Today at 17:00, Jessica Steele will be defending her thesis: "Art brings people together”: Bridging knowledge systems through Labrador Inuit art and craft to support equitable environmental research in Nunatsiavut". To join on zoom:https://eu01web.zoom.us/j/63858412076

Today at 16:00, Anna Morozova will be defending her thesis: "Service expansion of the Bergið headspace support centre to Ísafjörður, Westfjords: A Case Study from remote Iceland". To join on zoom:https://eu01web.zoom.us/j/65705181771#success photo credit Haukur Sigurðsson

Today at 13:00, Alberto Roldan will be defending his thesis: "The fjords of the ringed seal: assessing the status of ringed seals in western Svalbard through machine learning". To join on zoom : eu01web.zoom.us/j/68645413987

Today at 10:30, Alexis Bradley will be defending her thesis: "Exploring fish size, otolith characteristics, gonadosomatic index (GSI), and hepatosomatic index (HSI) of six eelpout species (Lycodes spp.) in Icelandic waters". To join on zoom : eu01web.zoom.us/j/61476089597

It is safe to say that the UW is buzzing with life these days; in addition to our master’s students, we also have two two field school groups from SIT (School for International Training) currently studying at the University Centre. www.uw.is/en/news/two-...

Today at 14:00, Alvaro Pastoriza will be defending his thesis: "Behind the image: a cognitive-affective approach of Iceland destination image through digital media". To join on zoom : eu01web.zoom.us/j/65412796884

Today at 14:00, Claire Gilmoure will be defending her thesis: "Educational Outcomes of Commercial Grizzly Bear Viewing Participants: A case study from Port Hardy, British Columbia, Canada". To join on zoom : eu01web.zoom.us/j/61775945363

Master's thesis defenses by students at the University Centre of the Westfjords are still in full swing. You can find our schedule here: www.uw.is/en/news/thes...

Today at 10:30, Joshua Newhook will be defending his thesis: “Identifying Potential Cultural Losses from Future Climate Change-Induced Damages to Lighthouses Across Iceland.” Zoom link to join:https://eu01web.zoom.us/j/66855473061

We continue with our Master’s thesis defenses — this time, Justine Peters will be defending her thesis: “The Effects of Anthropogenic Materials and Activities on Bird Diversity Along the West Coast of Michigan.” Zoom link to join:https://eu01web.zoom.us/j/62878193264

Services for Distance Learners at UW The University Centre offers students access to reading spaces, printing facilities, and wireless internet. www.uw.is/en/news/serv...

Today at 09:00, Bori Horváth will defend her Master Thesis: "Fishing for Plastics: The Socio-Economic Impacts of Marine Plastic Pollution on Small-Scale Fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea." Link to join: lnkd.in/eUrvSv-8

The UW has officially launched two major research projects for which it received grants last winter. Both projects are funded by the NordForsk Sustainable Development of the Arctic programme. www.uw.is/en/news/two-...

It's thesis defense season again at the University Centre of the Westfjords. The first defense starts on Monday September 1st. During this defense season 18 students will defend their theses in the coming weeks with many interesting topics. www.uw.is/en/news/thes...

Student Story: Korea Arctic Academy www.uw.is/is/blogg/stu...

A course in Academic Writing started this week at UW. The course instructor is Dr. Brack Hale, Academic Director of the Coastal and Marine Managment program at UW. www.uw.is/en/news/acad...

The course Icelandic Society and Nature started today at the University Centre of the Westfjords. www.uw.is/en/news/the-...

We're thrilled to share that Dr. Catherine P. Chambers has been appointed the next Director of the University Centre of the Westfjords! Read the full article here: www.uw.is/en/moya/news...

UW announces two new hires: Randall Morgan Greene as Academic Director of the CRD master’s programme, and Hjördís Þráinsdóttir as Web Manager. Read more: www.uw.is/en/news/uw-a...

