Professor
Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Trondheim, Norway

Involved with the BOU as:
IBIS associate editor

BOU member since: 1984

Most likely to be found . . .
. . . in Trondheim, Norway and Serengeti, Tanzania.

What does being an IBIS associate editor involve?
I am designated a few papers per year which I have to read several times. I enjoy it as it gives me a good overview of what is going on in general ornithology.

What do you enjoy most about being an IBIS associate editor?
The most enjoyable part of being an IBIS associate editor is that I have to read many ornithology papers I normally wouldn’t read. I always enjoy reading such papers. The other part is that being in contact with different reviewers sometimes gives you new and enjoyable contacts.

What would you say to anyone who is considering submitting a paper to IBIS?
IBIS is a very good journal for general ornithology. If you have some exiting results, please consider Ibis. We choose excellent reviewers and have quite a fast review process.

When did your interest in ornithology begin?
I started being interested in birds as a teenager. I enjoyed watching birds at my bird feeder during the wintertime, although the most exciting part of the year has always been during spring when the migrants return to Europe.

What is your most memorable bird-y experience?
My most memorable bird experience was watching the Bumblebee Hummingbird in Cuba.

What is your favourite outdoor place and why?
My favourite outdoor place is the Serengeti National Park, a place I visit several times during the year, and where I have observed more than 600 different bird species.

What do you predict to be the future big research areas in ornithology?
Unfortunately the future is full of challenges, I am therefore sure that in the coming decades the area of conservation ornithology will be of the highest priority.

What would you say to anyone considering research in ornithology?
To be a birder is very exciting. There are so many beautiful birds out there. To share bird observations is therefore giving a lot of nice experiences.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, that you haven’t yet been to, where would it be and why?
Amazonas delta because of its beauty and biodiversity.

What are the big conservation challenges in the next decade?
The decline in biodiversity and alarming reduction of bird populations in Europe.

View my NTNU lab page
View the AfricanBioServices website
View The Tanzania-NTNU Conservation Research Group page