By Susanne Togeby, AAU Communication and Public Affairs
Photo: Lars Horn, Baghuset

Associate Professor Kristen Ounanian from Aalborg University has received approximately € 2.18 million (over DKK 16 million) to conduct a five-year research project on the concept of ‘adjacency’. The project examines how members of coastal communities can influence decisions about their seas and coastlines. Kristen Ounanian says:

“The AdjacenSEA project will address the question, who shall benefit from activities along the coasts and new enterprises at sea? I seek to advance the concept of adjacency and demonstrate whether coastal communities can make their voices heard in these decisions.”

Kristen Ounanian and her team will explore these questions through three case studies of blue frontier-making:

1. How tourism is changing waterfronts and access to beaches (gentrification)
2. How offshore wind projects may or may not benefit local communities
3. How new carbon storage initiatives and restoration in the ocean (blue carbon) will impact local communities

The three case studies span diverse geographic regions in the northwest Atlantic, North Sea, and Adriatic Sea in five different countries. 

Third AAU researcher to receive the ERC Consolidator Grant

The European Research Council (ERC) supports pioneering research projects of the highest quality, regardless of discipline. ERC funding is not intended to solve predetermined problems; at its core, the programme empowers researchers to define and pursue their own research agendas freely. The ERC Consolidator Grant is one of the most prestigious research grants in Europe. 

Since 2020, Danish universities have been awarded a total of 48 ERC Consolidator Grants. Kristen Ounanian is the third researcher from Aalborg University to receive this grant.

Thomas Bak, Dean of the Technical Faculty of IT and Design, emphasizes the significance of this achievement.

“It’s a great recognition of Kristen Ounanian. An ERC Consolidator Grant is one of Europe’s top awards, and it shows we can compete at the highest level. Kristen’s work is highly relevant in our part of the world, where coastal communities are under pressure and need a stronger voice in shaping the future of the sea. This grant will help build a strong team around Kristen and the Centre for Blue Governance and strengthen our international collaborations.“

The Centre for Blue Governance is a vibrant research environment at the Department of Sustainability and Planning, and the grant will help further develop this area.