From June 28 to July 6, the Westfjords of Iceland became a living classroom for a group of international students and researchers participating in the ISLAs Summer School 2025—Islands as Laboratories for Sustainability. www.uw.is/en/news/isla...

Join us this Thursday, July 10th at UW in classroom 4 from 9:00–12:30 and 13:30–16:30 for student research presentations by this year’s SIT (School for International Training) summer group. Topics range from renewable energy to environmental impacts, policy, and Icelandic mythology.

From June 16 to 27, UW hosted its first Summer Conference Iceland, welcoming 16 students from the German FOM Hochschule für Oekonomie & Management. The program was a collaboration between UW and FOM, combining academic modules, hands-on learning, and cultural exploration. www.uw.is/en/news/germ...

Five marine engineering students from SeaTech Toulon in France are now in the final weeks of a four-month internship in Ísafjörður, set to conclude on August 1st. The group is part of a long-running collaboration between UW and SeaTech Toulon. www.uw.is/en/news/ten-...

We're pleased to share that UW, the Municipality of Strandabyggð, and Fine Foods Íslandica ehf. have received a 70,000€ grant from the EU for the IceKelp project, to develop a model for sustainable kelp farming and a blue economy in rural areas. www.uw.is/en/news/eu-f...

What a day! After an inspiring morning at Icelands Ministry for Foreign Affairs, I drove through the stunning westfjords - returning 10 years after my time as a student @uwiceland.bsky.social , now as a guest lecturer on MPAs and part of @blueactionfund.org A full-circle moment I won’t forget.

Today, May 13th at 13:00, Owen Reay will defend his master’s thesis titled “A Novel Symbiosis in Nova Scotian Salt Marshes: The Effect of Brown Seaweed Associations on the Morphology, Gametogenesis, and Fecundity of Ribbed Mussels”. Defense link: eu01web.zoom.us/j/63468998864

Today, May 12th at 13:00, Andrew Pinsent defended his master’s thesis titled “The Importance of Riparian Vegetation on Juvenile Atlantic Salmon Food Webs: Baseline Data Collection in Western Newfoundland”. Full list of defenses can be found here: www.uw.is/en/news/thes...

Tune in now for today's defense at 09:30, where Emily Pejic will defend her master’s thesis titled “Where are the Eelpout? Investigating the Lycodes (genus) distributions in Icelandic waters”. Defenses at UW are open to the public. Link to the defense: eu01web.zoom.us/j/66209360481

On May 9th at 09:30, Marjolijn Nijzingh will defend her master’s thesis titled “Understanding phytoplankton dynamics in Hvalfjörður: community structure and management of harmful algae”. Defenses at UW are open to the public, zoom link: eu01web.zoom.us/j/62536464473

Tomorrow, May 8th at 13:00, Marloes will defend her master’s thesis titled “Navigating Svalbard Waters: Sea Ice, Shipping and Safety in 2013–2023”. Defenses at UW are open to the public and are also accessible through Zoom. The link to the defense: eu01web.zoom.us/j/67404255488

Tomorrow, May 6th at 11:30, Muskan Lamba will defend her master’s thesis titled “Conceptualizing Climate Anxiety and Emotions in South Asia: A Youth Perspective”. Defenses at UW are open to the public and are also accessible through Zoom. Defense link: eu01web.zoom.us/j/62658878319

Today, May 5th at 13:00, Laura Lyall will defend her master’s thesis titled “Assessing the importance of Ísafjarðardjúp for foraging humpback whales”. Defenses at UW are open to the public and are also accessible through Zoom. Link to the defense: eu01web.zoom.us/j/64397561127

On May 2nd at 15:00, Rebecca Eriksson will defend her master’s thesis titled “Who are we planning for? Implications of Artificial Intelligence for the Integration of Local Knowledge in Marine Spatial Planning in the Nordic Region”. The link to the defense: eu01web.zoom.us/j/65263666310

