Charlotte Kildal

12-13 September 2018 the Young Academy of Norway, the Letten Foundation and Centre for Development and the Environment, University of Oslo joined forces to celebrate the inaugural Letten Prize, awarded to Indian legal scholar Tarunabh Khaitan. Over the course of two days, a seminar on how research can solve global challenges and prize ceremony were held at the University of Oslo. A festive and colourful dinner at Hotel Continental marked the end of the very first Letten Prize Days. Member of the the Young Academy of Norway and the Letten Prize Committee, Katerini T. Storeng reports from the Letten Prize Days:

Major new Prize for young researcher awarded to Indian equality law expert

Tarunabh Khaitan, a lawyer from India, was awarded the Norwegian-based prize, worth 2 million NOK, or roughly 185000 GBP on September 13, for his contribution to addressing the structural inequalities that undermine social and economic development.

Khaitan´s work was cited in the Indian Supreme Court’s recent historic judgment decriminalizing gay sex, repealing a law dating from British colonial times.

This is one example of how his work has contributed directly to changing the interpretation of discrimination and minority rights, with implications beyond the LGBT community to other minorities discriminated on the basis of religion, caste or gender.

“It makes you proud to be Indian when your institutions do the right thing,” he told his audience at an award seminar in Oslo last week, commenting that he couldn’t have written the judgement better himself even if he had tried”.

The implications of this ruling extend far beyond India, however, not least to all the other Commonwealth countries that are still grappling with the consequences of an inherited British Penal Code that is inherently discriminatory.

Mirroring the unsung heroes of international development

In many ways, Khaitan´s story mirrors that of a great many other unsung heroes of international development: Growing up in small-town, India, Khaitan’s life might have turned out very differently were it not for a serendipitous exposure to unwanted prospectus for law school that opened up a window of opportunity for addressing the stark inequalities of Indian society – a country where wealth is highly concentrated and discrimination in private employment and housing is legally permitted.

Today, Khaitan is Associate Professor of Law at Oxford, currently on leave to work at the University of Melbourne. Researching across the fields of law, political philosophy and ethics, he is a distinguished academic, recognized for his work on discrimination law. However, as a member of the Letten Prize selection committee, what impressed me most about Khaitan was his strong commitment to not only to understanding, but also to combatting the mechanisms that propagate violence and discrimination based on gender, sexuality, religion and caste.

One of the things that marks Khaitan’s work out is the way in which he has consistently engaged with civil society, politicians and other lawyers. He has helped to shift the conversation on discrimination in India and beyond, and demonstrated what academic research with societal relevance can look like. This is exactly the sort work that the Letten prize was established to support.

A prize for excellent research with societal impact

The prize itself is a novel initiative by the Young Academy of Norway, of which I am a member, and the Letten Foundation. It seeks explicitly to recognize the contribution of younger researchers in addressing global challenges across the fields of health, environment, development and equality. In doing so, it honours the legacy of Letten Saugstad, a Norwegian doctor and researcher who, until her death in 2014, fought for her conviction that health, environment and equality in all aspects of human life is key to a sustainable development and a better future for all.

As this year´s awardee, Khaitan was selected from among over 200 candidates – young researchers representing every continent and academic disciplines ranging from chemistry to anthropology. Unusually, because this new global prize will be distributed bi-annually, Khaitan will return in two years, at the moment of the next award, to report on what he has been able to do with the award.

Prize to be used to launch the ‘Indian Equality Law Program’ 

Khaitan will use his prize to launch the ‘Indian Equality Law Program’ at the Melbourne Law School, with an agenda for research training, engagement and dissemination. As Khaitan wrote in his motivation letter for the Letten Prize, India’s democratic institutions, albeit flawed, offer the possibility of change. By training a critical mass of equality scholars, the program he envisions can create a real impact.

The Letten Prize committee hopes that this, and the other awards it seeks to make, will raise public awareness of how research can be used to solve global human development challenges like the ones Khaitan has been addressing in his work.

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Want to find out more?

Check out:

• Op-ed Tarunabh Khaitan – et eksempel på at forskning er mer enn tellekanter in Khrono
• Interview with Tarunabh Khaitan on forskning.no
• Young Academy of Norway teams up with Letten Foundation
• Letten Prize webpages

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All photos by Øyvind Aukrust

Young researchers’ careers and working conditions are currently under discussion. We want to learn more about the experiences of young researchers in Norway. Participate now!

