News

Innovators from 10-12 years old. The competition is held in collaboration with RU, the University of Iceland, and other partners. The competition's main goal is to harness children's creativity and strengthen innovative work in primary schools. Preparation starts in the fall and ends with a workshop where finalists further implement their ideas with the help of instructors from RU, HÍ, and more.

Albert Alonso-Villar, a PhD student in engineering at Reykjavik University, recently received the Transport Forum's (ITF) 2024 Young Researcher of the Year Award for his research on the effects of cold climates on heavy-duty vehicles powered by batteries.

Students from the School of Technology will graduate at 11:00 a.m. and students from the School of Social Sciences at 2:00 p.m.

A new board of SFHR, the Student Association at Reykjavik University has now been voted. Board members are preparing various events for their students this fall and look forward to new beginnings this August.

Are you a university or graduate student eager to explore new horizons and forge international friendships? Here's your chance to embark on an unforgettable journey to Japan!

The Mayor of Reykjavík, Einar Þorsteinsson, visited Reykjavik University recently. Accompanying him was Björg Magnúsdóttir, assistant to the mayor. The mayor visited some of the research labs within RU and looked at the facilities available to staff and students.

The International Girls in ICT Day was held at Reykjavik University last week with 1.200 participants. Several workshops related to the technology sector were held at RU and over 20 companies greeted groups of girls showing them around the workplace. Both intended to empower them to look into possible studies and work in the field. 

Lorena Guerrini, a PhD student, presented her PhD thesis proposal on profiling postural control using biosignals and virtual reality.

Tinna Rut Hannesdóttir is a graduate student in the MSc Digital Health program at Reykjavik University. She finds the program very exciting, emphasizing user-friendly design where all decisions are made in the user's best interest. Tinna Rut works for Sidekick Health, which offers digital solutions for the healthcare system.

Tinna Baldursdóttir recently received an award for an outstanding final MSc project in Clinical Psychology from the Icelandic Physiological Association. The project was aimed at evaluating how successful it had proved for parents to use cognitive behavioural therapy when tackling anxiety among their children. 

Gréta Matthíasdóttir, head of Student Counselling and Career Centre at Reykjavík University, says that the value of the degree, the excellent facilities at RU, the structure of programmes and the good reputation of the university make it a fascinating option.

Reykjavík University and Landsvirkjun have agreed on cooperation in the fields of energy, climate and sustainability. The agreement states that Landsvirkjun will provide a total of 65 million kr. during the next five years to fund research in the areas covered by the agreement, promote education on sustainability and to graduate more students from the academic fields surrounding sustainability. 

Students from the Department of Law at RU are the winners of the 2023-2024 EEA Law Moot Court, held at the Supreme Court of Iceland this weekend. Students train for the competition with a specially designed EEA Moot Court course at RU which offers an exciting opportunity to gain international experience and deal with topical legal issues in EU/EEA law.

Psychology students at RU introduced their projects dedicated to the brain during Brain Awareness Week held internationally this week. The week has been celebrated since 1996 and aims to foster public enthusiasm and support for brain science.

The primary school programming competition Forritunarkeppni framhaldsskólanna 2024 was held last Saturday, March 9, at Reykjavík University and the University of Akureyri. A record number of enthusiastic programmers participated this year, or 149 in 55 teams. Morgunblaðið, newspaper in Iceland, published an article about the competition.

A part of the annual University Day are visits to Menntaskólinn á Egilsstöðum og Háskólanum á Akureyri. Staff and students from RU greeted guests and introduced high school students in Egilsstaðir, Akureyri, and neighbouring towns to study at RU.

Reykjavík University's Department of Business and Economics is pleased to announce its partnership with the Nordic Research School in Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NORSI), a significant development in the academic landscape.

Ian Jeffreys has joined the Department of Sport Science as a guest professor. Jeffreys is an internationally renowned and award-winning coach, educator, and author. A former professional rugby player and international coach, he is regarded as a world authority in the development of speed and agility for team sports where his Gamespeed system and RAMP warm-ups have significantly impacted practice around the world. 

The university day was unusual because there was more participation in classes and walks around the school than we were used to. So people spread out a lot and went more in depth than I've ever seen. It was so nice to meet all these people.

Reykjavík University (HR) presents an exciting summer course in collaboration with NeurotechEU, set to unfold at Reykjavík University at the end of May 2024.

Ásthildur Gunnarsdóttir has been appointed Director of Communications and Marketing at Reykjavik University. She has worked in communications and marketing for over a decade, specializing in digital marketing and business management. Ásthildur comes from Veritas Corporation, where she served as the Sales, Service and Marketing Manager at Stod ehf. For about five years Ásthildur was part of the management team at Sahara Advertising Agency where she held the position of Operations Manager in the Social Media department.

