2025

It is nearing the end of GoNorth’s research cruise in the Arctic Ocean. Recently, researchers Carmen Gaina and Alexander Minakov (University of Oslo) and Thomas Funck (GEUS) succeeded in collecting seismic data and ROV images from the Polarstern seamount in the deep sea.

PhD candidate Jacqueline Kay Knutson (University of Oslo and NIVA) has received this year’s student award in the Fægriprisen for an article about the irreversible landscape changes when permafrost disappears.

Four UiO researchers across three projects have been awarded ERC Synergy Grants from the European Research Council (ERC). They will study snow in extreme environments, the use of AI to create synthetic DNA, and how humans and climate have shaped biodiversity in Africa.

PHAB Postdoctoral Fellow Jyotirmoy Paul was awarded the 2023-24 'Institute Medal' for his Ph.D thesis from the Indian Institute of Science.

The research is a pioneering effort to employ drones for methane (CH4) emission quantification from ruminants in sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of the first field studies to measure methane emissions from camels, a largely understudied source. 

Three new convergence environments at the University of Oslo will receive funding to research how volcanic eruptions can trigger climate crises, explore circular solutions for CO₂ and H₂O, and examine crime in international shipping. With interdisciplinary approaches, the researchers aim to find new answers to some of today’s pressing challenges.

Professor Stephanie Werner at the Department of Geosciences and PHAB, Uni of Oslo has been awarded 12 million NOK from the Research Council of Norway for the project 'Galactic Recipe for Exo-Planets.'

UiO professor and glaciologist Regine Hock at the Department of Geosciences has been awarded the Fram Committee Nansen Award for 2025. The prize is awarded to outstanding Norwegian contributions to the exploration of polar regions.

The Centre for Planetary Habitability (PHAB), a CoE affiliated to the Department of Geosciences, has undergone changes in management this summer. Professor Stephanie Werner took over as director and centre leader for PHAB from July 1, 2025.

Almost 3300 master students have accepted the offer of master admission this autumn at the University of Oslo. This is a modest increase in applicants and admissions compared to last year.

This summer marks the 60th anniversary of humanity's first successful mission to Mars. On July 14th 1965, NASA’s Mariner 4 flew past Mars providing the first close-up photographs of Mars.

The Norwegian government has allocated over a billion for AI research. The competition was tough; from over 50 applications, six were selected. TRUST from UiO is one of the six new centers. Many researchers from NJORD and GEO are affiliated with the center and will contribute to TRUST.

Two researchers at the Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, receive funding for their research projects in the groundbreaking research grants - FRIPRO from The Norwegian Research Council, announced on June 10. The competition for FRIPRO grants is as tough as ever.

PHAB Researcher Agata Krzesinska is a part of the Mars Sample Return campaign study team who receives the NASA Honor Award for group achievement.

The Else-Ragnhild Neumann Award 2024 was presented by Trond Helge Torsvik, PHAB to the award winner Joanna Dziadkowiec, at a seminar the 15 of May in the Science Libary at University of Oslo.

Earlier in May, new members of the Academy were welcomed at the annual meeting of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters at Grand Hotel, Oslo. New member from 2025 is Professor Trude Storelvmo from the Department of Geosciences.

From May, the Department of Geosciences at the University of Oslo will have a new head: Joseph Henry Lacasce will take over from Bernd Etzelmüller, who will continue as deputy head until the end of 2025.

The Norwegian Hydrological Council welcomes you to attend the 8th Conference on Modelling Hydrology, Climate and Land Surface Processes, (2–4 September 2025, Lillehammer, Norway).

Can permafrost and environmental sciences be showcased in a gallery? Do artists and the art scene contribute to scientists and scientific understanding, and vice versa? The answer is yes. The exhibition "A Feeling of Longing That Freezes and Thaws" was a successful collaboration held at Atelier Nord, Oslo.

The Science Library at the University of Oslo (UiO) has now made a significant new acquisition in 2025 of the textbook "Treatise on Geochemistry" as an e-book series. This ensures that staff and students at the Dept. of Geosciences and others have access to an 8-volume digital edition of an important textbook in geosciences and geochemistry.

Norway's largest research project, The Nansen Legacy, has now had its final report approved by the Norwegian Research Council (NFR). The report contains new knowledge, tools, and a strengthened interdisciplinary collaboration among ten institutions during the project period from 2018 to 2024.

Mudflow structures on the Martian surface show a large variety of shapes and unusually long pathways. The red planet's extremely low atmospheric pressure can make the liquid water in the mud unstable, but salinity also plays a role in the mud's formation and flow, according to a new study in Nature Communications.

Is the future of our planet melting before our eyes? Scientists around the world are racing to answer this question, and the new EU funded HORIZON-project – LIQUIDICE – is at the forefront of the mission. Dept of Geosciences, University of Oslo is one of the partners.

In a new article in JGR: Earth Surface, A research team has used the fantastic dataset from the landslide in Åknes, which is the most monitored mountain area in Norway.

The prize 'Else-Ragnhild Neumann Award for Women in Geosciences' is awarded awarded to women who have made significant contributions to the field of geosciences. This year it goes to Joanna Dziadkowiec from NJORD, University of Oslo.