Employee photo: Julia Olsen

Julia Olsen

Associate Professor
Faculty of Social Sciences
Study location
Bodø
Office
Bodø, Torggården, 206
Areas of expertise
High North, Arctic, Tourism, Northeast Passage, Sustainable shipping, Sustainable development, Climate change

I am an Associate Professor in Environmental sociology. The primary research areas are socio-economic adaptation to multiple changes in the Arctic, ocean sustainability, marine litter, shipping and tourism development in the High North. I have a PhD in sociology where I examined impacts of increased shipping activities in the Barents region on local coastal communities and their adaptive capacity.

Program coordinator for Bachelor in Circumpolar and Nordic Studies;

Course coordinator for Bachelor's Thesis in Circumpolar Studies (NOM2000) and Nordic Societies (SA212S);

Other courses: Considering Sustainability (SAM5012) and Society, Climate change and Environment (SO216S)

Research Projects:

2023-2024 Building transdisciplinary bridges for sustainable Svalbard and Arctic development. Research Council of Norway.

2021- 2024 SHIFTPLASTICS. Shifting to sustainable circular value chains for handling plastics in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. Research Council of Norway.

2020-2024 Face- it. The future of Arctic coastal ecosystems - Identifying transitions in fjord systems and adjacent coastal areas. EU, Horizon 2020.

2020-2024 Balancing Act. Sustainable Tourism in Svalbard. Research Council of Norway

2020-2024 Caring for Cruise. Sustainable Arctic Cruise communities: From practice to governance. Working package leader. Research Council of Norway