At the beginning of February, a seminar was organised by the Department of Law department at Reykjavik University regarding the preliminary ruling of the International Court of Justice in The Hague in the recently handed down case of South Africa v Israel.

Following a cyberattack on Reykjavik University (RU) at the end of January/beginning of February, where the University's systems were taken down and locked with encryption, experts have been working to analyze and investigate the attack, rebuild computer systems and recover data. That work has gone well. It should be noted that as soon as the security breach was discovered, extensive measures were taken to block the access of the attackers and limit the impact on the rights and freedoms of the individuals on whom RU processes information.

Dr. David Christian Finger has been promoted to the position of associate professor within the Department of Engineering at Reykjavik University following the assessment of an international evaluation committee.

Vitinn, an innovative competition linked to the fishing industry in Iceland, was held last week for RU students. The competition has been held with the loyal support of Fisheries Iceland (SFS) and Icelandair Cargo since 2015, but this year the competitors worked on solutions and development for Ice Fresh Seafood.

Dr. Marta Gandiglio, Assistant Professor, Department of Energy,  and Dr. Paolo Marocco, Assistant Professor, Department of Energy,
Politecnico di Torino (Italy)

Thursday, February 22nd, 12:30-1:30 pm V105

The Board of Reykjavik University does not consider it an option to reduce the operating income of the University by 1200 millions ISK per year by accepting the suggestion of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation for increased state contribution and no tuition fees.

Due to a cyber attack on HR's system, the application website and network are down. Work is being done to get this sorted, and when that stage is reached, it will be announced here on ru.is.

A cyber attack was carried out on the university's systems. This was a case of ransomware where a portion of the data was encrypted (locked with encryption) and a ransom demanded. It has been decided to rebuild all computer systems from scratch, which is the course of action recommended by Syndis cybersecurity experts following a ransomware attack.

Reykjavik University (RU) Professor Susanne Durst, alongside collaborators Florian Kragulj from Vienna University of Economics and Business – WU and Raysa Rocha from the University of Beira Interior – UBI, is leading a project with a straightforward goal: address key challenges in European entrepreneurship.

In the middle of August, the Iceland School of Energy held a poster session at the conclusion of its Energy Field School.

Reykjavik University would like to draw attention to the course "Moral Profit - Sustainability From A Global Perspective", an elective course at RU's Faculty of Business. As the title implies, the course deals with ethical profit and sustainability from an international perspective. The impact of sustainability on management and operations and the responsibility of individuals in that context will be examined. Emphasis is placed on positively discussing the issue of sustainability and looking at the opportunities that sustainability can lead to across borders. The teacher is Ólafur Reynir Guðmundsson, Harvard, IE Business School.

Eight students graduated from the computer science department of Reykjavík University at the University of Akureyri last Saturday. The collaboration between the universities began in the fall of 2015, and fifty students have graduated since then, 55 with a BSc degree and four with a diploma in computer science.

Dr Ármann Gylfason is the newly appointed Dean of the Department of Engineering at Reykjavík University. Ármann received his PhD in engineering from Cornell University in 2006, his MSc from the same university in 2003, and his BSc in engineering from the University of Iceland in 2000. His postgraduate and doctoral studies were in aerospace engineering, while his undergraduate studies were in mechanical and industrial engineering.

Kristján H. Hákonarson has been appointed director of information technology at Reykjavík University and will start work on August 1st. The IT department of HR operates the university's computer system, takes care of necessary software development and manages comprehensive user service for students and staff. This group estimates a total of 5,200 people, so the IT services scope is considerable.

Congratulations to the RU negotiation team, consisting of Andri Baldvinsson, Soffía Ósk Kristinsdóttir, and Halldór Ægir Halldórsson, for securing an impressive third place in the Negotiation Challenge held in Rome. This accomplishment highlights their dedication, strategic thinking, and excellent negotiation skills.

May 15^th is International Huntington's Disease (HD) Awareness Day. To celebrate that a conference will be held at the University of Reykjavík on May 15.

On Friday, April 29th, Reykjavik University held its general meeting. The usual general meeting duties were carried out, and after the general meeting, a joint meeting of the University Council and the Board of Directors occurred.

Twenty-four projects carried out by researchers at Reykjavik University received funding from the Icelandic Student Innovation Fund for the summer of 2023. The projects from RU received a total of over 65 million in funding, and 64 students are participating.

