The Sellin-Glueck Award is the highest honour a non-American criminologist can receive from the American Society of Criminology. Previously, only Nils Christie and Johs Andenæs have received the award from Norway.
As the youngest ever female criminologist in Norway, Katja was promoted to professor in 2009. Over the course of 15 years, Katja Franko has put globalisation and crime control on the agenda in international and national research. Franko’s theoretical and conceptual development has renewed the discipline of criminology. This has led her to a position as the most internationally renowned criminologist in Norway and the Nordic region. She has been and is a key actor in the renewal of the department’s reputation as one of the leading criminology environments in the world.
Franko’s English-language publications have had great international impact. Franko’s books have been translated into German, Slovenian, Persian and Japanese. Her publications are required reading material for criminology students throughout the Nordic countries, in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Japan and the Netherlands.
Has renewed criminology
– We are happy and proud on Katja’s behalf, says Head of Department and Professor Helene Gundhus.
– Unlike most social scientists, who primarily seek to understand societal problems after they have arisen, she is one of the few who is able to identify societal challenges and define research needs before they become central to the political and research agenda. Her research has contributed to renewing criminology both nationally and internationally, and has gained great societal significance. So it is especially nice that her efforts have been recognised with this award, says Gundhus.