Nominator
- Ragnhild Bassøe Gundersen
Election platform
The university has a unique role in society as a knowledge institution. Free research is important in order to contribute both to research-oriented teaching and as input to societal development. With the start of my PhD during the pandemic, I have become particularly concerned with ensuring a good psychosocial working environment for temporary employees. If elected, I will contribute with a clear and constructive voice in the university board with a focus on:
Economy and management
The economic development shows a tightening in the future and it is important to safeguard the working situation of the temporary staff. Austerity can affect the physical working conditions and lead to increased work pressure in view of the research and educational activity that is carried out. It is important to ensure use of long-term temporary employment does not increase and working conditions that may further exceed the already great mental burden of being in an insecure temporary position is ameliorated.
In order to be an attractive actor for research talents, it is important that temporary staff are ensured the time and resources for research. It is therefore important that there is a clear focus on management as a facilitating function and facilitates that the workload is distributed equally between employees which thereby secure research time and opportunities for career development. Additionally, transparency on career paths and expectations is important to ensure a fair process understandable for all regardless of background.
Collaboration across and interdisciplinary
I am concerned with silo thinking between faculties and institutes. As an example, the digitalization of all parts of society demands basic understanding of this process and its consequences. If desired, all students should get a basic introduction to digitalization as part of their degree. In order to be able to offer this, it is important to strengthen the academic environment with existing expertise so that these can offer their competence to other parts of university. This is for instance aligned with how the ethical courses for PhDs function.
Sustainability
For sustainability, the comprehensive climate and environmental strategy shows the way. Sustainability is not only about direct emissions but encompasses the university's entire role in society, for example research, education and the working environment. A continued focus on the ongoing intiatives and showcasing the university's role in contributing to societal development for key actors is important to secure UiO´s position.
Practice connection and lifelong learning
I am concerned with practical links with actors both in public and private sector. This ensures, among other things, knowledge about the application of the skills acquired, attractiveness on the labor market and working life skills. Therefore, academia's role in lifelong learning at all levels is also important. With today's increasingly fast pace and demands for up-to-date competence, it is important to ensure good continuing and further education.
About me
My education is from the Faculty of Social Sciences at UiO with an interdisciplinary bachelor's degree in Culture and Communication and an interdisciplinary master's degree in Technology, Innovation and Knowledge. My doctorate is at the Department of Informatics, where I am researching how digital ecosystems can contribute to more sustainable solutions with cases from renewable energy and the electricity sector. The position is associated with the research center INTRANSIT, researching the transition to a smarter and more sustainable Norwegian economy.
I have worked for more than ten years in business within energy efficiency, renewable energy, digitization and social responsibility. The roles have included everything from establishing Norway's first and only climate and environmental conference by and for youth, policy development at Norwegian and European level, innovation work with the foremost in solar energy and energy system solutions, as well as change management of digitalization processes. The experiences from the business world are the background for the desire to take a doctorate in order to find out more about the connection between digitization and sustainable solutions.
From board experience, I have until recently been a representative for temporary employees at the Department of Informatics. I have previously been on the board of the master's degree (as student representative), Trainee Innlandet (permanent trainee representative) and in Kirkeby andelsandbruk (chairman and established Oslo's first cooperative agriculture). In addition, I am the safety representative for temporary employees at the Department of Informatics.