As a special advisor on professional development, gender and diversity, I focus on both developing the professional skills of the researchers at PRIO, and developing PRIO as an institution with a diverse staff.
My main area of expertise is academic writing and publishing. Since the 1990s, I have provided writing support and coaching for researchers in a wide variety of disciplines. As a native English speaker with an interest in writing, I began as a freelance copyeditor and translator for Norwegian academics looking to publish their work in international journals. Working more closely with researchers, however, shifted my focus away from language and more towards developing awareness of audience, honing the core argument, and structuring the story. I currently provide writing support through workshops, seminars, retreats, and one-on-one coaching, both at PRIO and other institutes and universities. I began at PRIO in 2008, focusing mainly on academic publications and project development, and later joined the Leader Team in 2016 to focus on professional development more broadly.
In 2013, I received funding from the RCN for a BALANSE project to increase the number of female professors at PRIO. This project subsequently developed into a doctoral project entitled "Ready or Not: Negotiating gender and institutional environment on the path to professorship". I received two more BALANSE projects: one that focused on developing the Leader Team, and one entitled "Saying Yes and No: The gender dimension of everyday decisions in academia." In 2022, my full title was changed to reflect my growing responsibility for addressing gender and diverstiy issues at PRIO.
In addition to the writing workshops that I offer both at PRIO and to other institutions, I also provide training and support in project development, supervision, mentoring, and other aspects of professional development.