Committee for Gender Balance and Diversity in Research and Higher Education (KIF) 2026–2029

Carl Christian Thodesen is pro-rector for social impact and collaboration at OsloMet and chair of the KIF Committee from 2026. (Photo: Titt Melhuus / OsloMet)

The KIF Committee shall support and give recommendations regarding measures that promote gender balance and diversity among students and academic staff at universities, university colleges and research institutes.

The Committee shall seek to raise the overall level of awareness of issues related to diversity, inclusion and harassment at higher education and research institutions. This includes increased knowledge about how gender, social and ethnic background affect students educational choices and critical transitions in a research career; from the path into research to senior-level and leadership positions.

The seventh KIF Committee has been appointed to serve from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2029. It is chaired by pro-rector Carl Thodesen.

Members and mandate for the Committee for Gender Balance and Diversity in Research (KIF)

Contact the KIF secretariat

The secretariat of the Committee can be contacted by e-mail or phone:
kif@hkdir.no

About the KIF Committee and Kifinfo

Members of the KIF Committee 2026–2029:

  1. Chair: Pro-rector Carl Christian Thodesen, Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet)
  2. Deputy chair: CEO Vibeke Opheim, NIFU Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education
  3. Dean John-Marcus Kuhmunen, Sámi University of Applied Sciences / Sàmi allaskuvla
  4. Professor Vibeke Blaker Strand, University of Oslo
  5. Chief Scientist Johan Elvemo Ravn, SINTEF Digital, Trondheim / professor, Nord university
  6. Research Professor Liza Reisel, Institute for Social Research
  7. Bachelor student Martin Veľký, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences
  8. Associate Professor Dian Liu, University of Stavanger
  9. PhD Candidate Johannes Sørby Heines, University of Oslo
  10. Department Director Johannes Waage Løvhaug, Research Council of Norway

Deputy members:

  1. Professor Yan Zhao, Nord University, Bodø
  2. Head of Department Atle Rotevatn, University of Bergen
  3. Research Leader Hilde G. Corneliussen, Western Norway Research Institute, Sogndal
  4. Master student Nasjida Noorestany, University of Oslo
  5. Postdoctoral Fellow Solveig Topstad Borgen, University of Oslo
  6. PhD Candidate Bhanu Shrestha, NTNU Gjøvik
  7. Department Director Gunlaug Daugstad, Research Council of Norway

The KIF Committee shall have an observer from the Ministry of Education and Research.

Representatives from the National Union of Students in Norway, the Young Academy of Norway and the Association of Doctoral Organizations in Norway are appointed for two years at a time.

The committee's secretariat is based at the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir).

More about the KIF Committee

Members 2026–2029
Mandate for the KIF Committee
Publications

What is the KIF Committee?

Read about the previous KIF Committee

The KIF Committee was launched in 2004. The first committees was named Committee for Mainstreaming – Women in Science.

The third committee changed its name to the Committee for Gender Balance in Research.

The fourth committee was given a new mandate and a new name: the Committee for Gender Balance and Diversity in Research.

Read about Committee for Gender Balance and Diversity in Research (KIF) 2022–2025

Read about Committee for Gender Balance and Diversity in Research (KIF) 2018-2021

Read about Committee for Gender Balance and Diversity in Research (KIF) 2014-2017