2025
Building transdisciplinary bridges and learning from the Svalbard context 2025 The Polar Journal - Julia Olsen, Alexandra Meyer, Lisbeth Iversen, Ulrich Schildberg, Ragnhild Holmen Bjørnsen, Grete K. Hovelsrud , James Badu, Dina Brode-Roger, Adriana Craciun, Hanne H Christiansen, Lena Cappelen Endresen, Tiril Vold Hansen, Simon Jungblut, Eystein Markusson, Aga Nowak, Ulla Timlin, Stein Sandven, Zdenka Sokolíčková, Janne Søreide
Managing cruise volume at Nordic cruise destinations 2025 Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism - Ulrika Persson-Fischier, Karin Andrea Wigger, Julia Olsen, Ása Marta Sveinsdóttir
Navigating a changing Arctic: toward adaptive governance in Greenland and Svalbard 2025 Tourism Geographies: an international journal of tourism space, place and environment - Anna G. Sveinsdóttir, Carina Bregnholm Ren, Julia Olsen, Grete K. Hovelsrud, Halvor Dannevig, Lill Rastad Bjørst, Ragnhild Dale
2024
A virtual geobibliography of polar tourism and climate change 2024 Journal of Sustainable Tourism - Cenk Demiroglu, Dorothee Bohn, Halvor Dannevig, Michael C. Hall, Christy Hehir, Linda Lundmark, Robert Nilsson, Julia Olsen, Kaarina Tervo-Kankare, Marisol Vereda, Johannes Welling
2023
Coping with rapid and cascading changes in Svalbard : the case of nature-based tourism in Svalbard 2023 Frontiers in Human Dynamics - Halvor Dannevig, Janne Søreide, Anna G. Sveinsdóttir, Julia Olsen, Grete Kaare Hovelsrud, Tone Rusdal, Ragnhild Freng Dale
Five social science intervention areas for ocean sustainability initiatives 2023 npj Ocean Sustainability - Stefan Partelow, Achim Schluter, Natalie C. Ban, Simon Batterbury, Maarten Bavinck, Nathan J. Bennett, Raimund Bleischwitz, Jessica Blythe, Tanja Bogusz, Annette Breckwoldt, Joshua E. Cinner, Marion Glaser, Hugh Govan, Rebecca L. Gruby, Vanessa Hatje, Anna-Katharina Hornidge, Grete K. Hovelsrud, John N. Kittinger, Lotta Clara Kluger, Sophia Kochalski, Alexander Mawyer, Emma McKinley, Julia Olsen, Jeremy Pittman, Maraja Riechers, Marie-Catherine Riekhof, Kathleen Schwerdtner Manez, Rebecca J. Shellock, Rapti Siriwardane-de Zoysa, Nathalie A. Steins, Kristof Van Assche, Sebastian Villasante
Managing Svalbard Tourism: Inconsistencies and Conflicts of Interest 2023 Arctic Review on Law and Politics - Grete Kaare Hovelsrud, Julia Olsen, Annika E. Nilsson, Bjørn Petter Kaltenborn, Julien Lebel
Effects of Arctic commercial shipping on environments and communities: context, governance, priorities 2023 Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment - Henry P. Huntington, Julia Olsen, Eduard Zdor, Andrey Zagorskiy, Hyoung Chul Shin, Olga Romanenko, Bjørn Petter Kaltenborn, Jackie Dawson, Jeremy Davies, Erin Abou-Abbsi
2020
Climate Change and Norwegian Arctic Aquaculture: Perception, Relevance and Adaptation 2020 The Arctic Yearbook - Håkan Torleif Sandersen, Julia Olsen, Grete K. Hovelsrud, Arild Gjertsen
Marine litter: Institutionalization of attitudes and practices among Fishers in Northern Norway 2020 Marine Policy - Julia Olsen, Leticia Antunes Nogueira, Anne Katrine Meinich Normann, Bjørn Vidar Vangelsten, Ingrid Agathe Bay-Larsen
Gender and Climate Change Research: Moving Beyond Transformative Adaptation 2020 The Arctic Yearbook - Pablo Romero-Nieva Santos, Nikolai George Lewis Holm, Julia Olsen, Grete K. Hovelsrud
2014
