Kristin Bergtora Sandvik
Research Professor in Humanitarian Studies
Additional positions:
Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Oslo
Email: bergtora@prio.org
Research Interests
What I am doing at the moment: Spring 2022 I am researching the legal ripple effects of July 22. I am also writing a book on Humanitarian Extractivism and I help coordinate the Covid-19 and rule of law initiative (Korona og rettsstaten) at UiO.
I am a Research Professor in Humanitarian Studies at PRIO. I have previously been the Director for the Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies. My main affiliation is with the University of Oslo, where I am a professor at the Faculty of Law (Sociology of Law). I teach sociology of law, legal technology and artificial intelligence and robot regulations. From 2020, I lead the RCN-funded SAMRISK project "LAW22JULY: RIPPLES (Rights, Institutions, Procedures, Participation, Litigation: Embedding Security)" at the Faculty of Law, with PRIO as a key partner. At PRIO, I lead the RCN-funded NORGLOBAL project "Do No Harm: Ethical humanitarian Innovation", where I work on digital bodies, ethics, humanitarian innovation and data justice issues. I am also part of the Humanitarian Borders, Co-duties and RegulAir-projects.
Personal profiles on other sites
Work experience
| 2009 – | Senior Researcher, Research Professor PRIO |
| 2016 –2021 | Coordinator, Humanitarianism Research Group, PRIO |
| 2016 – | Professor, Department of Criminology and Sociology of Law, University of Oslo |
| 2012 – 2016 | Director for the Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies |
Education
- Doctor of Juridical Sciences, S.J.D Harvard Law School 2008
- Visiting Fellowship, RSC, University of Oxford 2006
- Visiting Researcher, Refugee Law Project, Uganda 2005
- Candidata Juris, Masters in Women's Law, University of Oslo 2002
I am a member of independent ethics advisory board for the EU Human Brain project and an editorial board member of Security Dialogue.
Latest publications
All publications
Ukrainian refugees and pet exceptionalism: the need for a critical conversation (1/3)
Popular Article in Refugee Law Initiative
The Ukrainian refugee crisis: Unpacking the politics of pet exceptionalism
Journal Article in International Migration
Ethical Challenges Associated with the Protection of Pets in War
Popular Article in Bill of Health
Digital Humanitarianism in a Kinetic War: Taking Stock of Ukraine
Popular Article in Global Policy Opinion
Law after July 22, 2011: Survivors, Memory and Reconstruction
PRIO Paper
Box E: Digital do no harm: The State of the Humanitarian System
Report - External Series
The Digital Transformation of Refugee Governance
Book Chapter in The Oxford Handbook of International Refugee Law
The afterlife of buzzwords: the journey of rightsbased approaches through the humanitarian sector
Journal Article in The International Journal of Human Rights
The EU Digital Vaccine Passport as a Social Justice Issue: Problems, solutions, and questions
Popular Article in Global Policy Opinion
The Pomp of Popular Constitutional Outrage: The democratic struggle over the Norwegian Covid-19 curfew proposal
Popular Article in Verfassungsblog
Latest news
All news
ALNAP’s State of the Humanitarian System 2022 Report Released
Report finds ‘Do no digital harm’ has emerged as an important humanitarian imperative, following contributions from PRIO project.
PRIO Participation in Conference Commemorating 22 July 2011
On the occasion of the 10-year commemoration of the Oslo and Utøya attacks in 2011, the Center for Research on Extremism (C-REX) at the University of Oslo is organizing a conference on the topic, especially highlighting research and knowledge related to the tragic events.
Antonio De Lauri takes over as NCHS Director
The Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies (NCHS) has been a joint collaboration between CMI, NUPI and PRIO since its establishment in 2012. The leadership and administration of NCHS rotates between the institutes, and after having been led from PRIO since 2012, it is now going to CMI for the next four-year period.
