An evening in honor of Prof. Eystein Jansen

Eystein Jansen is certainly worth celebrating! 

As Professor Eystein Jansen now turns 73 and becomes Professor Emeritus, the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, the Institute of Earth Science, and the University of Bergen hosted a grand celebration in his honor.

“Eystein set a requirement for the celebration: he wants us to look forward, not backward. And in the spirit of Eystein, it will be a gathering that emphasizes relationships, intellectual exchange, and the path forward, and is intended as a celebration of a vibrant research community,” said Kikki Kleiven, Director of the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research. 

The event offered a warm atmosphere with excellent speakers looking toward the future of science, while also acknowledging Jansen’s astonishing scientific career and his remarkable ability to achieve great things—always while being the nice, humble, and soft‑spoken Eystein we know.

Thomas F. Stocker, Professor Emeritus of Climate and Environmental Physics at the University of Bern and long‑time co‑chair of the IPCC, opened the seminar, which concluded with young scientists looking ahead toward future challenges. 

From the new generation paleoceanographers, Associate Professor Kaustubh Thirumalai at the University of Arizona, was a vibrant visiting guest, with a great seminar for all of the Bjerknes community the day ahead. 

Professor Jansen is the founder and first Director of the Bjerknes Centre. 
When he handed over the steering wheel of BCCR to Professor Tore Furevik in 2014, “he was bursting with energy,” Furevik remarked: 

“Even after running such complex structures for 14 years, he went on to establish several new research initiatives: the ERC Synergy Grant Ice2Ice, the establishment of CET, co-coordination of the new Centre of Excellence Sapience, academic director of the Academia Europaea Hub in Bergen, Vice President of the ERC—and much more. A truly remarkable journey!”

Professor Håvard Haarstad, Director of the Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation, shared three key lessons, for all of us to take with us:

1. Don’t be afraid—follow your ambitions.
2. Think big and build things: build environments and build people.
3. Be nice!


Thank you, Eystein, for all your achievements so far. We look forward to new ideas and initiatives in the coming years.

Read rector Margareth Hagens warm speech to Eystein in Norwegian here