Hólar University

Fulbright Scholar Erika Berg Joins Hólar University’s Equine Science Department

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 15:46:00 +0000

Hólar University is pleased to welcome Dr. Erika Berg, a U.S. Fulbright Scholar and Associate Professor of Animal Science at North Dakota State University, who will be joining the Equine Science Department from January through June 2026.

MARBIO Master's Program Visit

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 14:13:00 +0000

From the 22nd to 26th of September, students from the MARBIO Master’s program visited Iceland. MARBIO is a collaborative Master degree between Hólar University, Nord University in Bodø and the University of Gothenburg. The program begins with a nine-week introductory course, with three weeks organized by each university and one week dedicated to on-site visits.

Grant Received for Short Course: "Full Circle – Rethinking Waste in Aquaculture"

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 15:54:00 +0000

We are pleased to announce that the Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology at Hólar University, in collaboration with Ísponica ehf, has received a 1,140,000 ISK grant from Fræðslusjóður (the Education Fund) to support a new short course called "Full Circle: Rethinking Waste in Aquaculture", set to launch in spring 2026.

Weight carrying capacity of horses

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 12:16:00 +0000

Recent research showed a positive relationship between conformational traits of Icelandic riding horses and their physiological responses to a ridden weight carrying test.

PhD defence of Alessandra Schnider

Thu, 15 May 2025 16:32:00 +0000

On Friday, 9 May 2025, biologist Alessandra Schnider successfully defended her PhD thesis at Hólar University, “Phenotypic plasticity in Mývatn threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus): response to temperature and diet within and across generations”. Through an ambitious multi-generation rearing experiment, she showed how the interplay of temperature, food availability and genetics shapes morphology, behaviour and gene expression—not only in individual fish but also in their descendants. Her results provide fresh insight into the adaptive capacity of organisms in a changing world and will aid more targeted conservation and management of wild fish populations.

Presentations of Final Projects in the Department of Equine Studies

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 09:05:00 +0000

On April 7–8, 2025, the Department of Equine Studies at Hólum University hosted a small conference in the newly renovated sports hall of the main building. The event also served as a harvest festival for the students. Eleven students in their final year of the BS program in riding and riding instruction, along with one master's student, presented their research findings from their final projects. Diverse and informative discussions emerged on topics related to the Icelandic horse and riders, and the university warmly thanked all who attended the event for their participation.

Hólar University Researchers Publish International Report on Educator Competencies and Professional Development in Iceland

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 08:00:00 +0000

Ph.D. student Deisi Maricato and Associate Professor Dr. Jessica Aquino from Hólar University have released a report on international higher education competencies and teaching frameworks. Part of the Heimahöfn project and funded by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of Iceland, the study reviews global practices and evaluates educator training in Iceland... The findings of this study emphasize the importance of supporting professional development in both formal and informal environments, particularly in enhancing and developing pedagogical competencies. Furthermore, the results suggest the need for more structured professional development programs that improve teaching skills and contribute to the quality of higher education in Iceland. It is hoped that this study will contribute to the discussion on the significance of promoting professional development of higher education teachers, both in formal and informal settings, while encouraging critical reflection on the current state of professional development frameworks in Iceland.

Exciting news for Hólar University

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 14:11:00 +0000

The project „Nám í lagareldi“ (Education in Aquaculture) was funded with 65 million ISK.

The Teaching Academy- Conference 2024 - New Generation – Meeting the Needs of Today's University Students

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 15:01:00 +0000

The Teaching Academy of the Public Universities will hold its annual conference in Veröld – House of Vigdís, on Friday 22 November 2024 from 9:00 to 16:00.

The Nordic Biodiversity Framework – new project

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 22:09:00 +0000

The Nordic Biodiversity Framework is a new collaborative project that examines the implementation of the COP15 Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework targets in policy in the Nordic region.

Meghan Orman's PhD defense on the 29th of February, 2024

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 21:10:00 +0000

Meghan came to Iceland as a Fulbright Scholar. She also worked on a project with Youth for Arctic Nature led by Dr. Jessica Aquino (of Hólar University) in Iceland and in Norway.

Summer Fieldwork Throwback

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 14:34:00 +0000

Here's a note from Gabrielle Ladurée, Ph.D. student, about her summer fieldwork experience in the Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology at Hólar University.

Dr. Camille Anna-Lisa Leblanc recently accepted the Icelandic Society of Biology's Honorary Award

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 14:39:00 +0000

Dr. Camille Anna-Lisa Leblanc, associate professor, recently accepted the Icelandic Society of Biology's honorary award, which is given to a young and aspiring biologist who has shown good results at the beginning of their career. Camille has perform...

Handbook of Nature Activities

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 11:17:00 +0000

Youth for Arctic Nature (YAN) is an international project funded by NORA for the years 2021-2024. YAN aims to encourage youth to go out and study local nature. The project goals are: Encourage youth to participate in the study of nature and climat...

Development of personality in the Arctic charr – New research grant from Rannís.

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 08:47:00 +0000

The department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology received a new grant from the Icelandic Research Fund (Rannís). The project will be led by David Benhaïm (PI, HU) in collaboration with Paul Debes (HU), Katharina Bremer (HU), Zophonias Jónsson (HI) and ...

Youth for Arctic Nature presentation at the Arctic Circle Assembly

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 15:13:00 +0000

On Saturday the 15th of October, the Youth for Arctic Nature project (YAN), which is developed in collaboration with the Icelandic Seal Center, was presented at the Arctic Circle Assembly at Harpa. This presentation described the efforts of the YAN p...

Riders’ body weight and effect on Icelandic horses’ physiological response

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 13:00:00 +0000

Department of Equine Science at Holar and Swedish Agricultural University in Uppsala have a long and successful cooperation in research. PhD project of Denise Söderroos is one of the ongoing research and involves the weight bearing capacity of the Ic...

MAR-BIO master students visit Hólar University

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 09:09:00 +0000

The University of Hólar, together with the University of Gothenburg in Sweden and Nord University in Bodø in Norway, is a member of the Nordic collaboration project on the master's program MAR-BIO. In the first stages of the program, students get to ...

Master defense in Tourism Studies

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 15:46:00 +0000

On Thursday 1 September Deisi Trindade Maricato, master’s student at the Department of Rural Tourism defended her M.Sc. thesis, titled "The Interdisciplinarity of Tourism Education as an Opportunity for Emancipation". This thesis discussed a Cas...

Published paper and report

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 12:46:00 +0000

A new paper and report have been published by Dr. Jessica Aquino.