Commercial Arctic shipping through the Northeast Passage: routes, resources, governance, technology, and infrastructure 2014 Polar Geography - Albert Buixadé Farré, Scott R. Stephenson, Linling Chen, Michael Czub, Ying Dai, Denis Demchev, Yaroslav Efimov, Piotr Graczyk, Henrik Grythe, Kathrin Keil, Niku Kivekäs, Naresh Kumar, Nengye Liu, Igor Matelenok, Mari Skuggedal Myksvoll, Derek O'Leary, Julia Olsen, Sachin Pavithran.A.P., Edward Petersen, Andreas Raspotnik, Ivan Ryzhov, Jan Jakub Solski, Lingling Suo, Caroline Troein, Vilena Valeeva, Jaap van Rijckevorsel, Jonathan Wighting
2013
Adaptive and transformative capacity Arctic Resilience Interim Report 2013 - Gary Kofinas, Douglas Clark, Grete K. Hovelsrud, Lillian Alessa, Helene Amundsen, Matthew Berman, Fikret Berkes, F. Stuart Chapin III, Bruce Forbes, James Ford, Craig Gerlach, Julia Olsen
2024
Vi er alle tjent med god akademisk lederopplæring 2024 - Borgar Aamaas, Julia Olsen, Nora Elise Hesby Mathé, Bjørn Kristian Danbolt
Contested wilderness - The importance of narratives in shaping responses to change in Svalbard’s tourism regulations 2024 Arctic Congress Bodø 2024 - Ragnhild Freng Dale, Halvor Dannevig, Grete Kaare Hovelsrud, Julia Olsen, Anna Guðbjört Sveinsdóttir
Sustainable Arctic Cruise Communities:from practice to governance. Cross-case analysis report. 2024 - Helena Gonzales Lindberg, Henrik Halkier, Hindertje Hoarau-Heemstra, Laura James, Julia Olsen, Albina Pashkevich, Ulrika Persson-Fischier, Carina Ren, Ása Marta Sveinsdóttir, Guðrún Þóra Gunnarsdóttir, Karin Andrea Wigger
Exploring adaptive governance in Arctic tourism: A cross-case analysis from Svalbard and Greenland 2024 2024 European Polar Science Week - Anna Guðbjört Sveinsdóttir, Grete Kaare Hovelsrud, Halvor Dannevig, Julia Olsen, Ragnhild Freng Dale, Carina Ren, Lill Rastad Bjørst
2023
Shift-Plastics Early Stage Report 2023 - Megan Palmer-Abbs, Julia Olsen
TOURISM GOVERNANCE IN SVALBARD AND GREENLAND– a comparative approach towards adaptive tourism governance in a rapidly changing Arctic 2023 The 31st Nordic Symposium on Tourism and Hospitality Research - Carina Ren, Anna G. Sveinsdóttir, Julia Olsen, Grete K. Hovelsrud, Lill Rastad Bjørst, Halvor Dannevig, Ragnhild Freng Dale, Kristin Løseth
Svalbard Tourism Management and Policy Gaps 2023 - Grete K. Hovelsrud, Bjørn Petter Kaltenborn, Julia Olsen
Kan Bodø bli en bærekraftig cruise-destinasjon? 2023 - Hindertje Hoarau-Heemstra, Julia Olsen, Karin Andrea Wigger
Building transdisciplinary bridges for sustainable Svalbard and Arctic development 2023 Building transdisciplinary bridges for sustainable Svalbard and Arctic development - Julia Olsen, Alexandra Meyer, Lisbeth Iversen, Grete K. Hovelsrud, Ulrich Schildberg, Ragnhild Holmen Bjørnsen
´Cruise Trouble´. How to sustainably develop Arctic cruise tourism? 2023 Greenland Science Week - Carina Ren, Hindertje Hoarau-Heemstra, Julia Olsen, Karin Andrea Wigger, Laura James
Coping with rapid and cascading changes in Svalbard: the case of nature-based tourism 2023 Arctic Science Summit Week (ASSW2023) - Halvor Dannevig, Janne Søreide, Anna G. Sveinsdóttir, Julia Olsen, Grete Kaare Hovelsrud, Tone Rusdal, Ragnhild Freng Dale
2022
Makroplast fra fiskeri og havbruk: kunnskapsstatus, forebyggende tiltak og kunnskapsbehov 2022 - Carl Höjman, Joan Fabres, Hilde Rødås Johnsen, Snorre Sklet, Julia Olsen, Leticia Antunes Nogueira, Stian Bragtvedt
Assessing sustainability and adaptive capacity in Arctic tourism 2022 Arctic Frontiers Pathways Conference 2022 - Halvor Dannevig, Grete Kaare Hovelsrud, Tone Rusdal, Ragnhild Freng Dale, Julia Olsen
2021
Mer kunnskap - om, for og i nordområdene! 2021 - Bjørn Olsen, Astrid Marie Holand, Catrine Torbjørnsen Halås, Julia Olsen
