Algorithmic bias, social media and mental health, climate communication, newsroom innovation, and the role of AI and automated fact-checking in journalism were among the topics explored in doctoral theses defended at Nordic universities in 2025. In total, 103 researchers earned their PhDs across the region. Congratulations to all! You can see the list, with links to the dissertations, in this article.
Through searches across databases including DiVA in Sweden, the Norwegian Research Information Repository, NORA in Denmark, and Finna in Finland, we identified 103 accepted doctoral theses in 2025. No theses were found in Iceland.
The universities with the highest number of accepted doctoral theses in the Nordic region last year were Tampere University, University of Bergen, Lund University, and the University of Turku. Congratulations to all the graduates. If you are aware of any theses that may be missing from the list, please let us know.
Norway
Alighieri Luz Monteiro, Bianca: The Primacy of Affects in Politics: A Discourse Theoretical and Psychoanalytic Perspective on the 2022 Brazilian Presidential Election, University of Stavanger
Borchgrevink-Brækhus, Marianne: News Experience: Understanding Why and How Audiences Interact with News Beyond Audience Metrics, University of Bergen
Borgen-Eide, Gøril: Rich Pasts and Risky Futures – Norwegian Media Narratives of Climate And Oil in Liminal Times, OsloMet
Castro Herrera, Lucia: Resilience through Crisis Management Transitions: A Process Organization Study of Support Information System in Public Service, the Case of Social Media Analytics, University of Agder
Ferm Fasting, Mia Franzisca: Visuell og multimodal konseptualisering av læring – en studie av tekstproduksjon på smarttelefon i skole og hverdagsliv, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Gebremeskel, Solomon Kebede: Between the Global North and the Global South: Journalists’ Role Perception in the Ethiopian Diaspora Evolving Hybrid Media Practices, University of Agder
Hogsnes, Mathilde: Unconsciously Influenced and Influential: Exploring Sociotechnical Influence on Social Media Platforms, Kristiania University of Applied Sciences
Hårstad, Renate: Dyrevelferd i endring – ideer og politikk på det norske dyrevelferdsfeltet, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Kavtaradze, Lasha: Machine Truth : The Construction and Contestation of Epistemic Authority in Automated Fact-Checking, University of Bergen
Klimashevskaia, Anastasiia: Beyond Popularity: Investigating and Mitigating Bias in Recommender Systems, University of Bergen
Khan, Sohail Ahmed: Computational Visual Content Verification, University of Bergen
Kumlachew, Sileshie Semahagne: The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the Media: Recent Religious Controversies, University of Agder
Lennon, Alana Denise: “Placeshaking” and Placemaking for Sustainability. Discourses and Narratives on Establishing a “New” Ecovillage in a Rural Local Community, Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
Makki, Samira: The Future is Only a Fold Away: Archiving Rehearsals with Film, for Palestine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Mtchedlidze, Junai: The Innovation Pulse: Internal and External Drivers of Innovation in Newsrooms, University of Bergen
Okafor, Carl Chineme: Datafied Cities: A Socio-Technical Study of Data Volume, Data Quality, and Data Utility as Elements of Datafication in the Smart City, University of Stavanger
Olesen Andersen, Amanda Iselin: Digital Well-being in Context : Exploring Social Media Use, Stress, and Mental Health among Adolescents and Young Adults, University of Bergen
Roaldsnes, Andreas: Cultural Capital and Early Childhood Socialization: Family, Friends, and the State, University of Bergen
Samuelsen, Reidun J.: Demokratiske dilemmaer i møte med informasjonspåvirkning – En studie av redaktørstyrte medier og sikkerhetsmyndigheters forståelse og håndtering av desinformasjon, OsloMet