Kristín Ösp Þorleifsson, is a service manager at Samskip. Her daily tasks involve managing services for the company´s numerous customers as well as being responsible for invoicing, settlements and other things. In addition, she has participated in various projects within the company. She is currently the project manager for the implementation of a new computer system designed to manage the company's logistics system.

Ragnhildur Helgadóttir, President of Reykjavik University, spent the last week in Poland, where she and others from RU met with the staff of Kozminski University in Warsaw. She also attended the annual conference of the European University Association in Gdansk.

Melkorka Rán Hafliðadóttir is a young athlete and coach who graduated with a master's degree in sports science from Reykjavík University in 2022. She currently works as the head strength coach of the KR soccer department and aims to study for a doctorate in sports science next fall.

Guðni Valur Guðnason is an Olympian and Icelandic record holder in the discus, pursuing a master's degree in sports science at Reykjavík University. Guðni completed the BSc undergraduate program in sports science at HR in the spring of 2022 and said he immediately decided to continue with a master's programme. However, he did not always intend to attend university and first studied to be an electrician.

 The winners of the innovation competition, Vitinn 2023, generously sponsored by Fisheries Iceland (SFS), Icelandair Cargo, and the American Embassy, were rewarded with an opportunity to attend the Boston Seafood Expo. Vitinn is an innovation competition organized at Reykjavik University, where students are tasked with implementing a specific solution or product for a partner company.

Hvatasjóður educational fund is now open for applications. The fund is a cooperation between by Reykjavik University and Landsbankinn in Iceland. The aim is to secure equality for high school graduates students who hold a another first language than Icelandic to study at undergraduate level at Reykjavik University.

Dr Ólafur Eysteinn Sigurjónsson has been appointed Dean of the School of Technology at Reykjavík University. He's been teaching engineering at RU for almost 15 years as a professor, assistant professor and docent, in parallel with leading extensive activities and research at the Blood Bank of Landspítali University Hospital.

Rakel completed her Master's degree in marketing from Reykjavik University in 2020. She says that the course was varied, and connected to the business world. In the Master's program in marketing, students gain a good understanding of marketing and develop analytical skills, communication skills and the ability to develop and utilize business opportunities.

Júlíana Ingimundardóttir graduated in Applied Engineering from Reykjavik University in January last year and now works at EFLA. She says that Applied Engineer's work is highly diverse. Studying Applied Engineering at RU emphasizes building project skills, professional knowledge, and connections with the working world.

Halldór Kristinsson completed a master's degree in corporate finance at Reykjavík University's Department of Business Administration. He found the study rewarding and says having good facilities and access to teachers is very important.

After graduation, Ragnhildur Guðmundsdóttir Khorchai, aims to apply for jobs in the field. The programme prepares future engineers for progressive jobs in developing new tools and methods for diagnosing and treating diseases and applying engineering methods in biology and medicine. Graduates from the programme enter their field with the knowledge and expertise needed to excel in various specialities, including prosthetics, artificial organs, biometrics systems, medical devices manufacture, clinical engineering, rehabilitation, sport science and tissue engineering.

Reykjavik University and Kozminski University announce a new creative competition for college students: "Save the Earth - Sustainability matters." The competition is a cooperative project, and its rules and topics are the same in Iceland and Poland, even though the competition in each country is independent.

Reykjavik University Research Services has compiled the report "Academic Strength of Reykjavik University" which shows great progress in RU regarding RU publications in peer-reviewed outlets and RU-affiliated publications for the period 2012-2021.

On Wednesday, March 29th, Reykjavik University held an open house where all graduate master's programmes at the school were presented. Representatives of all the master's programmes were on-site and answered guests' questions, and you can walk around the school and view the facilities or attend some open classes and presentations.

María Fjóla Harðardóttir, director of Hrafnista homes, graduated from Reykjavík University's MPM program in 2014. Studying in project management was precisely what María was looking for - a study that she could use to improve herself as a nurse and manager or allow her to do something completely different. The MPM program is an efficient two-year academic program that can be taken alongside professional responsibilities. The programme is designed to provide career-focused training relevant to current industry standards. 

The visit by the US Ambassador to Iceland, Carrin F. Patman, to the EMBA students at RU is a great honour for the program and its students. Ambassador Patman is a respected leader in her field, with a wealth of experience in business, law, and public service. Her visit provided the students with an opportunity to learn from her insights and expertise and to gain a deeper understanding of the importance of responsible leadership in today's global business environment.

Ylfa Rakel Ólafsdóttir was surprised by how much emphasis is placed on students developing their personal strengths, leadership and communication skills in the MPM program at Reykjavik University. The MPM program is designed to meet the growing demand for graduates who can successfully lead projects, across all sectors and industries, from the initial stages of assessing the viability of a project to completion and timely deliverance.

