Education

2018–2023 PhD in Political Science

University of Copenhagen (Department of Political Science)

Monograph (145,000 words): Towards a Social Theory of International Ideology, Ideological Scripts, and Counter-Ideology: Rethinking “Liberal International Order” and the Far Right’s Critique. Main supervisor Ole Wæver; secondary supervisor Ole Jacob Sending (from 2019). Submitted November 2022, defended September 2023 after parental leave. Assessment committee: Rebecca Adler-Nissen, Beate Jahn and Michael C. Williams. Currently being developed into a book proposal, The Ideological International: Global Liberalisms, Ideological Scripts, and Counter-Ideology.

During the PhD: ten peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, three policy reports and some forty op-eds based on the research. Also led a multi-year policy research project at NUPI for the Norwegian Ministry of Defence (2018–2023) on the far right’s international ideology and networks in Europe, Russia and the US, and their implications for global order.

01/2015–01/2016 Master of International Studies (International Security Studies)

Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University

Courses in international security politics, international economy and history. GPA 4.0. Fulbright scholar. University scholarship award for outstanding academic achievement. Double master’s programme in cooperation with LSE.

10/2013 – 10/2014  Master of Science in International Relations (Theory)

London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

Distinction. Thesis: ‘Rethinking unit, structure and the “1989 End of History”: Towards a real and more radical social theory in IR’, on the limits of existing IR theory in understanding ideology and on states’ increasing resistance to liberal democracy and liberal internationalism, theorizing the concept of the ideological ‘script’ of good statehood. Supervisor Tarak Barkawi.

08/2008 – 06/2013  BA Political Science, BA European and American studies (Russia and Eurasia)

University of Oslo

Two parallel BAs. Political science, specializing in comparative and international politics (BA thesis: ‘Is Myanmar democratising?’, questioning the conceptualization of Myanmar’s democratization process). Russian and Eurasian Studies, with two BA theses: one in area studies on Russian- and Chinese-led security cooperation through the SCO, and one in Russian literary theory on Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of laughter and Vladimir Sorokin’s work. Leave of absence 2010–2011 for a traineeship with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

01/2012 – 07/2012  Semester Abroad, American University in Cairo, Egypt

Arabic (intensive daily language class), International Law, Comparative Democratization, History of American Foreign Policy in the Middle East (graduate research class).

09/2005 – 07/2007 United World College of the Atlantic, Wales

Full scholarship, tuition and board, International Baccalaureate (high school).

Main work experience

2023– Senior Research Fellow, NUPI

Research group on Global Order and Diplomacy. Reduced hours due to care work until December 2024; second parental leave April 2025–January 2026. Part of the Research Council of Norway-funded projects CHOIR (Conceptual History of International Relations, completed) and ANGER (anger in global politics). In 2026, work on US ideological influence in Europe and illiberal global ordering funded by NUPI’s Center for Geopolitics.

2020 - 2025 Newspaper columnist

Monthly Saturday column ‘Signert’ on global politics, with occasional pieces on feminism, for Norwegian daily Klassekampen.

2018–2024 Editor-in-Chief, Internasjonal Politikk

Scandinavian-language peer-reviewed journal on international politics, co-edited with Pernille Rieker and Niels Nagelhus Schia.

2018 - 2023 PhD Fellow

Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and University of Copenhagen.

PhD at the University of Copenhagen, co-funded by DIIS through the Velux-funded research project ‘The World of the Right’, led by Vibeke Schou Tjalve. Commuted between Oslo and Copenhagen to continue working at NUPI in parallel, leading a research project on the far right’s international ideology in Europe, Russia and the US. Also contributed to several other research projects, publishing on misrecognition, liberalism and international law, sovereignty and conceptual history, liberal self-images and liberal exceptionalism in security and warfare, and communitarian principles of diaspora protection.

2017 - 2020 Newspaper columnist

Monthly column ‘Internasjonalen’ on global politics for Norwegian daily Dagsavisen.

