AAU Arctic - connecting research and communities

AAU Arctic is a cross-faculty platform at Aalborg University that strengthens Arctic-related research and collaboration across disciplines, networks and communities in the Arctic. By hosting research seminars and networking events, we connect stakeholders and researchers, foster local and international collaborations and contribute to the production of Arctic knowledge that matters. AAU Arctic aims to set the agenda for future research with an independent, critical and cross-disciplinary approach.

Ice at Greenland - digital image by Christian Fuglsang Rasmussen

Find AAU Arctic on Facebook Find AAU Arctic on LinkedIn

AAU Arctic - connecting research and communities

Find AAU Arctic on Facebook Find AAU Arctic on LinkedIn

Cooperation and Partners

Conducting research never stands alone at AAU Arctic.

Contact Team & Researchers

Get in touch with us!

Arctic Studies Specialization

As the only university in Denmark, AAU offers an Arctic Studies specialization track.

About AAU Arctic

Arctic Research Projects at Aalborg University

Researchers across faculties and departments at Aalborg University are working on a variety of Arctic research projects. Our research covers themes ranging from climate change, green transition and technology to tourism, culture and sustainable development - plus the many cross-disciplinary themes in between. Based on the principles of problem-based learning and collaborating with local actors, we aim to conduct cutting-edge research that is grounded in local needs. This page offers more information regarding our research agenda.

As the image below indicates, as of 2022 Arctic research is connected to all four AAU faculties.

Overview of AAU Arctic research projects

Find more details on our current research activities here!

Impact of AAU Arctic

Enhancing the outreach of arctic research at AAU

Arctic research conducted at AAU has very direct relevance to Arctic society. AAU Arctic actively advertises and shares results, news and updates from AAU researchers and their research projects.

Disseminating Opportunities To AAU’s Arctic Researchers

AAU Arctic distributes invitations, calls and funding opportunities to AAU Arctic researchers via an internal mailing list and to a wider audience via its social media platforms.

Advancing a Cross-Disciplinary Agenda

AAU Arctic is actively engaged in the planning and execution of various Arctic conferences (e.g. Greenland Science Week and Hindsgavl Arctic Workshops). This contributes to a balanced and diversified representation of academic disciplines and to community outreach and knowledge dissemination.

Building Bridges for a Partnership

AAU Arctic facilitates partnerships between sciences, businesses and the public sector. AAU Arctic has co-organised conferences that bring together scientists, companies and practitioners, such as the Viden og Vækst conference.

Policy Support

AAU Arctic and AAU researchers welcome decision-makers who seek science-based knowledge, analysis or background information. AAU researchers interact with various Arctic public stakeholders and communities, policy-makers and business leaders at various scales. AAU Arctic facilitates contact to relevant researchers and participates in tender applications for EU policy support in the Arctic.

Culture and Living

How do people and communities living in the Arctic make sense of and manage the consequences of current challenges, such as climate change, tourism, covid-19 recovery, postcolonial relations and increased geopolitical interest in the Arctic? And more importantly, how can these challenges be turned into opportunities for local development? By exploring these, and many other questions, AAU Arctic researchers aim to learn from the local knowledge systems of communities, fisheries, hunters, tourism workers and more to understand the local and current concerns and practices. Examples of locally grounded research projects are Imagine POCO, MinErAl and The sealskin industry in Greenland.

Climate Change, Sustainability and Green Transition

Consequences of climate change are particularly visible in the Arctic. It is therefore crucial to study the impact of global warming on the region's local ecosystems, biodiversity and natural resources and how these changes affect local communities, infrastructure and business development. The research projects that explore these environmental impacts are in most cases interdisciplinary projects that not only focus on ecological and biological perspectives, but also include social and economic approaches to provide a holistic understanding and offer solid solutions. Examples of cross-disciplinary research projects are FACE-IT, ECOTIP, Muskox Pathways and "Assessing and mitigating the effects of climate change and biological Invasions on the spatial redistribution of biodiversity in Cold environments".