Lilja Sigrún Sigmarsdóttir says that the MPM program at Reykjavík University is exciting and that the student group is strong. MPM is designed to meet the growing demand for graduates who can lead projects across all sectors and industries.

Find out about all master's programs at Reykjavik University

A group of staff from Reykjavík University attended the Innovations in Management conference held by MIT University on March 8 and 9 in Boston, USA. In addition, the group met with some of MIT's experts. The conference was a great success, and the RU staff benefited and enjoyed the visit.

The annual University Day was celebrated in RU and other universities in the Southwest corner of the country on Saturday, March 4. Students, teachers, and RU staff welcomed thousands of visitors, discussed the course offerings, held open classes, discussed the services available, showed the facilities at the university, and opened the doors to research centers and workshops.

The Department of Computer Science at Reykjavik University underwent a formative research evaluation in November 2022. The evaluation was carried out by a high-profile panel consisting of Geraldine Fitzpatrick (TU Wien, Austria), Kim Guldstrand Larsen, (Aalborg University, Denmark) and Michael Wooldridge  (University of Oxford, United Kingdom).

NeurotechEU Postdoctoral grants will support 15 excellent postdoctoral researchers in the partner institutions of Neurotech. The applicants selected for this grant will be affiliated with the European University Alliance for Brain and Technology or Neurotech, of which Reykjavík University is a member.

Thin Lei Win, an award-winning multimedia journalist specializing in food and climate issues for various international news media, recently gave a lecture at Reykjavik University. In her lecture, Our food systems are broken, and if we don't fix them, us humans will be in trouble too. Very soon, Thin Lei pointed out that the way we currently produce, process, transport, consume and discard food is not sustainable.

Eight women and one man were promoted in academic positions last year, 2022, at Reykjavík University.

RU Research Fund has awarded 12 new Ph.D. Student Grants. The total amount awarded to new projects is 77.040.000 ISK. The Fund received 22 new applications.

The European Digital Innovation Hub Iceland (EDHI-IS) started working last week. RU is establishing a new program in Digital Transformation with a focus on artificial intelligence.

Thirty-three of RU's international students from around the world study Icelandic at the Department of Preliminary Studies twice a week. The main focus of the classes is on speaking the language.

How does the pushback on the LGBTQI+ movement appear? How can we support the fight to equal rights? Is Iceland a queer paradise? How can we adopt a gender neutral language? What is beautiful about queerness?

A research group led by Paolo Gargiulo, a RU‘s Department of Engineering professor, received an Excellence Grant from the Research Foundation for just over 55 million ISK. 

Reykjvík University‘s International Day was celebrated last Thursday, January 26. RU students got to know about international opportunities, such as exchange/internship abroad, and Icelandic exchange students were available to talk about their experiences abroad.

Marking the 25^th anniversary of Reykjavík University, all major events from the university's origins through today were compiled. The university traces its roots back to 1964 when the Technical College of Iceland was founded.

A rectors' meeting of Reykjavík University took place in Reykjavik University on Thursday, January 26, on the occasion of the university's 25th anniversary, 1998-2023. Guðbjörg Edda Eggertsdóttir, chairman of the board and the RU University Council, welcomed the guests and the minister of universities, industry, and innovation, Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir, delivered a speech. The event marks the beginning of the year's diverse celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary.

Our flags are up in the Sun, which means RU’s International day is approaching! During the event, you will have the opportunity to learn about opportunities abroad while studying at RU.

Reykjavík University's Department of Business Administration received a welcome addition when three foreign academics started working at the department at the beginning of the year. Dr. Susanne Durst has been appointed to the position of Professor of Management, Dr. Anna Thoresson was hired as a lecturer in economics and Dr. Patrick Weiss has been hired as a lecturer in finance.

Reykjavík University participates in 16 of the 25 applications that received funding from the Higher Ed Cooperation Fund. The Higher Ed Cooperation Fund is an initiative set up by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation with special funding in fall 2022. The allocation of the Higher Ed Cooperation was announced at a ceremony in Gróska today, January 12. 

Reykjavik University seeks an ambitious academic leader to carry on the development of its growing Department of Computer Science. The department chair is responsible for administrative affairs and the faculty's academic agenda. The chair reports to the Dean of the School of Technology, as well as being a member of the university‘s Executive Committee.

According to the calculation of Dr. Peter O'Donoghue's, professor at the Reykjavík University‘s Department of Sports Science, the men's Handball World Championship is wide open! Iceland do have a chance of winning the tournament but it is a slim chance or 0.4%. That's the conclusion of a predictive modelling exercise conducted by the Sports Science Department.