3/2017 – 9/2018 Research fellow

Research Group on Global order and Diplomacy, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)

Projects on Russian and Turkish perspectives on European security, recognition and ideas of statehood, liberal self-images and warfare, and conceptual history and early modern sovereignty.

1/2016 – 3/2017 Junior Research Fellow (full-time)

Research Group on Foreign Policy and Diplomacy, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)

Projects as above. Policy input to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and to the Ministry of Defence white paper on security policy (‘Veivalg’). Two peer-reviewed articles, on Russian (mis)uses of history in Ukraine and on the liberal value community between the US and Norway.

09/2014 – 1/2016 Junior Research Fellow (part-time remotely during studies, full-time summers)

Russia, Eurasia and Arctic Research Group, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)

Research on Russia/China, Ukraine and Central Asia; journal editing; annual conference organization; project administration in Central Asia.

08/2012 – 08/2014 Research Assistant (part-time and remotely during studies, full-time summers)

Russia, Eurasia and Arctic research group, NUPI.

06/2012 – 08/2012 Research Intern

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Dushanbe.

Research on national implementation of regional (SCO/CSTO) counter-terrorism doctrines.

07/2010 – 02/2011 Trainee, political affairs

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Royal Norwegian Embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan

Political and economic reporting from Central Asia, meetings, and regular travel with the Ambassador to Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.

07/2009 – 10/2011 Journalist

Radio Nova

Weekly arts programme ‘NEU’ in Oslo; reporting from Kyiv (Ukrainian presidential election, 2010) and freelance work in Moscow (2010) for NRK and Dagens Næringsliv.

Languages

  • Norwegian (native)

  • English (fluent)

  • Russian (strong command)

  • Arabic (beginner; Egyptian dialect at AUC, 2012; Modern Standard Arabic at Folkeuniversitetet, Oslo, 2016)

Editorial experience & other (selection)

  • Editor-in-Chief, Internasjonal Politikk – Skandinavisk tidsskrift for internasjonale studier, 2018–2024

  • Book review editor, Internasjonal Politikk, 2015–2019

  • Editorial board member, Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 2013–2014

  • Book review editor and peer reviewer, Nordisk Østforum, 2012–2015

  • Research assistance for Neumann, Pouliot and Sending (eds.), Diplomacy: The Making of World Politics (2015), and for Iver B. Neumann, Russia and the Idea of Europe (2016)

  • Co-editor, Central Asia Data Gathering and Analysis Team (CADGAT) reports, OSCE Academy

Scholarships, grants

  • Norwegian Ministry of Defence, research funding for ‘New Right and World Order’ (project leader), 2018–2023

  • Velux Foundation, PhD funding through ‘The World of the Right’ (DIIS)

  • Nordic researcher exchange programme, awarded three times, 2018–2019

  • U.S.–Norway Fulbright Foundation, full scholarship, 2015

  • George Washington University, fellowship for outstanding academic achievement

  • Norwegian Media Authority, work and travel grant for radio project on oppositional art in Russia, 2010

  • United World College of the Atlantic, full scholarship (tuition and board), 2005–2007

Organizational experience (selected) 

  • Board member, Polyteknisk Forening’s network for geopolitics, 2025–present

  • Jury member, ‘Name of the Year in Academia’ (Khrono), 2020–present

  • Board member, Human Rights House Foundation, 2018–present

  • Main health and safety representative (hovedverneombud), NUPI, 01/2024–05/2025

  • Deputy leader, Norwegian Association of Researchers (Forskerforbundet) at NUPI, 2019–2021

  • Board member, EISA Early Career Development Group, 2018–2021

  • Board member, Fulbright Alumni Association Norway, 2015–2019

  • Leader, Amnesty International’s Russia and Eurasia group, University of Oslo, 2009–2012

  • Leader, Amnesty International’s Middle East group, University of Oslo, 2009–2010

  • Leader, Amnesty International group, UWC Atlantic, 2005–2007