“Coming Home”: Svenn-Erik Mamelund Returns to CAS for a Short-Term Fellowship

When influenza researcher Svenn-Erik Mamelund, professor at OsloMET, last left the Centre for Advanced Study in 2023, the scientific questions that had animated his project were far from finished. Now, two years later, he is back—this time for a short-term residential fellowship—picking up the threads of a research agenda that continues to grow in relevance. With new data, new collaborators and ongoing work on Indigenous vulnerability to pandemics, his return marks an important continuation of a project with global implications.

A timely return

Mamelund still remembers the moment the opportunity appeared - and the timing could hardly have been better. There was still unfinished work from the 2022–23 CAS project Social Science Meets Biology: Indigenous People and Severe Influenza Outcomes, and the fellowship offered exactly the space his team needed.

The sense of returning to familiar ground was immediate. Mamelund was placed in his former office—his “old corner office”, as he calls it—where he promptly restored the small details that had defined his previous stay: “I… put the influenza books and paintings back in the bookshelves where they belong and set up a Christmas tree.” Former and new team members felt the same sentiment. Those visiting from Georgia State University and the London School of Economics described it simply as “coming home”.

The feeling carries a deeper meaning for Mamelund. “When the money, a project, a calendar year, or a project number is over never means that science is over; it is often quite the opposite,” he says. Continued institutional support—administrative, intellectual and infrastructural—remains vital long after the formal project period ends. In this sense, the short-term fellowship has been “a gift at the right time”.
 

Finishing what began at CAS

During his stay this autumn, Mamelund and collaborators are concentrating on completing two major papers on pandemics and Indigenous populations—work that stems directly from what he and his international team began at CAS.

The first paper analyses the differential timing of COVID-19 vaccine rollouts across Mexican municipalities. Drawing on a harmonised database created by the team, the analysis explores how municipalities with a higher share of Indigenous peoples received vaccines later than others—delays that likely aggravated already high mortality rates. In earlier work, the group documented that Indigenous communities in Mexico experienced a 68 percent higher COVID-19 mortality rate than non-Indigenous populations, a disparity shaped by delays in seeking care and, potentially, lower uptake of public health measures.

The second paper returns to a topic central to his original CAS project: the 1918–20 influenza pandemic in Alaska. A prior publication from the team showed that Alaska Native mortality during that pandemic was 8.1 times higher than that of non-Native populations. Now, using death distribution methods, intercensal survival estimation and qualitative analysis, the researchers are investigating how complete Alaska’s death registration systems actually were. Preliminary results suggest substantial under-registration among elderly Alaska Natives—and that the true mortality ratio may have been even higher, “potentially as high as 13”.

The residency is also giving the team a chance to look outward. In December, they will host a small, policy-focused workshop to present emerging findings and mark the five-year anniversary of the Centre for Research on Pandemics & Society (PANSOC).

New directions in pandemic research

Although the original CAS project centred on historical influenza pandemics, the arrival of COVID-19 broadened the horizon. The team expanded its scope mid-project to study the unfolding pandemic, with a particular focus on Chile and Mexico—countries with substantial Indigenous populations and marked health inequalities.

This shift reflects a wider research gap Mamelund considers urgent. “While immediate impacts such as infection-related mortality and short-term health crises are well documented, far less is known about what happens after a pandemic,” he explains. To help address this, he is organising the 2027 workshop “Aftermath of a Pandemic: Changes in Mortality and Health” at Oslo Metropolitan University.

Understanding these long-term consequences, he argues, requires interdisciplinary collaboration and sustained attention—precisely the environment CAS provides.
 

A place for thinking, writing and belonging

Asked what distinguishes CAS from his everyday research environment, Mamelund does not hesitate: “The CAS environment is ideal for bold thinking, quiet writing, intellectual exchange, and collaborative synergy with local and international scholars.” The ability to focus, to work closely with colleagues from multiple fields, and to engage with the wider CAS community through seminars and informal discussions all make a decisive difference in moving research forward.

Above all, however, it is the sense of belonging that stands out. “Coming (back) to CAS feels like coming home,” he says. “We all know the value of good homes and families. At CAS you are seen, heard and understood by like-minded family members, fellows and staff.”

When asked about what role  CAS has played in his broader research journey, he answers:

CAS will always be in my heart and soul. I believe that this also is true for my team members. I often cycle to CAS. When passing the apartment that my co-PI, Lisa Sattenspiel, had when she was here in 2022-23, I looked for her but did not see her. When I told her about passing her apartment without seeing her in an e-mail she responded: “Lots of good memories”.

As the remaining papers take shape, the project continues to fill important gaps in our understanding of pandemic impacts across communities. And here at CAS, we are simply glad to have Mamelund back in the building — and pleased to hear how much he values the chance to return and complete this phase of the work.