UArctic Welcomes New Board Members
Two new Board members and three student representatives were elected in the 2026 UArctic Assembly meeting which took place in Tórshavn, the Faroe Islands on 29 May 2026 as part of the UArctic Congress.
The newly elected Board members were elected for a three year term (2026-29).
Michel S. Beaulieu is Provost and Vice-President, Academic and Research at the University of Northern British Columbia, Canada. He has nearly twenty years of engagement with UArctic and a long career in northern history, education, and circumpolar research.
Dag Rune Olsen is Rector of UiT The Arctic University of Norway. He has a distinguished career in Arctic higher education, research leadership, and international academic collaboration.
The three new student representatives were also elected for a three year term (2026-29), of which each shall serve as primary representative for one year and as alternate representative for two years.
Mirkka Ollila is Doctoral candidate, focusing on Political, Societal, and Regional Changes at the University of Helsinki, Finland. She will serve as primary representative for 2026-27.
Alex Payne is Doctoral candidate, focusing on Nordic Circumpolar Climate and Cultural History at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He will serve as primary representative for 2027-28.
Ester Olofsson is Master's candidate in Engineering Physics with a focus on advanced physics, mathematics, renewable energy, and engineering at Umeå University, Sweden. She will serve as primary representative for 2028-29.
UArctic warmly congratulates the newly elected Board members and student representatives and is pleased about the added competence and experience they bring to our Board.
Current composition of the Board:
Frederik Paulsen (Chair)
Magnús Tumi Gudmundsson (Vice-Chair I)
Barbara Will (Vice-Chair II)
Michel S. Beaulieu (Member)
Birgitta Bergvall-Kåreborn (Member)
Aaja Chemnitz (Member)
Martin Fortier (Member)
Tore Furevik (Member)
Johanna Ikäheimo (Member)
Brad MacKay (Member)
Janne Näkkäläjärvi (Member)
Dag Rune Olsen (Member)
Pat Pitney (Member)
Mirkka Ollila (Student Representative)
Alex Payne (Student Representative)
Ester Olofsson (Student Representative)