Selvaag, Sofie Kjendlie: Fostering Pro-Environmental Behavior through Communication: Managing Outdoor Recreation in National Park Setting, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research
Shamsi, Marjan: Understanding Employees’ Adoption of New Digital Communication Solutions: An Integrated Approach to Personal, Technological, and Work Environment, University of Stavanger
Spirin, Artem: Fortyfying Border Memories: Memmory Politics in the Post-Soviet Russian North, UiT The Artic University of Norway
Staaby, Tobias: Digital Game-Based Teaching: Exploring How Digital Games Facilitate the Necessary Conditions for Learning, University of Bergen
Suijkerbuijk, Martinus: TURING GAIA – The Making of Behavioral Media: Sensibilities Through Other-Agents, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Thu Kro, Ingvild: Framing or Being Framed? A Qualitative Study of the Use of Feature Film in Confirmation Teaching within the Church of Norway, University of Agder
Toft, Jim: Leading Through the Language of Expectations: A Multi-Study of Pygmalion Language in Business Settings, University of Agder
Uppstrøm Berg, Ida: Collaborations Between Publicly Funded Art Museums and Private Art Collectors in Norway – Tensions, Challenges, and Opportunities, OsloMet
Wiik, Anders: Data Visualizations in Journlistic Media Studied from the Perspective of Visual-Numeric Literacy, Everyday Mathematics and Mathematization as a Social Process, University of Agder
Xu, Ying: Generalising Deepfake Detection: Towards Robust, Interpretable and Fair Models, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Denmark
Briggs-Mønsted, Casper Thorhauge: The Fabric of Spectacle: Stagings of Triumph at the Court of Denmark-Norway, c. 1577-1634, University of Copenhagen
Dausgaard, Christoffer Hentzer: The Interface of Politcs: How Social Groups Guide Political Choice, University of Copenhagen
Djurslev, Anders Thrue: Where the Present Begins to Appear as Past: Mediating Contemporaneity in a Museum of the Future, Aarhus University
Egendal, William Kjærgaard: The Corridors of Power in Brussels: Informal Communication, Coordination, and Compromise in EU Trilogue Negotiations, Copenhagen Business School
Fals, Katinka Bundgård: Wanderlust on a Warming Planet: Exploring Climate-friendly Practice Change in Young Adults’ Vacations, Aarhus University
Farooqi, Amos: Condensed Rhythms: Power, Place, and the Spatial Imaginary in Korean Hip-Hop, University of Copenhagen
Fisker, Thore Keitum: The Body Politic in Motion: A Critical Rhetoric of Moving Bodies in Politics and Activism, University of Copenhagen
Gaarskjær, T: A Few Good Men: An Exploration of Masculinities among Danish Army Soldiers, Aalborg University
Hedges, T: Us and Them: The Phenomenology and Politics of Third-Person Sociality, University of Copenhagen
Skovgaard, Mads: The Making of Activist Identity: Hybrid Activism and Everyday Life in U.S. Socialist Politics, University of Copenhagen
Vilmar, Therese Wiwe: Literature Imagining Music: Mapping Western Music in a Corpus of Late Modern Fiction 1990-2010, Aarhus University
Wittchen, Maria Bendix: Presseetiske grænser og gråzoner: Et studie af medieansvar, presseetiske dilemmaer og forhandlinger i den danske nyhedsinstitution, Roskilde University
Xiao, Leon Y.: Lex Loot Boxes – The Regulation of Gambling-like Products in Video Games, IT-Universitetet i København
Sweden
Almstedt Valldor, Amanda: Essays on the Links Between Vertical and Horizontal Social Stratification, Political Attitudes, and Radical Right Support: Evidence from Sweden and Europe, Stockholm University
Alven Sjoberg, Jens: Communicating a Sense of Public Safety: The Case of the Swedish Police Authority’s Strategic Social Media Communication, Jönköping University
Andreasson, Annika: Cyber Situation Awareness and Common Operational Pictures: Studies of the Swedish Public Sector, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Ågren, Malin: Strategic Communication and Preparedness: Discursive Legitimation Practices in Swedish Total Defence Organizations, Örebro University
