Receives an award for outstanding teaching

Professor Jostein Bakke is awarded the Olav Thon Foundation's Prize for Outstanding Teaching 2026.

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I VINDEN: Jostein Bakke får utmerkelse for sitt arbeid med undervisning og utdanning. Her fra åpningen av Senter for fjellforskning sammen med forsknings- og høyere utdanningsminister Sigrun Aasland (Ap).
IN THE WIND: Jostein Bakke receives an award for his work with teaching and education. Here from the opening of the Center for Mountain Research together with the Minister of Research and Higher Education Sigrun Aasland Photo: Foto/ill.: Tori Pedersen/Bjerknessenteret

The Olav Thon Foundation annually awards an award for outstanding teaching in natural sciences and medicine. This year's winners include Professor Jostein Bakke from the Department of Earth Sciences.

Bakke is an Excellent Teaching Practitioner at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology (NT-fak.), and center director and one of the initiators behind iEarth, a Center for Outstanding Education (SFU) within earth science education. Through iEarth, Bakke has led an ambitious national consortium with a focus on developing tomorrow's geoscience education, in collaboration with UiO, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway and UNIS. In 2025, Bakke also became center director for the Center for Mountains in Transitions (external link), a research center that will map the interaction between climate and mountains and educate the next generation of mountain scientists. The center is supported by the Trond Mohn Research Foundation. Vice Dean for Education Monica Jordheim is pleased that Bakke is receiving the recognition and award.

-   It is truly wonderful to see Professor Jostein Bakke receive this recognition. For a number of years, he has been a key driver for developing high-quality geoscience education at the NT faculty. Jostein's commitment, academic weight and ability to create inclusive and practice-oriented learning environments make him a very deserving award winner, says Jordheim.

Head of Department Atle Rotevatn at the Department of Geosciences sees the award as recognition of the efforts that Bakke and iEarth have made for the national educational landscape.

-   This award is deserved in a special way. Jostein has not only been an outstanding teacher and driver for educational development locally here at UiB. He has also changed the thinking, conversation and practice around geoscience education nationally through his work in SFU iEarth, says Rotevatn.

Winners of the Olav Thon Foundation Prize for Excellence in Teaching in Higher Education:

Professor Jostein Bakke, Earth Sciences, University of Bergen

Professor Odd Martin Vallersnes, Medicine, University of Oslo

Associate Professor Morten Brekke, Mathematics/Natural Sciences, University of Agder

Professor Lars Herfindal, Pharmacy, University of Bergen

Professor Karina Bakkeløkken Hjelmervik, Mathematics, University of Southeast Norway

Associate Professor Marit Valla, Medicine, NTNU, Trondheim

The prize is awarded for having demonstrated great creativity and pedagogical innovation in their work as teachers. The prize is 500,000 kroner.