Research projects

EPiC SAD study: Environmental, physiological, and cognitive risk factors for seasonal affective disorder

Waste Water Treatment in Akureyri

The City of Akureyri has an output of wastewater that is comparable to a town that is twice as large. What is your opinion on wastewater treatment in Akureyri?

Ptarmigan Ecogenomics

Ecological genomics encompasses ecology, genomics, and evolutionary biology, and utilizes genomic approaches to address consequential ecological questions.

SAD-Food-Study: Correlation between eating style, seasonal mood fluctuations, and circadian rhythm

Feeling and symptoms of depression according to the seasons

In this study, we examined the relationship between seasonal fluctuations in well-being and the biological and cognitive aspects of depressive symptoms.

Global digital manufacturing – industry4.0 joint curriculum and research

MOCAT project - The Key to Modern Higher Education Institutions

Modern Competencies of Academic Teachers.

Sustainability in scientific publishing

Sustainability is an issue in every aspect of life, and there are endeavours to promote and evaluate sustainable handling in all areas.

Universities and Democracy

A critical analysis of the civic role and function of universities in a democracy.

Services for victims of sexual offences

The research is twofold: The experience of sexual violence victims of submitting a charge with the police and accepting an interview with a psychologist after giving a report.

Inclusive Societies? The integration of immigrants in Iceland

The RANNIS - Icelandic Centre For Research – funded project Inclusive Societies aims to compare integration patterns of immigrants in Iceland in various municipalities across the country.

HUPLANTcontrol

Contamination of plants meant for human consumption is of increased concern for food-safety and human health.

Geomicrobiology and bioprospecting of Arctic microbes

With the advent of culture-independent, NGS-based microbial community analysis, environmental microbiology has opened up to research...

Lichen-associated microbes

Lichens are defined as the specific symbiotic structure comprising a fungus and a green alga and/or cyanobacterium.

Makerspaces in the early years: Enhancing digital literacy and creativity

MakEY is a 30 month project funded by the EU H2020 Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) programme.

MicroArctic

The Arctic plays a key role in Earth's climate system and is a geographical area of growing strategic importance for European policy. In the Horizon2020-funded MSC-ITN MicroArctic, the next generation of Arctic microbiology and biogeochemistry experts are trained. The project will provide these future experts with a unique understanding of the fast changing Arctic environment and the factors that impact ecosystem and organism response to the warming Arctic. They will thus be able to respond to the need for governance and leadership in various aspects related to public, policy and commercial interests.

Sustainable governance indicators

The SGI is a platform built on a cross-national survey of governance that identifies reform needs in 41 EU and OECD countries. The SGI brings together a broad network of experts and practitioners aiming to understand what works best in sustainable governance. Advocating the exchange of best practices, we offer full access to our data set and enable the comparisons that generate innovation in governance.

Psychological and social factors and their impact on pregnancy and birth

The aim of the project is is to increase knowledge of the situation with women who experience perinatal distress during pregnancy and childbirth and effect from dissatisfaction in partner relationship and weak social support from family and friends.

State of the arctic marine biodiversity report – marine fishes

The State of the Arctic Marine Biodiversity Report identifies trends in key marine species and points to important gaps in biodiversity monitoring efforts across key ecosystem components in: sea ice biota, plankton, benthos, marine fishes, seabirds and marine mammals. Changes in these species are likely to indicate changes in the overall marine environment.

Neuro-psycho-social characteristics and effects of labour events

The group’s aim is to research and describe the psychological process and experiences of natural childbirth. To answer the research question: What is the psychological experience of natural childbirth like and what are its components. The project started by systematic-reviewing of published scientific papers on women’s experiences of normal or natural childbirth.

The sea around us

The Sea Around Us is an international research initiative at the University of British Columbia. The Sea Around Us assesses the impact of fisheries on the marine ecosystems of the world and offers mitigating solutions to a range of stakeholders.

Midwives perception of attending a traumatic birth

The work of midwives endures as a rewarding job, as midwives support women to bring their children into the world. On the other hand a number of serious complications can arise in the process of birth that test the fortitude of midwifes. The main aim of this study is to determine whether adverse events during birth impact the wellbeing and work of midwives in Iceland and if so, what those impacts are.

