Alumni Spotlight: Bjørg Egelandsdal

Bjørg Egelandsdal, a professor at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), served as a project leader at CAS during the 2013/14 academic year. Her project, The Ecology of Food Perception, sought to stimulate discussions among consumers, educators, the food industry, health-care providers, policy-makers, and others, about sustainable next-generation approaches to human food ecology. 

The project quickly struck a chord internationally. Marije Oostindjer, a researcher at NMBU who participated in the project, was in May 2014 selected to coordinate COSUS (COnsumers in a SUStainable food supply chain), an EU-funded international research project. That project reached its conclusion in 2017, but Egelandsdal said the members of the CAS project continue to collaborate to this day.

Egelandsdal looked back on her stay at the Centre in an interview last month.

Why did you apply to CAS?

I felt that the administration at my university really wanted this to be something that faculty members should apply to as project leaders or participate in as fellows. So there was a clear sense of encouragement from the leadership. I believe that was a deciding factor.

What do you remember best from your year at CAS?

I became better acquainted with several new scholars who were among those we invited, which inspired me academically.

What has happened in your career since your stay?

We were really three project leaders, among whom I held the formal title. Since I was the most senior, a considerable part of my career was already behind me. Even so I really enjoyed getting to know the scholars we invited. To this day we continue to collaborate formally and informally, including on some grant-funded research projects. I know that also applies to the two other project leaders, Gro Amdam [professor at Arizona State University] and Oostindjer.

What advice would you give to future CAS project leaders?

Do enough planning to the point where you can limit the number of activities that need to be handled after the stay. You’ll be back to everyday life before you know it. But my stay was both enjoyable and educational. 

• This interview was first published in the CAS newsletter. Sign up here to get the latest news from the Centre delivered directly to your inbox every month.