Sustainable Development

How can Arctic livelihoods and entrepreneurial environments be developed while protecting local cultures and natural resources and ecosystems? This is perhaps the most urgent question of our time, equally so in the Arctic. Based on growing human activity in the regions, such as agriculture, mining, fishing and tourism, several AAU Arctic research projects focus on developing support systems for local SMEs to strengthen sustainable entrepreneurship. Other projects explore the development of sustainable infrastructure, extractive and fishing industries and cruise tourism. Examples of such projects are JUSTNORTH, SACC, REXSAC and Envisioning proximity tourism with new materialism.

Health, Wellbeing and Food

Health, wellbeing and food safety in the Arctic are important matters of concern at AAU Arctic. Our research varies from developing new and localized treatments and diagnoses of diseases at the Faculty of Medicine to studying occupational, maritime and mental health and food security in the Arctic. Research projects and publications of the Arctic Health Research Centre can be found here. Other examples of research include The Polar Code and Maritime Safety and Agricultural production towards sustainable development in South Greenland.

Technology and Innovation

What can technological solutions and innovation mean for local and sustainable development in the Arctic? The tech industry is progressing at a fast pace worldwide, but how these solutions, platforms and tools should be implemented locally, so they make sense in an Arctic context, is still necessary to be explored. As with many other themes, a one-size-fits-all implementation hardly works. AAU Arctic aims to conduct interdisciplinary research that connects global developments with local stakeholders and needs. Examples of such projects are "The Governance of Cybersecurity and Resilience in the Arctic" and LASSO, Locating Arctic Sustainability Online.

Infrastructure and Planning

What does mobility in the Arctic mean? What are the strengths and constraints for the development of infrastructure and connectivity? Moreover, how do vast infrastructure projects impact local communities and the development of tourism and sustainable entrepreneurship? AAU Arctic explores these concerns through various research collaborations and projects, such as Arctic Connectivity and Mobilities on the margins.

Demography, Gender and Labour

Demography, gender and labour are important themes in Arctic societies. How to create more opportunities for young generations? How to develop a strong and healthy workforce in the Arctic with the rise of tourism activities and the transition to green energy? In order to support economic growth, sustainable development and thriving communities in the Arctic, there is a need to collaboratively work on equal chances in society. An example of such research is the PhD project "Salary is not the solution to everything: Job attribute preferences of employees in Greenland and implications for employer measures to attract and retain employees" and "Arbejdsskader indenfor fiskeri og fiskeindustri i Grønland"

Project description of GIOS

Greenland plays a unique and central role in the global climate system. The purpose of the Greenland Integrated Observing System (GIOS) is to resolve and understand the mechanisms behind climate and environmental change in Greenland and beyond. GIOS is a new coordinated network of sustainable long-term research infrastructures in and around Greenland observing the changing air, ice, land, and ocean conditions.

GIOS is an important and timely national research infrastructure linking all institutions and universities currently carrying out Arctic research in the Danish Realm. Aalborg University contributes to the development of infrastructure in South Greenland suitable for the investigation of temperature sensitivity in insects. The building of infrastructure in South Greenland allows researchers and students to conduct laboratory-controlled experiments related to climate change and eco-system changes. Furthermore, the physical infrastrucure facilitates cross-disciplinary cooperation and exchange in South Greenland (Narsarsuaq).

CiSu master students conducting participatory fieldwork in Tasiilaq

Open top chambers simulating climate changes - GIOS project

Researchers in the arctic - digital image by Christian Fuglsang Rasmussen

People and research groups

Spread out over multiple faculties and departments at Aalborg University, researchers are engaging in Arctic research or participate in research projects that are dealing with local concerns in the Arctic. In total, more than 35 researchers are connected to AAU Arctic.

Research groups connected to AAU Arctic

CIRCLA

The Centre for Innovation and Research in Culture and Living in the Arctic (CIRCLA) is a cross-disciplinary centre with the purpose to communicate, organize and support the development of Arctic research at Aalborg University.

The Centre for Blue Governance

The Centre for Blue Governance is a multidisciplinary social science research group focused on the interactions between people and the sea.

The Danish Centre for Environmental Assessment

An inter-disciplinary research and policy engagement centre occupied with the advancement of impact assessment and decision-making practices within the sustainability domain.