Andrés Laverde graduated with a master's degree in Sustainable Energy from ISE (Iceland School of Energy) at Reykjavik University this May. Andrés comes from Bogotá in Colombia and graduated with a BSc in Geosciences from Los Andes University in Bogotá. During his studies, he grew a great interest in volcanology, energy, and sustainability and focused on research on volcanology and geothermal resources.

Ambassador of the European Union to Iceland, Lucie Samcová - Hall Allen, visited Reykjavík University this week. The President of RU, Ragnhildur Helgadóttir, invited the ambassador to come and discuss research and development as well as get to know the university and its activities.

The Minister of the Environment, Energy and Climate visited students in Applied Engineering and presented the Ministry's project "The way to success in environmental issues". In the course Introduction to Applied Engineering, students deal with practical projects that are all related to environmental and energy issues.

Ender Demir, Associate Professor at Reykjavík University's Department of Business Administration, is one of the authors of an academic research that recently appeared in the Research in International Business and Finance Journal. It reports a first attempt at measuring the market reaction to firms’ SEC disclosures related to Metaverse activity.

Jón Haukur Arnarson has been appointed Chief Executive of Operations (COO) at Reykjavík University. He will start at RU at the beginning of 2023.

The Department of Engineering at Reykjavík University, with other universities, recently received an Erasmus+ European grant of 400,000 Euros. The grant is awarded for writing manuals on management for the construction industry.

Dr. Snjólaug Árnadóttir recently wrote a blog post for the World Lawyers‘ Pledge on Climate Action about carbon removal in Iceland and the launch of the Centre for Law on Climate Change and Sustainability (CLoCCS). CLoCCS was established partly to honor the Pledge, which Snjólaug participated in making, and aims to accelerate climate action. The blog discusses legal gaps and inequitable outcomes of existing laws resulting from the climate crisis and explains how lawyers can address these challenges to contribute to meaningful climate action.

Reykjavík University is now officially a full participant in NeurotechEU, the European University of Brain and Technology, which is a joint project (European University Initiative) of several leading research universities in Europe in the field of neuro-technology. 

An article by researchers at Reykjavík University and 3Z appeared recently in the Nature journal Neuropsychopharmacology. The article describes new drugs for ADHD that are in development.

The drugs are currently undergoing further testing and are being developed for the market. 

Four PhD students of the Institute of Biomedical and Neural Engineering (IBNE) recently attended the IEEE MetroXRAINE conference in Rome 2022, which stands for the International Conference on Metrology for eXtended Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and Neural Engineering. Two of them, Marco Recenti and Deborah Jacob won individual prizes for research presented during the conference: Marco won the best PhD Contribution award, and Deborah won the Best Paper Presented by a Woman award.

Ágúst Valfells, Chair of The Department of Engineering at Reykjavík University, was part of a delegation that Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, led to Singapore. An agreement was reached with a university to establish an exchange program.

Students in the third year of Applied Energy/Mechanical Engineering at Reykjavik University worked on an interesting project last week in the Practical Project course, where they built a model of a Geysir.

Iceland School of Energy recently organized a workshop, field visits, and training for over 20 Slovenian representatives. The events were a part of INFO-GEOTHERMAL, a pre-defined project Supporting Efficient Cascade Use of Geothermal Energy by Unlocking Official and Public Information in Slovenia.

There are two active equality associations at Reykjavík University, on the one hand, the SFHR (Student Association at Reykjavík) Association for Equality and on the other hand the RU Equality Committee. The committees met recently.

Ragnhildur Helgadóttir, President of Reykjavik University, and Jón Atli Benediktsson, Rector of the University of Iceland, signed an agreement last week on the increased collaboration of RU with Höfði Reykjavík Peace Center and the University of Iceland on the community growth space Snjallræði.

RU managers visited MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in Boston, USA. The purpose of the trip was to meet partners, learn from them, share knowledge, and start work on RU strategy until 2030.

Reykjavik University recently signed an institution-wide license with Gradescope, which is a system for grading many different types of student assignments. This week the parent company of Gradescope, Turnitin LLC, is hosting a large conference featuring Gradescope,

Nutrition science is an emerging area of sports science and has become more of a focus as a part of a routine for an athlete. Dr Chris Curtis has worked in the field for the past 14 years, overlooking postgraduate programs in sports nutrition at universities across the UK, and carrying out research among Premier league footballers on the connection between nutrition and their recovery from sports injuries. He gave a talk on the subject at an open event in RU last week. 