Cruise tourism development in the Arkhangelsk region, Russian Arctic: Stakeholder perspectives 2021 ICASS X - Julia Olsen, Marina Nenasheva, Karin Andrea Wigger, Albina Pashkevich
Barentsburg and Longyearbyen in times of socioeconomic transition 2021 ICASS X - Julia Olsen, Andrian Vlakhov, Karin Andrea Wigger
Samordning av lokale og turistrelaterte transportbehov 2021 - Julia Olsen, Karin Marie Antonsen, Julien Lebel, Karin Andrea Wigger, Hindertje Hoarau-Heemstra, Marina Nenasheva
Knowledge needs in sea ice forecasting for navigation in Svalbard and the High Arctic 2021 - Siri Veland, Penelope Mae Wagner, David Bailey, Alistair Everett, Michael Goldstein, Roberto Rivas Hermann, Grete Kaare Hovelsrud, Nicholas Hughes, Xueke Li, Amanda Lynch, Julia Olsen, Cyril Palerme, Scott R. Stephenson, Trude Storelvmo
«Ny by ny flyplass» er mye mer enn et byggeprosjekt 2021 - Bjørn Vidar Vangelsten, Thoralf Fagertun, Leticia Antunes Nogueira, Julia Olsen, Amsale Kassahun Temesgen
2020
Forberedt og fleksibel 2020 Ottar - Grete K. Hovelsrud, Marianne Karlsson, Julia Olsen
2019
Marine littering in the Barents area: fishers’ attitude 2019 High North Dialogue - Julia Olsen, Bjørn Vidar Vangelsten, Leticia Antunes Nogueira, Ingrid Agathe Bay-Larsen, Anne Katrine Normann
New knowledge for reduction and utilization of marine waste from fisheries (RE-D-USE) 2019 - Bjørn Vidar Vangelsten, Julia Olsen, Marthe Larsen Haarr, Vilma Havas, Anne Katrine Normann, Ludmila Ivanova, Elizabeth Sanli
Lokalsamfunn er en viktig aktør i Nordområdene 2019 - Julia Olsen, Grete K. Hovelsrud
Marine littering in the Barents area: fishers’ attitude and practices 2019 Svalbard Scientific Conference - Julia Olsen, Leticia Antunes Nogueira, Bjørn Vidar Vangelsten, Anne Katrine Normann, Ingrid Agathe Bay-Larsen
Arctic communities perceive differently the impact of shipping on their environments 2019 - Julia Olsen, Natalie Ann Carter, Jackie Dawson, Grete K. Hovelsrud
2017
Impact analysis and consequences of change 2017 - Minna Turunen, Anna Degteva, Seija Tuulentie, Anatoli Bourmistrov, Robert Corell, Edward Dunlea, Grete K. Hovelsrud, Timo Jouttijärvi, Sari Kauppi, Nancy G Maynard, Bob van Oort, Arja Rautio, Hein Rune Skjoldal, Natalia Anisimova, Valery Chaschin, Dmitrii Denisov, Anastasia Emelyanova, Elena Eriksen, Jaakko Erkinaro, Jon L. Fuglestad, Geir W. Gabrielsen, Ludmila Maria Granberg, Leena Grandell, Andrei Gudkov, Ingeborg G. Hallanger, Antti Hannukkala, Petri Heinimaa, Boris Ivanov, Edda Johannesen, Lis Lindal Jørgensen, Timo Jouttijärvi, Panu Juntunen, Sari Kauppi, Carina Keskitalo, Asta Kietäväinen, Juha Kivilouma, Oleg Korneev, Kari Lehtonen, Lars Lindholt, Pavel Lyubin, Frode Nilssen, Teuvo Niva, Jon Øyvind Odland, Julia Olsen, Willy Østreng, Riku Pasonen, Stanislav Patin, Andrey N. Petrov, Pasi Raustio, Kimmo Silvo, Laura Sokka, Julia Tchernova, Seppo Vuori
2016
Trangt om plassen 2016 - Julia Olsen, Grete K. Hovelsrud, Ingrid Agathe Bay-Larsen
2015
Chapter 11. "Community Viability and Adaptation", in Larsen, Fondail (eds): Arctic Human Development Report. Regional Processes and Global Linkages. 2015 - Rasmus Ole Rasmussen, Grete K. Hovelsrud, Shari Gearheard, Helene Amundsen, Brigt Dale, Klaus Georg Hansen, Lance Howe, Henry H. Huntington, Noor Johnson, Julia Olsen, Johanna Roto, Lindis Sloan
Bruk og vern i Nordland. 2015 - Arild Gjertsen, Tone Magnussen, Ingrid Agathe Bay-Larsen, Merete Kvamme Fabritius, Karin Marie Antonsen, Julia Olsen
Klimaendringer, tilpasningsstrategier og innovasjon i oppdrettsnæringen 2015 Havbruk-workshop - Julia Olsen, Grete K. Hovelsrud, Ingrid Agathe Bay-Larsen, Arild Gjertsen