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I am 61 years old and received my education from the University of Bergen, where I studied mathematics, statistics, informatics, physics, and eventually economics. I joined the university as an associate professor in 1997 and was promoted to full professor of economics in 2001. Since 2012 I have served as a union representative for the Norwegian Association of Researchers (Forskerforbundet) at UoB. This role has allowed me to connect with many individuals across the university and understand their challenges, providing me with valuable insights for the university board, where I have represented Group A for the past four years.

A strong multi-disciplinary university must protect and strengthen its core activities: teaching and free research. Diversity is crucial, and a variety of perspectives are needed – a university thrives when people think differently.

Key issues for me include budget policy and management policy, as both influence the type of university we can have. I believe a university is not well-suited for top-down management, and I advocate for a more bottom-up approach. Institutional autonomy is of little value unless it extends throughout the organization. Therefore, I strongly support university democracy, elected leaders, and democratic governing bodies at all levels. I am also a strong supporter of voters having more candidates to choose from, but I am a bit doubtful that the current leadership should be responsible for finding candidates, and therefore I am also skeptical of leadership-appointed search committees.

As a union representative, I strive to ensure that UoB employees receive wage growth comparable to the rest of Norwegian society. For many years, the average UoB employee has experienced less than normal wage growth. While wage policy is not directly a university board issue, the board establishes the economic foundations for wage development at UoB. In economically challenging times, it is important to bring this perspective into the board.

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