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In March 2018 the Young Academy of Norway and the Letten Foundation launched the Letten Prize. The purpose of the prize is to recognize younger researchers’ contributions in the fields of health, development, environment and equality in all aspects of human life. The prize of 2 mill NOK (ca. 215 000 EUR/260 000 USD) will be awarded biannually to a young researcher under the age of 45 who is conducting excellent research of great societal relevance.

The Letten Prize – a global prize for young researchers

“From the onset our goal was to create a global prize,” Magnus Aronsen, leader of the Young Academy of Norway, explains. Along with the rest of the Board of the Letten Prize, he is content with the result:

“We did hope to reach a broad audience of young researchers, but we were rather overwhelmed by the response. We had not expected well over 200 applications! With a number of excellent researchers from medicine, sociology, biology and law to name but a few disciplines, the committee has had a challenge task!”

Winner of the 2018 Letten Prize

From the impressive diversity of applicants, a unanimous committee shortlisted five candidates, from whom Tarunabh Khaitan was chosen as the winner:

“Tarunabh Khaitan (from India) is affiliated with the University of Melbourne and Wadham College, University of Oxford. He works across several disciplines including discrimination law, constitutional law, legal theory, political philosophy, democratic theory, constitutional design, and ethics. In his scholarly activities, Khaitan has brought to the fore the stark and unjust inequalities that characterize present day society, not only in his native India but also in other countries. His engagement extends way beyond his academic publishing: he has been active in mentoring young academics from the global South, and founded India’s leading academic law journal.  He has written numerous articles for Indian newspapers and actively disseminated his research in other media. His work has had an impact on law in India as well as in Europe and thus on the society at large.

Khaitan’s achievements meet all the criteria listed in the call for the Letten Prize. He has conducted groundbreaking research on the root causes of inequality and injustice – a research that is undoubtedly of great relevance and that addresses one of the major challenges of present-day society. His work bears on several of UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, not least goal 10 (reduced inequalities) and 16 (peace, justice, and strong institutions). It is clear that his research has had – and will continue to have – an impact across national borders. His research is truly interdisciplinary in nature, and his proficiency in science dissemination is well documented. His work serves as a sterling example of research that combines scientific excellence and rigor with a true social engagement. Tarunabh Khaitan will stand as a worthy recipient of the 2018 Letten Prize.” For the full quote, see Winner of the 2018 Letten Prize.

Responding to the news Khaitan notes: “I am very grateful to the Letten Foundation and the Young Academy for this Prize, which I hope to use towards contributing, in a small way, towards a vision of an India free from unfair discrimination. This ideal, reflected in the principled pragmatism of Dr Ambedkar, the chief architect of India’s pluralistic Constitution, has been a guiding light for my scholarship. I would like to think that Professor Letten F. Saugstad—a refugee herself, who appreciated the role of scholarship in social transformation—would have approved.”

The runners-up for the 2018 Letten Prize

In alphabetical order, the runners-up for the 2018 Letten Prize are:

• Robert Aldridge (University College London) – public health
• Nassim El Archi (Global Health Institute-American University of Beirut) – environmental management
• Sophie Harman (Queen Mary University of London) – international relations
• Jorge E. Viñuales (Clare College, University of Cambridge) – environmental law

Read more about the runners-up.

Celebrating the winner, runners-up and addressing how research can help solve global challenges, join us for the Letten Prize Days 12-13 September.

Contact persons:

Would you like an interview, get in touch with:

Borghild Roald (Letten Foundation) – email: b.b.h.roald@medisin.uio.no. Phone: +47 950 85 835

Magnus Aronsen (The Young Academy of Norway) – email: kontakt@akademietforyngreforskere.no Phone: +47 992 68 241

How can research solve global challenges? Join us in the discussion during the Letten Prize Days in Oslo.

The events are open to the public and free to attend. For practical purposes, registration is required. 