Antonio De Lauri (Research Professor at CMI) becomes the NCHS Director in the period 2021-2024 and Maria Gabrielsen Jumbert (PRIO) will be the NCHS Co-Director in the same period, alongside Stein Sundstøl Eriksen (NUPI) continuing in his role as Co-Director. Emily Hume (CMI) will take over from Andrea Silkoset (PRIO) as NCHS coordinator.
RegulAIR — Funding in Place for New Project
RegulAIR's main objective is to provide new research-based knowledge to Norwegian and EU regulatory bodies to assist them in ensuring the safe integration of drones into civilian airspace.
COVID-19: Individual Duties and Collective Action - Funding in Place
How to better understand the relationship between individual duties and collective action in response to large-scale societal challenges.
Beyond the COVID Curve: PRIO launches new blog series
COVID-19 has quickly changed everything from our daily routines, to the policies of governments, to the fortunes of the global economy. How will it continue to shape society and the conditions for peace and conflict globally in the near future and long after we manage to get the virus under control?
Kristin Sandvik Appointed to the Ethics Advisory Board of the Human Brain Project
PRIO congratulates research professor Kristin Sandvik on her recent appointment to the ethics advisory board (EAB) at the Human Brain Project (HBP). As one of the largest science projects funded by the EU, the HBP conducts research and theoretical studies in the fields of neuroscience, medicine and computing. The EAB uses their combined expertise to formulate legal and ethical advice concerning the research conducted under the HBP.
NORGLOBAL2 Kickoff Features Presentations of Three New PRIO Projects
PRIO Researchers Co-Edit and Contribute to Disasters Special Issue
The April 2019 Disasters special issue on Humanitarian Governance features several articles by PRIO researchers, including Kristoffer Lidén, Dorothea Hilhorst (PRIO Global Fellow), and Jacob Høigilt. Kristin Bergtora Sandvik co-edited the issue, and contributed with an introduction article entitled "A world in turmoil: governing risk, establishing order in humanitarian crises".
Humanitarians in Court! Kristin Bergtora Sandvik Explores Legal Humanitarian Issues
The PRIO project 'Aid in Crisis? Rights-Based Approaches and Humanitarian Outcomes' explores humanitarian aid and human rights, and will last until March 2019. One of the unique articles to come out of the project was Kristin Bergtora Sandvik's 'Humanitarians in court: how duty of care travelled from human resources to legal liability', newly published January 2019.
Latest events
All events
Terrorism Ill-Defined? Data, Health Services, and the Law
Humanitarian Borders & the Governance of Mobility in Europe: from 2015 to 2022
Smittestopp og smittesporing – hva har vi lært gjennom to år med pandemi?
CO-DUTIES Launch Workshop
Digital Innovation and the Future of Humanitarian Action: NCHS Scenario Webinar
Digital Brains: Neuroscience, Philosophy and Law in Conversation
Korona: Etikk, rettsstaten og veien videre
Kampen mot Korona: hva med flyktninger og asylsøkere?
Korona og rettsstaten: Vurderinger av kriseloven
Redningsoperasjoner i Middelhavet: en pull-faktor?
Current projects
All projects
CO-DUTIES: Democratic Duties, Collective Action, and the Greater Good after COVID-19
RegulAIR: The integration of drones in the Norwegian and European Airspaces
Disparate Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Norway and Sweden: lessons and opportunities for the Nordic region
Do No Harm: Ethical Humanitarian Innovation and Digital Bodies
Latest blog posts
All blog posts
Pets and Humanitarian Borders
Digital Humanitarianism in a Kinetic War: Taking Stock of Ukraine
Forced Displacement from Ukraine: Notes on Humanitarian Protection and Durable Solutions
When Terrorists Mobilize Law: Reflections on justice and closure after July 22
Remembering 22 July: Litigating Memorials
After The bomb: The Securitization of the Norwegian Government Quarters 2011-2021
On Words and World-Making: Law professors, power and responsibility
Does Infection Trump Everything?
Why Digital Vaccine Passports are a Bad Idea: the Norwegian Perspective
COVID-19: Towards a Digital Fragmentation of the Right to Education?