Aspernäs, Julia: Who Falls For Misinformation? Epistemic Beliefs and Political Identity as Predictors Of Conspiracy Ideation, Bullshit Receptivity, and Fallacies, Linköping University
Bazan Royuela, David: Algorithmic Interaction Ritual Chains on TikTok: Scrolling through Feedback Loops, Lund University
Bracco, Sofia Elena: From Visibility to Inclusion: Trans and Gender Diverse People in the Media and in the Workplace,Stockholm University
Calvo, Esther: Old Foe, New Friend? Rhetorical Responses of Mainstream Parties towards a Radical Right Party, Lund University
Fritz, Björn: Experiencing Gameworlds: Understanding Zelda and Mario through the Lenses of Art History and Phenomenology, Lund University
Johansson, Magnus: Parenting in Screen Times: Negotiations, Practices and Experiences in Everyday Family Life, Lund University
Kisić-Merino, Pasko: Enjoying the Fall: The Normalisation of the Far-Right as an Algorithmically-Mediated Fantasy of Ontological (In)Security, Karlstad University
Kjellström, Zakayo: Black Open Access: Shadow Libraries and Text Piracy, Umeå University
Kuai, Joanne: AI, News, and the State: Reinstitutionalising Journalism in Global China’s Algorithmic Age, Karlstad University
Laurell Thorslund, Minna: Doing, Being, Thinking HCI Otherwise at the End of the World as We Know It, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Malmstedt, Johan: Sound out of Time: Signal Archaeology of Swedish Public Service Radio 1980–1999, Umeå University
McMullan, Kathryn (Kylie): The “Wild West” of Social Media Influencer Marketing: Examining the Relationship Between Social Media Influencers and Firms, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Menshikova, Anastasia: Cultural Change: Studying Social Interdependencies in Public Discourse with Computational Text Analysis, Jönköping University
Mileros, Martin D: Users Like You and Me: Understanding the User-Driven Data Economy from a Human-Centric Perspective, Linköping University
Porzionato, Monica: Feeling the Changing Climate: An Affective Approach to the Strategic Communication of Floods in a Tourist City, Lund University
Priambodho, Hario: Cult Film Atmospheres: Audiences, Exibitors, and Live Cinema Spaces, Lund University
Rodriguez Hedenbratt, Nicolas: The Politics of Radio and Television in Western Democracies, Lund University
Svane, Anette: Ambiguous Human Existence and the Ethics of Authenticity: Exploring Tensions of Freedom and Solidarity in Contemporary Scandinavian Art Film and Beyond, Lund University
Tu, Sijjing: Model and Algorithms for Adressing Challenges in Online Social Networks, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Finland
Arzoglou, Ektor: Dynamics of Privacy Paradox on Social Media Platforms, Aalto University
Bhattacharya, Carolina: Dissent, Discourse, and the Intra-Party Politics of Parliamentary Debates: The Politicisation of the Euro Crisis in the German Bundestag, University of Helsinki
Hautaniemi, Ari: There is a Light that Never Goes Out: The Organisational Culture of European Student Radio, Tampere University
Haukka, Aleksi: Song as Patriotic Rhetoric and Art: Exploring Patriotic and Nationalistic Songs from the French Revolution (1789–1800), the Spanish War of Independence (1808–1814), and Grand Duchy of Finland (1846–1876),University of Helsinki
Hokkanen, Julius: The Platformization of Politics: Intimacy, Conflict, and Vulnerability in the Age of Data-Driven Media, University of Turku
Huhtala, Anna: Sanoin kuviteltu kuolema: Väkivalta- ja onnettomuuskuolemien julkinen käsittely Suomessa 1920-1930-luvuilla, Tampere University
Hutton, Elina: Outdoor Goes Online: Tourist Gaze in Social Media for Visitor Monitoring and Management, University of Lapland
Hylkilä, Krista: Nuorten aikuisten ongelmallinen sosiaalisen median käyttö, psykososiaalinen hyvinvointi sekä tuen ja hoidon tarpeet, Humak University of Applied Sciences
Kainat, Khadijah: Navigating New Horizons of Socio-Cultural Transition: Information Seeking Behaviour of Migrant Women in the Context of Integration, Åbo University