Register now 

(register by 7 September  to be guaranteed lunch/refreshments)  

Time: 
12 September 12:00 – 18:00 Letten Seminar
13 September 14:00 – 15:00 Letten Award Ceremony

Place: 
Gamle festsal, University of Oslo

Programme

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Wednesday 12 September: Letten Seminar

12.00-12.55: Registration and light lunch

Registration: Gamle Festsal

Light lunch: Aulakjelleren

13.00-14.40 Session 1: Celebrating groundbreaking research

Welcome by Asta Busingye Lydersen, master of ceremony.

Lecture: Brain waste clearance and the importance of sleep by Professor Erlend Nagelhus, University of Oslo

This lecture provides an opportunity to become familiar with the continuation of Letten F. Saugstad’s research.

Panel conversation: Using research to solve global challenges

• Tarunabh Khaitan, winner of the Letten Prize 2018
• Robert Aldridge, short listed for the Letten Prize 2018
• Nassim El Achi, short listed for the Letten Prize 2018

The panel will give you insights into their work as well as how they believe research can be used to solve global challenges. The panel is chaired by Asta Busingye Lydersen.

About the speakers
Khaitan is a legal scholar specializing in equality and disclination law. His work has already had an impact on the drafting of the Anti-Discrimination and Equality Bill, presented by Shashi Tharoor MP in India’s Parliament, and UK supreme court and by the European Court of Human Rights. He will use the prize to set up Indian Equality Law Program at Melbourne Law School. Read more about Tarunabh Khaitan.

Aldridge fields of research are epidemiology, public health, migration, and data science and his worked is directed towards international migrants. While trained as a chemist, El Achi has since retrained in water management. Her current field of research focuses on the implementation of rainwater harvesting in Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon. Read more about Aldridge and El Achi.

14.40-15.15 Coffee break

15.15-17.30 Session 2: Research in and for the Anthropocene

Lecture: Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change: Is “Research as Usual” Sufficient? by Professor Karen O’Brien, University of Oslo

This lecture addresses the role of research — and researchers — in meeting the important goal of limiting global warming by the end of this century to below 2°C.

Shortnote:  Crop evolution in the Anthropocene. By Ola Associate professor Westengen, NMBU

Using the crop maize as a case, this lecture illustrates the continuity and change in the human-plant relationship during the early and late Anthropocene.

Shortnote: Authoritarian Inclusion? A Sociological Approach to the Study of Political Regimes by Associate Professor Anna Lisa Ahlers, University of Oslo 

Using China as a case, this lecture addresses whether we possess sufficient theoretical and analytical tools for the study of modern authoritarianism in all its forms, facets and dynamics.

Lecture: Global Inequality and Development in an Age of Climate Breakdown by Jason Hickel, Lecturer, Goldsmiths University of London

This lecture takes a closer look at global inequality and addresses ‘what are the prospects for development in the Anthropocene’?

17.30 Reception at the Faculty of Law Library

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Thursday 13 September: Letten Prize Award Ceremony

14:00 – 15:00 Award Ceremony, Gamle Festsal

Master of Ceremony: Asta Busingye Lydersen

• A brief introduction to Letten F. Saugstad and her life and work, given by Professor Borghild Roald
• A statement from the committee, represented by Associate Professor Katerini T. Storeng
• An interview with the winner of the 2018 Letten Prize, Tarunabh Khaitan, and Asta Busingye Lydersen.
• Music from music students at Barratt Due Institute of Music.

Register now.  

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The venues during the Letten Prize Days

All venues are located around the University Square, at the central campus of the University of Oslo. The closest tube station is Nationaltheateret.

The Letten Seminar and the Letten Award Ceremony take place at Gamle Festsal. The lunch takes place at Aulakjelleren and the reception at the Law Library. 

How can research solve global challenges? Join us in the discussion during the Letten Prize Days in Oslo.

The events are open to the public and free to attend. For practical purposes, registration is required. 

Register now 

(register by 7 September  to be guaranteed lunch/refreshments)  

Time: 
12 September 12:00 – 18:00 Letten Seminar
13 September 14:00 – 15:00 Letten Award Ceremony

Place: 
Gamle festsal, University of Oslo

Programme

---

Wednesday 12 September: Letten Seminar

12.00-12.55: Registration and light lunch

Registration: Gamle Festsal

Light lunch: Aulakjelleren

13.00-14.40 Session 1: Celebrating groundbreaking research

Welcome by Asta Busingye Lydersen, master of ceremony.

