Henrik Urdal


Henrik Urdal is a Norwegian political scientist and the current director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo. Before his appointment as director in 2017 he was a research professor and research director at the institute. He was editor-in-chief of the Journal of Peace Research, the premier journal in the field, from 2010 to 2017.

Research interests

Urdal's research interests include the relationship between demography, environment, and politics, particularly focusing on how population growth, "youth bulges", and climate change affect violent conflict.

Education and work experience

Since 2000, Urdal has been affiliated with PRIO, first as a student, then moving on to positions as researcher, senior researcher, Research Professor and Research Director. Urdal received his Research Professor competence in 2013. He obtained his PhD in political science from the University of Oslo in 2007, entitled . Urdal was a PRIO board member 2013-15.
Urdal is the Research Director at the Department on where he heads the project. PRIO’s Conflict Trends project collaborates with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to answer questions relating to the causes, consequences and trends in conflict. He was a researcher with the Centre for the Study of Civil War – one of the 13 original Norwegian Centres of Excellence – from the beginning in 2003 and throughout its 10 years of existence.
Urdal has held research fellowships at the Kennedy School of Government and East West Center.
He has previously worked for the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
Urdal has previously been Associate Editor, Editorial Committee Member, Book Review Editor for the Journal of Peace Research.
Henrik was the Secretary General of the Socialist Youth League of Norway and worked as a Research Assistant, at Statistics Norway, at the Division for Social and Demographic Research.
Henrik was a board member of the ,

Dissemination

Henrik Urdal holds policy relevant consultancies for various international and Norwegian organizations and institutions, such as the World Bank, UNESCO and Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.