Gunnlaug Ásgeirsdóttir

Growing up in Ólafsfjörður in northern Iceland, Gunnlaug Ásgeirsdóttir developed an early interest in how communities use and manage natural resources. She completed a BSc in Fisheries Science at the University of Akureyri before broadening her focus through the MSc Sustainable Energy Science programme at ISE.

“I wanted to broaden my knowledge and focus on sustaining resources on land.”

At ISE, Gunnlaug connected her background in resource management with wider questions around energy, sustainability, policy and circular economy. She also spent a semester abroad at the University of Bern in Switzerland, where she studied political science and government and gained a broader perspective on how institutions and public participation influence energy decisions.

Energy Justice and Public Participation

Gunnlaug’s MSc thesis examined the relationship between democracy and renewable energy development in Iceland. Through interviews with people working across energy, policy and governance, she explored how public concerns are incorporated into renewable-energy decisions and how issues such as energy security, resource management and the distribution of benefits shape public acceptance.

Her research highlighted the importance of energy justice: not only how energy is produced, but who participates in decisions, who benefits from development and how competing interests are managed during the energy transition.

Connecting Resources, Society and Sustainability

Gunnlaug’s background in fisheries science and her studies at ISE gave her a perspective that crosses natural-resource management, energy and public policy. Growing up in Ólafsfjörður and spending much of her life close to Iceland’s landscapes also shaped how she thinks about the relationship between communities and natural resources. Outside her studies, she enjoys geothermal pools and exploring Iceland’s mountains, glaciers and volcanic landscapes.