On April 30th at 13:00, Tabea Jacob will defend her master’s thesis titled “Blue Justice or just blue? Perceptions of Small-Scale Fisheries on spatial and distributive justice in Greenland’s development of a Blue Economy”. Here is the link to the defense: eu01web.zoom.us/j/62398492687

On Tuesday, April 29th at 15:00, Grace Beaumont will defend her master’s thesis titled “TourTok: How TikTok has Connected and Disconnected Gaelic Culture in an Age of Tourism in Northwest Scotland”. The link to the defense can be found here: eu01web.zoom.us/j/6912189323

On Monday, April 28th at 14:00, Julia Moore will defend her master’s thesis titled “Bridging Citizen Science and Governance: A Case Study of Urban Marsh Monitoring in Ocean City, Maryland”. The link to the defense can be found here eu01web.zoom.us/j/62955253478

On Friday, April 25th at 13:00, Ben Regoczi will defend his master’s thesis titled “Mapping humpback whale distribution and spatial overlap with anthropogenic activities in Ísafjarðardjúp, Iceland”. The link to the defense can be found here eu01web.zoom.us/j/67789449969

On Friday, April 25th at 09:00, Johannes Steinn will defend his master’s thesis titled “Community Perspectives on Arctic Development: Assessing Local Approval of the Finnafjord Port Project in Northeast Iceland”. The link to the defense can be found here eu01web.zoom.us/j/63354688997

On Tuesday, April 22nd at 09:00, Anna Gehlen will defend her master's thesis titled "Island Policies and Community Engagement: Comparing Ireland’s and Scotland’s National Plans and Local Perspectives". The link to the defense can be found here: eu01web.zoom.us/j/63664556166

Planning to join UW this fall? The April 15 deadline is almost here! This is the second admission round for our coastal master’s programs — applying by this date gives you enough time to prepare for your move to Iceland. After April 15th applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

We welcome Rebecca Eriksson to the UW staff team as a researcher for the coming year! Rebecca is a master's student at UW, and she’ll be working with Matthias Kokorsch (UW), Nordregio, and UHI on the project "Local Knowledge in Marine Spatial Planning, Green Transition, and Digital Transformation."

Tómas Jóhannsson, an avalanche hazard specialist at the Icelandic Met Office, brought a trunk full of journals to the UW library. As an editor of Jökull and a longtime subscriber to Journal of Glaciology and Annals of Glaciology, he wanted to make the journals accessible

UW has secured a NordForsk grant for the "ARCHAIC" project. The overall objective is to generate new knowledge about current and future climate adaptation and handling of natural hazard events in remote settlements in the Arctic. www.uw.is/en/news/uw-r...

UW has received a generous gift, an 86” screen called the Maxhub XBoard MTR, which combines a meeting display, conferencing equipment, a whiteboard and more. The donation comes from Þorsteinn Jóhannesson and his wife Margrét Hreinsdóttir. Full article: www.uw.is/en/news/uw-r...

The University Centre of the Westfjords (UW) has been awarded a highly competitive NordForsk grant for the "LostToClimate" project, which will explore the unavoidable non-economic losses experienced by Arctic communities due to climate change. www.uw.is/en/news/uw-r...

At the annual general meeting of the University Centre of the Westfjords last Friday, March 14, 2025, where all the founding members are gathered, UW director announced under other matters his intention to pass the baton during 2025. www.uw.is/en/news/pete...

Excited to guest lecture @uwiceland.bsky.social on MPA mgt in May! 🌊✨I’ll be discussing the role of NGOs in marine conservation, esp in the Global South, along with effective mgt approaches and the 30x30 Agenda. Looking forward to great discussions! @blueactionfund.org #OceanOptimism

Tabea Maria Jacob is a second-year student in the Coastal and Marine Management master’s program at UW. Read about her research on justice in Greenland’s blue economy in her blog: www.uw.is/is/moya/news...

We would like to remind those who are interested, that the online info session is tomorrow at 2pm GMT. Sign up link: eu01web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...