches. European politics is the result of the interaction between different national identities and national interests, while also understanding how these are influenced by new and old institutions at the European level. My ambition is for ARENA to continue researching this interaction, as the center has done for many years – and perhaps become even more interdisciplinary than it is today. Additionally, I hope that ARENA’s researchers become even more active in the public debate about Europe's future and Norway's place in it.
– If you were to become something different, what would it be?
– I'm actually not quite sure. The plan wasn't to become a researcher, but I don't think I would have studied anything other than social sciences. Maybe I would have become a diplomat or worked for an international organization.
– What do you do to completely unwind?
– In winter, you’ll find me skiing; in summer, hiking or jogging. And when I want something completely different, I play golf, which I've been doing since I was a child.