SPEAKERS
The keynote speakers and panelist for the Heads of Schools Meeting 2026 Ås, Norway
SPEAKERS
Andrea Frank
KEYNOTE 1 - Urban and Spatial Planning - Leadership in the age of Super-complexity
RoleAssociate Professor in Urban and Regional Planning, School of Geography Earth and Environmental Science; Degree Apprenticeship Lead for College of Life Science; University of Birmingham
ExpertiseCommunity involvement/public participation, citizen science, green infrastructure, sustainable development and international comparative planning. She is also an internationally recognised expert in planning education and pedagogy.
Education, Pedagogy and Curriculum developmente.g., Chair leading the revision of AESOP’s Core Curriculum in Planning; Co-coordinator of the Thematic Group on Planning Education focusing on activities/workshops to foster inter-disciplinarity, comparing institutional approaches to planning education and planning education in the age of AI; advisor to Irish institute of Planning; and evaluator of ERASMUS Mundus application for EU; external examiner at UCL London.
Siri Eriksen
KEYNOTE 2 - Can climate resilient development be transformative? The politics of shifting technology, practice and governance
RoleProfessor in climate and development, Faculty of Landscape and Society, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Norway
ExpertiseTransformative adaptation, climate resilient development, disability and climate change, inclusive adaptation governance, indigenous and local vulnerability and adaptation knowledges
LeaderNMBU Sustainability Hub and the Center for Climate Resilient Development (CRED)
IPCC experienceIPCC Sixth Assessment Report Author-Lead Author WGII Chapter 18 Climate Resilient Development Pathways, author on the Summary for Policy Makers and the Synthesis Report
IPBES ExperienceLead Author on the current IPBES Second global assessment (2025-2028), and Lead author of the IPBES Nexus Assessment (2024) that focused on unlocking synergies and transformative potential of actions that address the interlinked issues of biodiversity, water, health, food and climate change.
AMOC AssessmentChapter Lead Author on the current Atlantic Meridional Overturning Current assessment (2025-2026).
Co-chair of scientific committee Adaptation Futures 2027
Målfrid Baik
PANELIST - The Importance of Evidence-Based Policy for Tackling Climate and Environmental Challenges in Local Governments
Role
Målfrid Baik is the director of the Oslo Region. She assumed this role two years ago, following more than three decades in Northern Norway. During that time, she served as Regional Director of NHO Arctic and as director of the former research institute Norut Alta, now part of Norce. She has also held the position of head of business Development at Finnmark authority county. Målfrid holds a master’s degree in Political Science.