Flash was the winning team in the first RU Mechatronics Robot Race on September 23. The team consisted of Geir Ragnarsson, Fróði Brooks Kristjánsson, Sigurður Teitur Tannason and Óttar Egill Arnarson. Mechatronics students have been working hard with an affordable mobile robotics kit developed by summer interns from the University of Strasbourg to learn about sensors, movement, and control. 

Björn Þór Jónsson, associate professor at Reykjavik University and Maria Eirini Pegia a PhD student at the Department of Computer Science at Reykjavik University, received the best paper award at the International Conference on Content-Based Multimedia Indexing CBMI 2022.

The staff of Reykjavík University is encouraged to familiarize themselves with the University Cooperation Fund, which has been set up by the Minister of Higher Education, Industry, and Innovation. Staff is encouraged to come up with ideas for possible collaborative projects and to share them with their next supervisor or Dean within the next week.

Nordic Council of Ministers Office offers an internship where you can work with Nordic-Baltic cooperation on topics such as sustainability, technology, democracy, equality and much more!

The Regional Development Institute announces grants for master's students working on theses in the field of regional development in Iceland. For allocation are up to IKR 1.000.000, and the aim is to provide four grants.

Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation, Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir, and the President of Reykjavík University, Ragnhildur Helgadóttir, have signed a new service agreement valid for the next five years (2023-2027). The agreement concerns both teaching and research at the university.

Reykjavik University's Board of Directors has extended the contract of dr. Ragnhildur Helgadóttir, RU‘s President until 2026. 

Peter O'Donoghue is a newly appointed professor at Reykjavík University's Department of Sports Science. He is widely known for his work, research, and teaching in sports performance analysis and is a prolific researcher.

Jón Goði Ingvarsson recently started as President of Reykjavík University's Student Union (SFHR).

Kristinn R. Þórisson, professor of artificial intelligence at the Department of Computer Science at Reykjavik University, is among the interviewees for the series Techtopia, produced by German television station DW. The series is dedicated to future technology, presented by screenwriter and executive producer of the series, Janosch Delcker. The series includes interviews with scientists in the field of artificial intelligence, as well as ethical issues and visions.

A successful Orientation week was held at RU this week. More than 1.200 new students were welcomed with a variety of lectures, faculty presentations and fun events. 

Reykjavik University has been ranked twelfth among the best small universities published recently in the Times Higher Education (THE) list.

On Saturday, 18th of June, Reykjavík University will graduate students at a ceremony in Eldborg in Harpa Concert Hall.

Nordlys, one of RU's Nordic partner networks within Nordplus, met at an annual meeting at Reykjavík University, the first on-site meeting for two years. The participants are working with international mobility within Nordic universities. 27 were present and 10 online. The theme of the meeting was a green and sustainable lifestyle during exchange studies in the host country. RU's International Office organized the workshop and got several people to give presentations.

The education fund of Sameinaðir verktakar (“United Contractors”) allocates scholarships for further education to students of applied engineering, engineering and computer science at RU that are equivalent to the amount of tuition fees in RU for one semester. The application deadline is June 7.

The MBA class of 2022 is currently in Boston on a three day workshop as a part of their final project. The workshop is held at MIT premises, where the students get assistance from specialists from MIT DesignX and RU.

It is broadly perceived that we are living during transformative times, that will have a growing impact on the labour market, education, and society as a whole even when pandemics and national conflicts are put aside.

Change involves both opportunities and challenges. The symposium, organised by the Department of Business Administration at Reykjavík University, attempts to look ahead, into the immediate future, in an attempt to be better prepared to lead, create and adapt successfully.

Discussions will mainly focus on the future of work and education from the perspective of different social actors.

Reykjavik University will hold a seminar on the war in Ukraine with an emphasis on the situation of children and youth who seek refuge in Iceland. The seminar will be held on Thursday 24th of March from 12:00 - 13:15, in room V102 at Reykjavik University, and will also be streamed and recorded.

Framadagar will be held next Friday, March 11 at 10 - 14 in Sólin in RU. Framadagar AISEC give university students the opportunity to get familiar with companies and various possibilities for summer jobs, future jobs or project work.

The Icelandic Rectors' Conference strongly condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Rectors' Conference expresses its solidarity with university students and staff of Ukrainian universities, as well as the entire nation. The committee's thoughts are with all those suffering as a result of the conflict, as well as those forced to flee.

Reykjavík University is in 53rd place in the Times Higher Education magazine's newly published list of the best young universities in the world (Young Universities Ranking). The list includes 750 universities that have been operating for 50 years or less.

The aim of the International days is to provide students at RU with information on study abroad opportunities.

