Leadership
Lionel Christiaen
Director of the Michael Sars Centre
Kristina Håvås Hanson
Head of Administration
Each research group is led by a group leader with academic and staff responsibility for that group.
How the Centre is organized
The Michael Sars Centre was established in 1997 as an independent research centre. On 1 January 2023 it became part of the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Bergen.
Research is organized in independent research groups. Group leaders are appointed for a fixed term of six years, with the possibility of four more, so that the Centre regularly takes in new research fields and new questions. Group leaders are recruited and their research evaluated on the advice of the Scientific Advisory Committee.
The Centre is a partner institute of EMBL (European Molecular Biology Laboratory). EMBL is represented on both the board and the Scientific Advisory Committee, and takes an active part in assessing how the Centre develops.
Boards and committees
The Centre has two standing bodies in addition to the ordinary faculty line of governance.
The Michael Sars Centre board
The board follows up the operation and the strategic development of the Centre. It is chaired by the vice-dean for research and innovation at the Faculty of Science and Technology, and has members from the faculty, from EMBL and from the University of Bergen. Staff are represented by one member from the academic staff and one from the administrative and technical staff.
Scientific Advisory Committee
The Scientific Advisory Committee is made up mainly of leading scientists from outside Norway. Since the Centre was established, the committee has had a central role in recruiting group leaders, assessing the progress of their research and reporting to the university leadership and to the Centre director. The committee is chaired by a representative from EMBL.
Find staff
Contact details for individual members of staff are in the staff directory.