UiT researcher wins Frederik Paulsen Prize

How can Arctic bacteria be used to combat greenhouse gas emissions? This is a question that Associate Professor and microbiologist Alexander Tøsdal Tveit has been working on for several years in the BIOSINK project.

On 18 October, he received the Frederik Paulsen Arctic Academic Action Award for the research he has conducted in the project along with Professor Lisa Y. Stein from the University of Alberta and researcher Fang Qian from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. They also received 100,000 euros to use for further research.

The prize was awarded by the international university network UArctic, for the fourth time, during the Arctic Circle Assembly 2024, in Reykjavik, Iceland.

It was established to give recognition to scientific and academic ideas that are action-oriented and that can contribute to combating climate change in the Arctic region.

Bacteria absorb methane emissions

Tveit is affiliated with UiT's Department of Arctic and Marine Biology. In the BIOSINK project, he develops biofilters, where Arctic bacteria are used to absorb methane emissions from waste, fossil fuels, or agriculture. The methane captured by the filter can then be converted into biomass and used as fertilizer, which can be beneficial in food production.

Methane accounts for 20 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. BIOSINK is thus a contribution to developing new technology that can counteract emissions that create the greenhouse effect and climate change.

"We are honored to receive this prize that recognizes the potential in our project. Although our project is just one of many possible solutions for addressing climate change, this recognition underscores the role that innovation can play in the coming years. We are very grateful for this encouragement to continue our work," says Alexander Tøsdal Tveit.

Points to specific solutions

UiT's rector, Dag Rune Olsen, congratulates Tveit and points out that he combines fundamental research of high quality with possible solutions to a major challenge the global community is facing.

"He is therefore a very deserving prize winner. And it naturally fits like a glove in UiT's own research strategy. It was a great experience to be present when Alexander Tøsdal Tveit was awarded the prize at this year's Arctic Circle Assembly. The prize has quickly gained recognition because it not only values outstanding research results but because the research points to concrete solutions for the climate challenges we in the Arctic are so brutally facing," says Olsen.

Bredesen, Kim kim.bredesen@uit.no Rådgiver

Published: 19.10.24 17:35 Updated: 21.10.24 18:36

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