Elin Eriksen Ødegaard

Field of work

I am a Professor of Education with a PhD in educational sciences from the University of Gothenburg (2007). Currently, I work as the Director of  KINDknow  - Centre for Early Childhood Education and Care Research. Here, since 2018, I have built capacity for competence, knowledge, and innovation in the kindergarten sector, based on a commitment to sustainability and the best interests of all children. 

I am also head of the Research School NORCHILD [NORBARN], the kindergarten sector's first research school. The research school is an innovation that promotes skills relevant to both research and the rest of working life.  

I took the initiative for the Exploration and Pedagogical Innovation Laboratories (EX-PED-LAB) in 2020, a laboratory where we co-create, experiment, reiterate and conduct practice-developing research through workshops. 

I conduct a wide range of research on various topics within kindergarten research, but my main areas of expertise include Narrative Inquiry, children's collaborative narratives, play, and exploration. I have extensive management experience, including serving as a board member of a kindergarten, vice-dean for research, and holding editorial and editorial board roles in several journals, as well as holding elected leadership positions in organisations and on boards. I supervise PhD candidates, serve as an advisor on international research projects, and deliver invited lectures on my research. I enjoy communicating my research and creating research translations (films, etc.), and I founded the KINDknow Notes Series. 

I lead and co-lead the following ongoing projects:  

• KINDKNOW-Kindergarten Knowledge Centre for Systemic Research for Diversity and Sustainable Futures [BARNkunne] (Research Council of Norway, 2018-2028: NOK 50.6 million).
• NORCHILD Research School for Early Childhood Education  [NORBARN] (Research Council of Norway, 2022-2030, NOK 16 million).
• EX-PED-LAB - Sustainable Design in the kindergarten sector through Exploration and Pedagogical Innovation Laboratories (The Research Council of Norway, 2021-2025, NOK 12 million).
• One Ocean - Exploration - 2022- 2026 (HVL and various funding sources)
• Water and Waterscape - Children's rights to clean water (HVL)

I am also a researcher in these projects: 

•  MoveEarly - Move, Play, Explore in Early Childhood Education (The Research Council of Norway, chaired by Eivind Aadland)
• Playing Transitions (Danish Research Council, chaired by Helle Marie Skovbjerg)

I have led these completed projects:

• 2011-2017: Nordic Childhood(s) in Transformation (Nordic Ministries, 900 Euro)
• 2009-2014: Kindergarten as an arena for education (Research Council of Norway, NOK 4.5 million)
• 2000-2014: Kindergarten as an arena for learning and formation (UDIR), Working group for the framework plan for kindergartens (Ministry of Education and Research/UDIR), Learning through guidance (UDIR and NORDPLUS),  Management of kindergarten teacher education (VESTNORSK Nettverk (VESTNORSK Nettverk ). 

Invitations, awards and positions of trust

• Invited speaker in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Greece, China, South Korea, Brazil and Australia. 
• Editorial board of the International Journal of Early Childhood Education (from 2025)
• Editorial Board of International Journal of Childhood in the Anthroposcene (from 2025)
• Editorial Board of International Journal of Play (from 2009) 
• Editor of Nordic Kindergarten Research (2020-2023)
• Award of Recognition (Etnhokino, Bern, 2025) for Sea Portrait - The Children of the North Sea. 
• 1st prize for best pedagogical concept used in film (International Educational Film Festival, UiT - The Arctic University, 2024) for Sea Portrait - Children by the North Sea.
• Elected treasurer and deputy chair of World OMEP, member of the World OMEP Excectutive board (2020-2023).
• Scientific advisor for 'Playful learning Research' led by Helle Skovbjerg, funded by the Lego Foundation (2020-2024). 
• Scientific advisor for 'World Care', led by Ditte Winther Lindquist, funded by the Research Council of Denmark and Aarhus University (2020-2024).
• Scientific advisor for 'Play responsive teaching' led by Niklas Pramling, funded by the University of Gothenburg (2019-2023)
• Scientific advisor in 'Children's grief and grive in ECEC', led by Lasse Lipponen, funded by the Finnish Academi (2020-2023)
• Steering group for PRODIALOG - an NFR project led by Helse-Bergen
• Bergen Ambassador - award from Visist Bergen and Bergen Municipality (2021-present)
• Member of the editorial board of the 'International Journal of play' (2013-present)
• Editor of the Journal of Nordic Early Childhood Education and Care Research (2020-2023)
• Adjunct Professor at the University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway (2012-2023)
• OMEP World Treasurer and member of the Executive Committee of the World Organisation for Early Childhood Education (OMEP) (2020-2023)
• Board member of the National Research School for Teacher Education (NAFOL, 2016-2022)
• Head of Secretariat for BIN - Children's Culture in the Nordic Region (2012-2018)
• Research award: HiB - R&D Award 2013 for high quality in research and research management
• I led a working group that submitted a draft of a new Norwegian framework plan for kindergarten content and tasks in 2014 and was an advisor on the final draft (2016). 
• Elected leader of the Norwegian OMEP 2009-2013. 

For my publications search Nationalt Vitensarkiv

• ResearchGate
• Google Scholar Citation 
• Wikipedia

Teaches

• PhD Research School NORBARN, HVL
• PhD supervision, HVL,
• Continuing and further education, external assignments

Researching

• Play, movement and exploration
• Sustainability in a kindergarten perspective 
• Co-creation
• Narrative methodology
• Formation
• Kindergarten history
• The kindergarten's natural landscape 

Research groups

• Kindergarten as an arena for education
• Narratives and negotiations - research group for new methodology in research and teaching