The cod project

In this project we investigate the historical variation in abundance of Icelandic cod (Gadus morhua). The Icelandic cod stock has been the main source of income in Iceland for centuries. A good understanding of the dynamics affecting the fluctuations in the stock are therefore important. Arguably it is especially important now with rapid climate changes and probable changes in the marine ecosystems following.

Midwives’ contribution to normal childbirth care

Some recent research has shown that births attended by midwives result in positive outcomes. The latest guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, 2014) on Intrapartum care for healthy women and babies recommends, among other practices, that care should be provided by midwives and that low risk environments for intrapartum should be promoted. It is acknowledged that care provision for low risk women in high risk environments results in increased economic costs as well as having an impact on women’s health.

SAINT - Slow Adventure In Northern Territories

SAINT is funded by the EU Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme for the period 2015-2018. The project started April 2015, involving 11 partners with a total grant of 1.1 mill EUR.
“Slow Adventures in Northern Territories” will work with SMEs to make them more aware of how to capitalise on the business opportunities in guided “slow adventure” experiences, offering simple nature-based, immersive journeys, living and travelling in wild places, through marketing to new, distant customer markets.

Second generation biofuels using thermophilic bacteria

The focus of our research for the past ten years has been on the production of second-generation biofuel for lignocellulosic biomass using thermophilic bacteria isolated from Icelandic hot springs. Lately, our interest has spread to the utalization of macroalgae for the biological production of biofuels and high-value chemical buildings blocks. There is an increased interest in using thermophilic bacteria for the production of bioethanol from complex lignocellulosic biomass due to their higher operating temperatures and broad substrate range.

Lifestyles, risk factor management and self-care of individuals with coronary heart disease (The KRANS-study)

Coronary heart disease (CHD) remains the leading cause of death and disability in Europe and is strongly related to lifestyle factors. However, previous European studies show that a large proportion of individuals with CHD do not achieve the recommended lifestyles, risk factor management and therapeutic levels, which can slow or reverse the disease process. It is not known to what extent Icelandic patients achieve standards for secondary prevention. A comprehensive profile of this population, including both clinical data and patient reported outcome measures has not been studied before in Iceland, but is needed to determine where interventions should be targeted.

Immigrants in education: A new challenge

One of the key for the successful integration of immigrants into Icelandic society lies within the schools. Until a decade ago having children from a foreign background in the school system was a rather unfamiliar phenomenon. In the year 2000, according to Hagstofa.is, there were 30 foreign children under 18 years old living in Akureyri; this number has tripled and in 2014 there are 87 foreign children living in town.

Production of fine chemicals using thermophilic bacteria

In parallel to our research on biofuels, we have also pioneered studies on the production of branched-chain and long-chain alcohols (BCOHs and BCFAs) from amino acids by thermoanaerobes. Revising Orlygsson PhD work led to our discovery that branched-chain alcohols are a major fermentation product from branched-chain amino acids by thermophilic bacteria under very specific conditions. Electron scavenging is possible by either using thiosulfate as an electron sink or by growing the amino acid degrading thermophile in a co-culture with a hydrogenotrophic methanogen.

Health status and functional profile of residents in nursing homes in Iceland

An increased need for nursing homes has followed the increased number of elderly and this might have changed the profile of the people who get admitted to such homes. The project has three main aims. The first aim is to look at health status and functional profile of the residents at admission, with special emphasis on the comparison of residents with and without diabetes. The second aim is to analyse survival after admission to the nursing homes, comparing two periods, i.e. before and after a nursing home regulation change in 2008.

Explaining regional differences in adaptation and satisfaction among the immigrant population in Iceland

The goal of this project is to understand regional differences in the integration and social adaptation of immigrants in the North of Iceland and to understand the mechanisms which impacts immigrants’ integration, satisfaction and feelings of belonging in coastal communities in Iceland. In 2016, we realized a comparative quantitative study within three communities in the North of Iceland in order understand and compare the situation of the immigrants and the reaction of the local population towards them. The result of the study shows that there are differences within the three communities regarding the social and economic situation of immigrants, the attitude and expectations of the local population towards them and their satisfaction and their feelings of belonging.

