Professor Jakob Elster is the elected new centre leader from 2024-2027. Elster holds a PhD in philosophy from the University of Oslo and knows the university well as he worked in various capacities within the university. Since 2016, he has been part of the NCHR. Joining him as deputy leader and head of research is Nina Reiners, who is eager to build on the strong multidisciplinary work of the NCHR to tackle the current challenges in the field. Dr. Reiners joined the academic team at NCHR last year as Associate Professor of Human Rights and Social Sciences. She earned her PhD in Political Science from the University of Potsdam, where she also worked as a researcher and lecturer in International Relations. Matthew Saul is the new head of the HUMR masters program in human rights. Saul is Associate Professor of Law at NCHR, Faculty of Law, University of Oslo. He is an international lawyer with expertise in international human rights law, general international law, and international adjudication. Zenia Chrysostomidis continues in her leadership position in the International department at the centre, a position she has held since 2022. She has previously worked for the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including working on human rights issues at country level.
Steering steadily and providing knowledge
Although the current state of international human rights may seem bleak, academic work on key issues remains vital. "The NCHR strategy is to proceed steadily, building on and continuing to improve the work we already do as a knowledge institution, whose primary goal is to produce and enable the use of knowledge on human rights. Our longstanding visiting scholar program, and our international student body at our Master’s programme on human rights, demonstrates that knowledge exchange across borders is beneficial for all parties" says Elster.
Saul adds, “Our master’s programme on human rights bridges the gap between theory and practice. We approach human rights from different disciplinary perspectives - legal, historical, philosophical, political and social science-based – whilst also giving students practical experience of human rights through hands on human rights advocacy and internships.”
"Persistent challenges to human rights and recent geopolitical developments demand in-depth knowledge about how and under what conditions human rights remain relevant. Our multidisciplinary research team at the Centre is well equipped to address the major questions that humanity faces." Dr. Reiners says.
As the head of the international department, Chrysostomidis is excited to continue to develop and further deepen our international partnerships. "Despite the increasing challenges for human rights globally, our task is to raise awareness of how human rights standards and mechanisms are designed to protect our rights. We are concerned about the erosion of academic freedom in some places, but we also recognize that working with human rights education at the university level globally provides a unique perspective," says Chrysostomidis.