Lecture: Brain waste clearance and the importance of sleep by Professor Erlend Nagelhus, University of Oslo

This lecture provides an opportunity to become familiar with the continuation of Letten F. Saugstad’s research.

Panel conversation: Using research to solve global challenges

• Tarunabh Khaitan, winner of the Letten Prize 2018
• Robert Aldridge, short listed for the Letten Prize 2018
• Nassim El Achi, short listed for the Letten Prize 2018

The panel will give you insights into their work as well as how they believe research can be used to solve global challenges. The panel is chaired by Asta Busingye Lydersen.

About the speakers
Khaitan is a legal scholar specializing in equality and disclination law. His work has already had an impact on the drafting of the Anti-Discrimination and Equality Bill, presented by Shashi Tharoor MP in India’s Parliament, and UK supreme court and by the European Court of Human Rights. He will use the prize to set up Indian Equality Law Program at Melbourne Law School. Read more about Tarunabh Khaitan.

Aldridge fields of research are epidemiology, public health, migration, and data science and his worked is directed towards international migrants. While trained as a chemist, El Achi has since retrained in water management. Her current field of research focuses on the implementation of rainwater harvesting in Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon. Read more about Aldridge and El Achi.

14.40-15.15 Coffee break

15.15-17.30 Session 2: Research in and for the Anthropocene

Lecture: Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change: Is “Research as Usual” Sufficient? by Professor Karen O’Brien, University of Oslo

This lecture addresses the role of research — and researchers — in meeting the important goal of limiting global warming by the end of this century to below 2°C.

Shortnote:  Crop evolution in the Anthropocene. By Ola Associate professor Westengen, NMBU

Using the crop maize as a case, this lecture illustrates the continuity and change in the human-plant relationship during the early and late Anthropocene.

Shortnote: Authoritarian Inclusion? A Sociological Approach to the Study of Political Regimes by Associate Professor Anna Lisa Ahlers, University of Oslo 

Using China as a case, this lecture addresses whether we possess sufficient theoretical and analytical tools for the study of modern authoritarianism in all its forms, facets and dynamics.

Lecture: Global Inequality and Development in an Age of Climate Breakdown by Jason Hickel, Lecturer, Goldsmiths University of London

This lecture takes a closer look at global inequality and addresses ‘what are the prospects for development in the Anthropocene’?

17.30 Reception at the Faculty of Law Library

---

Thursday 13 September: Letten Prize Award Ceremony

14:00 – 15:00 Award Ceremony, Gamle Festsal

Master of Ceremony: Asta Busingye Lydersen

• A brief introduction to Letten F. Saugstad and her life and work, given by Professor Borghild Roald
• A statement from the committee, represented by Associate Professor Katerini T. Storeng
• An interview with the winner of the 2018 Letten Prize, Tarunabh Khaitan, and Asta Busingye Lydersen.
• Music from music students at Barratt Due Institute of Music.

Register now.  

---

The venues during the Letten Prize Days

All venues are located around the University Square, at the central campus of the University of Oslo. The closest tube station is Nationaltheateret.

The Letten Seminar and the Letten Award Ceremony take place at Gamle Festsal. The lunch takes place at Aulakjelleren and the reception at the Law Library. 

On 23 May the Young Academy of Norway launches its new report “Young researchers in Norway: Career paths and ambitions”. The launch is followed by the debate “The postdoc dilemma – when to stay and when to leave academia?”

Where: The event takes place at Klubben, Samfundet (Trondheim)

When: 23 May – doors open at 19.30 for mingling and some finger food, the event starts at 20.00.

Register: Entrance is free, but we ask you to sign up here.

Program: 
First, Katrien De Moor from the Young Academy of Norway will present a number of key findings. Next, the panel discussion will address different topics and challenges related to the “postdoc career path”. How can you best navigate in and out of academia? How are you to balance between expectations inside and outside academia and for how long? When is it time to let go? We will also discuss which role research institutions can and should play in this respect, and how can they optimally support postdoctoral researchers.