Dr Slawomir Koziel, professor at RU‘s Department of Engineering, has been elected a Fellow of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) for contributions to modeling and optimization of microwave devices and circuits. This recognition stands as a testament to Dr Koziel‘s excellent research and influence on his field worldwide. This is a distinct honour as less than 0.1% of all IEEE members are made fellows each year.

Dr Kamilla Rún Jóhannsdóttir has been appointed Chair of the Department of Psychology at Reykjavík University.

Dr Jón Þór Sturluson has been appointed Chair of the Reykjavik University Department of Business Administration.

"We all feel it on our own skin when we have not slept well. It affects our day and colors everything in our lives."

Susana Malcorra and Maria Fernanda Espinosa, members of the Women Leaders Voices for Change and Inclusion, who are now participating in the Reykjavik Global Forum - Women Leaders (WPL), visited RU yesterday.

Valid to 17 November 2021, in accordance with the current Rules about Restrictions of Gatherings.

On Saturday, October 30, Reykjavík University graduated 109 students at a ceremony in Norðurljós in Harpa Concert Hall. Ten students graduated from undergraduate studies, 96 from master's studies and three graduated with a doctorate.

The mail servers for RU employee emails have been under attack recently. Students' emails are stored in the cloud and have therefore not been affected. There are no indications that other information systems at the University have been affected by the attack and no data loss nor leakage has been confirmed. Emails were encrypted on one of two servers, but copies were available on another server.

Students at Reykjavík University will gain knowledge through NLFÍ's decades of expertise, have opportunities for internships, and conduct research according to a new agreement signed recently  by Ragnhildur Helgadóttir, President of RU and Þór Haraldsson, director of the NLFÍ Rehabilitiation Clinic. 

Representatives of Reykjavík University and Cornell University have signed a letter of intend (LOI)on co-operation in education and research related to sustainability, with an emphasis on sustainable energy. The LOI is based on Cornell's framework agreement with GRP Iceland on extensive co-operation in the field of sustainability, energy, innovation and climate, which has been in place since 2016, and was renewed on the same occasion.

Recognitions for outstanding academic performance last semester were recently presented at a ceremony at RU. Students on the Dean’s list of each department get the tuition fees waived. The school Deans and department chairs handed out the grants. Arion Bank is the sponsor of RU's Dean’s list.

More than 250 apartments and rooms for students at Reykjavík University were formally opened at Nauthólsvegur today.

The Science and Technology Policy Council's Incentive Award 2021 was presented at the Rannís Research Forum today. Dr. Erna Sif Arnardóttir, from RU's Departments of Engineering and Computer Science and Dr. Martin Ingi Sigurðsson, professor of anesthesia and intensive care medicine at the University of Iceland, and physician in the same field at Landspítali, received the award this time. 

Dr Bryndís Björk Ásgeirsdóttir has been appointed Dean of the School of Social Sciences at Reykjavik University. The departments of Psychology, Business Administration, Law and Sport Science. The RU School of Social Sciences includes the Departments of Psychology, Business Administration, Law, and Sports Science.

Reykjavík University is now taking part in an effort to encourage staff and students to give their cars a rest in September and try other means of transport.

In Times Higher Education (THE) 2022 ranking of the world's best universities, published yesterday, Reykjavík University ranks highest of all universities in research influence, for the third year in a row. The research is assessed on the basis of the number of citations in peer-reviewed scientific articles. RU maintains its position at 301-350 among the world's best universities, the highest of Icelandic universities on the list.

The board of Reykjavík University has appointed Dr Ragnhildur Helgadóttir, Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Professor at the Department of Law, President of Reykjavik University. Dr Helgadóttir takes over the position from Dr Ari Kristinn Jónsson, who has been RU's President for the past eleven years.

These are among the topics students and researchers will be giving extra focus over the coming years according to the first allocation from RU's latest initative, the Infrastructure Fund. 

HR welcomed 192 exchange students and 59 international degree seeking students in mid-August. This year‘s orientation period stretched over a longer period of time than usual. The International Office offered an online mandatory pre-orientation course through Canvas, videos, presentations and quizzes. Students could complete this at their own pace before arrival to Iceland. Students were also offered pre-arrival live sessions.

The Ministry of Education has published guidelines on infection control in schools for the autumn of 2021, see here. According to the guidelines, teaching can proceed as scheduled after the weekend.

Háskólinn í Reykjavík útskrifar kandídata við hátíðlega athöfn í Eldborg Hörpu, laugardaginn 19. júní. Vegna samkomutakmarkana verða haldnar tvær athafnir. Nemendur tæknisvið verða brautskráðir kl. 11-13 og nemendur samfélagssviðs kl. 14-16.