Production of ethanol from whey permeate

Cheese whey represents an important source of environmental pollution due to its enormous global production rate and high organic matter content. One good method to deal with whey pollution is its bioconversion to ethanol employing yeast, especially Kluyveromyces species. The only fermentable sugar in whey is the disaccharide lactose which means that wild type Saccharomyces yeasts cannot degrade it because they do not have β-galactosidase. Apart from lactose, whey also contains vitamins and minerals which may improve the physiological activity of the cells.

Health and well-being in Northern Iceland in community dwelling Icelandic people age ≥ 65 years

The fastest growing population is older adults. According to population projections it is expected that in the year 2065, over 20% of all Icelanders will be ≥ 65 years and greater proportion of residents are ≥ 65 years in rural areas. Previous studies have shown that residents in rural areas in Iceland have less education, lower income, more health problems or diagnosed diseases and greater depressive symptoms compared to urban residents. The frequency of diseases in older adults is high and costly. There is a lack of research of older adults and those living remotely.

Enhancing labour opportunities for women in the Nordic countries

The general objective of the project is to provide better and more suitable employment for immigrant women by: Identifying policies and practices that have been aimed for improved labour market integration for immigrant women in three small and medium-sized cities in Finland, Iceland and Sweden. Identifying and analyzing success factors and challenges in those policies and practices, based on the experiences by actors in charge of the labour market program/support, as well as on experiences by actors in charge of the labour market program/support, as well as on experiences by women who have taken part in them. Developing practical approaches that employers and companies can implement and identifying possibilities for networking between immigrant women, local public and private actors and employers.

Ocean currents and climate variability

We study the general oceanography of the seas around Iceland and the currents of the North Atlantic, investigating the effects of climate variability and oceanic conditions on biological resources. The Nordic Seas (Greenland, Iceland and Norwegian seas) is the main region where Atlantic water is transformed into a water mass that is dense enough to feed the North Atlantic deep water and the Iceland Sea is considered an important part of the North Atlantic climate system.

Exploring women‘s views of labour pain: a collaborative research approach

Labour pain has largely been defined in midwifery or medical terms, and most research to date has been about its relief. However, recent research has found that women describe a complex relationship with labour pain that includes positive and welcoming views. Pain relief is an important option, but has attendant side-effects that affect labour.

ARCPATH - Arctic Climate Predictions: Pathways to Resilient, Sustainable Societies

ARCPATH is a Nordic Centre of Excellence in Arctic Research including 24 partners. NordForsk granted the centre with 18 mill NOK for the period 2016-2021. Expected ARCPATH results are: improvements in Arctic climate predictions by the reduction of uncertainties originating from changes in the cryosphere and the ocean, and insights into Arctic climate sensitivity to anthropogenic forcing, as well as an increase in understanding of how changes in climate interact with multiple societal factors, ranging from development of fishing communities to consumptive and non-consumptive use of marine mammal in the North Atlantic Arctic.

Effects of Three Rehabilitation Programmes on the Daily Activities and Well-being of Icelandic Chronic Pain Patients

Chronic pain affects people all over the world. Some research estimates it up to 50% in the normal population. Chronic pain is a complex combination of mixed symptoms with various causes and consequences. Most common sites of the body affected by pain are the back, head and joints Several research results indicate that pain management programmes at rehabilitation units can be effective for those who are ready to make changes in their lives. Most common pain sites among those who attend rehabilitation programmes seems to be disabling pain (e.g. extremity pain, widespread pain, headaches, somatoform pains) in the lower limbs and low back pain of some kind, and fibromyalgia.

Adjusting masculinities and femininities: Gender perspectives on immigration in Iceland

In recent years, Iceland has ranked high on various gender equality indexes, and the country feels proud of its leading position in gender equality. The important role of gender equality for the Icelandic society is reflected in the amount of research conducted in this field. However, the growing number of immigrants has received little attention within the gender debate.

Bridges - Territories with geographical spesificities (ESPON)

ESPON BRIDGES focuses on how ‘spatially blind’ policies, different types of market failures and path dependencies lead to a sub-optimal use of human and natural resources in TGS.