Fulbright Arctic Initiative 2024-2026

Hans Peder Kirkegaard is a former diplomat who was a special advisor on defense and security policy at the government of Greenland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was a key member of the negotiation team regarding the Service Maintenance Contract Dispute at Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base). He was the lead negotiator for the Arctic Capabilities Package on behalf of the Government of Greenland. He was also a member of the Kingdom of Denmark’s Security Policy Analysis Group. He is currently researching a PhD on how Greenlandic politicians and civil servant are navigating the changing security landscape at Nasiffik – Center for Foreign and Security Policy at the University of Greenland, funded by the Danish Ministry of Defense. As a Fulbright Arctic Scholar to the United States he will investigate the risk of foreign malign influence operations among Indigenous communities.

Rikke Østergaard is a researcher in Arctic security, investigating how major challenges in Greenland are shaped by power structures that lead to systemic inequalities. She was previously a research coordinator at the Joint Arctic Command in Nuuk, focusing on civil and military cooperation. As a Fulbright Arctic Scholar to the United States, she will focus on gender issues related to defense and using intersectionality to develop inclusive security policies in the Arctic.

Dr. Ivalu Katajavaara Seidler, PhD, is an Indigenous scholar from Greenland who is affiliated with both the University of Southern Denmark and the University of Greenland. Her research is focused on mental health, suicide, and alcohol with an epidemiological approach, working to ensure that every child can experience a safe and happy childhood. She works with nationwide data, developing quantitative approaches that resonate with Greenlandic culture and worldview, seeking to create culturally sensitive ways of collecting and analyzing data on risk factors, protective factors and risk factors for suicide. Seidler serves as the Chair of the Greenlandic Alcohol and Drug Council. For her Fulbright Arctic project, Seidler will conduct research in the United States exploring social and health determinants, as well as life trajectories of health and wellbeing in childhood based on nationwide data. She will also contribute to monitoring the Greenland suicide prevention strategy called “Qamani.” She will visit the Center for Alaska Native Health Research in Fairbanks to learn more about measuring cultural strengths and values that enhance mental health among Indigenous peoples of the Arctic.