Panel:

• Pål Romundstad, Vice-dean for research at the Medical Faculty at NTNU and member of NTNUs postdoc career development pilot project “Postdoc Action”
• Anne Kjersti Fahlvik, Executive director, Business and Technology division, Research Council of Norway
• Edgar Lopez, postdoc and participant in the Postdoc Action pilot project, board member of SiN and coordinator of the mobility working group in Eurodoc.
• Katrien De Moor, postdoc and member of The Young Academy of Norway
• Jon Iddeng, Special adviser, Forskerforbundet

The panel discussion will be moderated by Nina Røkkum, president of DION and representative for the temporary employees in the NTNU board.

On 23 May the Young Academy of Norway launches its new report “Young researchers in Norway: Career paths and ambitions”. The launch is followed by the debate “The postdoc dilemma – when to stay and when to leave academia?”

Where: The event takes place at Klubben, Samfundet (Trondheim)

When: 23 May – doors open at 19.30 for mingling and some finger food, the event starts at 20.00.

Register: Entrance is free, but we ask you to sign up here.

Program: 
First, Katrien De Moor from the Young Academy of Norway will present a number of key findings. Next, the panel discussion will address different topics and challenges related to the “postdoc career path”. How can you best navigate in and out of academia? How are you to balance between expectations inside and outside academia and for how long? When is it time to let go? We will also discuss which role research institutions can and should play in this respect, and how can they optimally support postdoctoral researchers.

Panel:

• Pål Romundstad, Vice-dean for research at the Medical Faculty at NTNU and member of NTNUs postdoc career development pilot project “Postdoc Action”
• Anne Kjersti Fahlvik, Executive director, Business and Technology division, Research Council of Norway
• Edgar Lopez, postdoc and participant in the Postdoc Action pilot project, board member of SiN and coordinator of the mobility working group in Eurodoc.
• Katrien De Moor, postdoc and member of The Young Academy of Norway
• Jon Iddeng, Special adviser, Forskerforbundet

The panel discussion will be moderated by Nina Røkkum, president of DION and representative for the temporary employees in the NTNU board.

Read the report:

Read the full report Unge forskere i Norge (in Norwegian) and the summary Young researchers in Norway – Career paths and ambitions (in English).

The Letten Foundation and the Young Academy of Norway have joined forces to establish the Letten Prize for young researchers. The Prize of 2 million NOK (ca. 215 000 EUR/260 000 USD) will be awarded every other year. The deadline is 31 May 2018. 

Research is paramount for solving global challenges. Yet the role of research and the researchers behind changemaking discoveries often remain hidden. Celebrating young researchers’ commitment towards solving global human development challenges, the Letten Prize aims to change this.

A generous prize

The Letten Prize of 2 million NOK (ca. 215 000 EUR/260 000 USD) will be awarded every other year to a young researcher under the age of 45 who conducts research aimed at solving global challenges within the fields of health, development, environment and equality in aspects of human life. Aimed at reaching a global audience and funding research of great societal relevance, researchers within all disciplines are encouraged apply for the prize. The call for applications runs from 3 April to 31 May 2018 with shortlisted candidates called for interviews in late June/early July. The winner will receive the award in Oslo on 13 September 2018.

A new partnership

Since Professor Letten F. Saugstad (1925-2014) founded the Letten Foundation in 1986, the foundation has funded research in Norway and abroad. According to the Letten Foundation’s board members, Professors Borghild Roald and Sidsel Roalkvam, the prize marks a new era for the foundation.

In the years to come, efforts will be concentred on building up the prize, Roald and Roalkvam say.

Both are delighted to have joined forces with the vibrant Young Academy of Norway in establishing the prize.

The Chair of the Young Academy of Norway, Dr. Magnus Aronsen, is equally excited about the new partnership.

For us as a young organization, the prize represents a unique opportunity to celebrate both researchers and research: The prize celebrates the commitment of excellent young researchers and will no doubt make a big difference for the winners in the years to come. At the same time, the prize also serves as a platform wherein we hope to increase the public awareness and inform debate on how research can be used to solve global challenges, Aronsen says.

More information

On the Letten Prize website.

Keep up to date by following the Letten Prize and the Young Academy of Norway on social media.

Facebook

@lettenprize

@akademietforyngreforskere

Twitter

@lettenprize

@yngreforskere