Kekkonen, Karel: Kaiutin vai suodatin? Suomalainen media, Katalonian itsenäisyysliike ja informaatiovaikuttaminen, Tampere University
Koskinen, Elina: Memorable Player Experiences with Pokémon GO, Tampere University
Laakkonen, Anna: Punainen Karjala ja suomalaisen neuvostoihmisen synty: suomalaiset osana Moskovan propagandakoneistoa 1920-1937, University of Helsinki
Lahtinen, Jussi: Kerrottu luokka: Pitkän 1970-luvun työläiskirjallisuus yhteiskunnallisten valta- ja vastakertomusten kentillä, Tampere University
Laukkanen, Markus: Co-opting Game of Thrones with Digital Paratext Narratives: Interactivity, Authorship, and Affordances in the Storytelling Environment of the Internet, Tampere University
Lou, Yucong: Youth Meeting Genai: Young People’s Media and Information Literacy Practices in the Information Ecosystem Shaped by Generative Artificial Intelligence, University of Oulu
Mattsson, Andreas: Remaking the Newsmakers: Exploring Swedish Media Aid Interventions in Vietnamese Journalism, University of Helsinki
Mikkola, Heidi: Ecologies of Wildlife Modes: Envisioning More-Than-Human Environments in Documentary Moving Image Aesthetics, University of Turku
Mikkonen, Teemu: Tiedonlähteiden luotettavuuden arviointi lukion oppimistehtävien yhteydessä, Tampere University
Muilu, Mirka: Yhteisen tuntu: Hannah Arendt materiaalisena mediateoreetikkona, University of Tampere
Mäki, Otto: Vaccine Communication: An Empirical Investigation of Three Approaches for Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy, University of Turku
Nikkilä, Matti: Misogyny, Antagonism, Regressivism: A Nexus Analysis of a Hostile Online, University of Oulu
Niskanen, Ville-Pekka: Valtioneuvosto, kansalaisluottamus ja media koronakriisin hallinnassa, University of Vaasa
Nyman, Inka Maria: Negotiating Opera: Discursive Representations, Democratic Accessibility and Social Media Branding, Åbo University
Parkatti, Anne: Ammatillinen toimijuusdigitalisoituneen työn käytännöissä finanssi- ja media-aloilla, Tampere University
Partanen, Riika: Well-Being from Food Blogging: Food Blogging as an Expression of Positive Agency and Relationship with Food, University of Lapland
Perälä, Annu: ”Varmaan niitä vaihtoehtoja on hyvä miettiä”: Ilmastonmuutokseen sopeutumisesta viestiminen tutkimuksen, median ja kansalaisten silmin, University of Vaasa
Piepponen, Amanda: Digital Transformation of Media Organizations: Developing Value Propositions and Organizational Capabilities, LUT University
Ruotsalainen, Juho: Avoiding a Race to the Bottom? A Critical Examination of Pioneer Journalists’ Futures Knowledge and Journalistic Practices, University of Turku
Saressalo, Teemu: Information Influencing in Wars and Conflicts in the Early 21st Century, National Defence University
Sivonen, Sara: Poliittinen maku: Kulttuuristen käytäntöjen ja elämäntyylien sosiopoliittinen eriytyminen Suomessa, Tampere University
Sjöberg, Markus: Kuva digitalisoituvasta luonnosta: Sosiaalisen median visuaalinen kulttuuri suomalaisen luonnon jaettujen merkitysten ja ideaalin rakentajana, Tampere University
Sone, Hsu Pyae: Data-Driven Sustainability in the Media Sector, University of Oulu
Suomalainen, Roosa: “En mikään sunnuntailueskelija, vaikka sekin on ihan ok”: kirjojen lukemisen sosiokulttuuriset merkitykset, University of Helsinki
Tormis, Helenor: Affective Argumentation in Populist Thinking: Examining Contested Sociopolitical Discourses, University of Helsinki
Vepsäläinen, Tapio: Forecasting Future Events with Publicly Accessible Online Data: A Study on Finnish Parliamentary Elections from 2015 to 2023, University of Turku
Vähäpassi, Valo: Framing Trans: Affective Articulations of Trans Bodies and Violence, University of Turku
Välimaa, Mira: Säröjä paikallisyhteisöissä: Tapaustutkimus vastaanottokeskuksen perustamisesta maaseudulle, University of Jyväskylä
Xue, Chenru: The Dynamics of Space, Place and Landscape: Understanding the Arctic Landscape from a Lacanian Perspective, University of Turku
Picture: Johan Wingborg, GU.