Reykjavík University has received about 3,800 applications for studies for the school year 2021-2022, but the application deadline for undergraduate studies expired on 5 June. This is a similar total number of applications as last autumn. Applications for master's studies increase by 5% between years, setting a new record for most applications for master's studies at RU.

A study of over 59,000 Icelandic adolescents by a team of Icelandic and North American behavioral and social scientists has found that COVID-19 has had a significant, detrimental impact on adolescent mental health, especially in girls.

Current vaccination programmes alone will have a limited effect in stopping the second wave of COVID infections in the US, according to a study conducted by scientists from Reykjavik University, University of Lyon, University of Southern Denmark and University of Naples Federico II, and published in the Nature Group journal Scientific Reports today. The findings suggest that strict social distancing and other non-pharmaceutical methods are still necessary to end the ongoing second wave in the US and prevent a new one from rising.

Reykjavík University offers a variety of summer courses for university students and the general public. The courses are part of the government's efforts to respond to the Covid epidemic. There are courses for current RU students, preparatory courses for those who start their studies this autumn and those who want to strengthen their position in the labor market. Some of the courses provide ECTS credits. The Open University also offers a selection of summer courses.

UArctic Congress 2021 takes place May 15-18, 2021 primarily online with limited local participation in Reykjavik, Iceland for the opening and closing plenaries

Applications are open for 140 new summer jobs at Reykjavik University. Deadline for applications is May 23rd. The work period starts June 1st for most of the vacancies and is for two or two and a half months. The jobs are part of an effort by the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Directorate of Labour and Reykjavik University to secure summer jobs for students. The vacancies are especially for students, 18 years and older.

A new regulation on restriction of school operations, valid from 10 May to 26 May, has been published. It does not lead to much changes at RU, but it is a step in the right direction towards a more normal situation.

In a recent article in Sustainability, scientists from Reykjavik University (RU), the University of Gothenburg, and the Icelandic Meteorological Office describe their finding of microplastic in a remote and pristine area of Vatnajokull glacier in Iceland, Europe’s largest ice cap. Microplastics may affect the melting and rheological behaviour of glaciers, thus influencing the future meltwater contribution to the oceans and rising sea levels.

An overview of the publications of RU's academic staff who have a research obligation and participate in the University's research assessment. 

Reykjavik University has become a member of Ripple’s University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI)—the leading university blockchain accelerator program, to solve key challenges in financial technology and advance real-world solutions for blockchain and cryptocurrency. The University thereby joins more than 35 global university partners engaged in blockchain research and building new use cases for fintech.

"This is the project where everything we have learned in the MBA programme comes together!"

We are happy to announce that RU students and alumni are invited to take part in the EFMD Global Virtual Fairs by Highered on April 19-23, as a member of the exclusive EFMD network of top business schools across the globe (Equis accredited business schools).

The government has published a new regulation on the restriction of school operations, which is valid from 15 April to 5 May. No great changes of RU operations will follow and the current examination arrangements will not change from what was previously decided and announced.

Today, a new regulation was published on restrictions on school operations, which will apply from April 1st to 15th. This regulation allows for some on-site learning again and increases the leeway somewhat from current rules. The main points are two-meter distance restrictions, a maximum of 50 students per group and a ban on mixing between groups.

At a press conference earlier today, the government announced new restrictions due to COVID. There will be no on-site teaching at universities, effective midnight tonight and until April 1st. Furthermore, there is a general 10 person limit on gatherings. This has significant impact on teaching and other operations at the university, for at least the next five days, i.e., until the start of Easter break.

Reykjavík Science City, a new tech-park for innovation, research, and technology has now been established - with Reykjavik University as one of the founding members.

The Sleep Revolution, an interdisciplinary research project lead by Reykjavík University, has advertised vacancies for seven doctoral students and two postdocs. The postdoc positions are in the field of computer science and engineering, while the positions of doctoral students is in the fields of computer science, engineering, psychology and sports science. Further information on individual positions can be found on RU's website. The application deadline is March 15.

Icelandic Standards (IST) and Reykjavík University (RU) have signed a co-operation agreement. According to the agreement, students can complete an internship with IST and RU students and teachers can now request free and temporary reading access to standards.

Students from Reykjavík University recently participated in two international business competitions: the Rotman Financial Competition in Canada and the BI Real-World Competition in Oslo.

A group of students in their final year of BSc studies in Biomedical Engineering recently co-wrote a scientific article about their research that was published in the research journal Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. It is rare for undergraduate students to achieve such results in research.

Equality Days 2021 will take place from 1 to 5 February.

Reykjavik University graduates candidates in Harpa on January 30^th.

„We examine the functional relation between behaviour and environment, and in that way try to improve the individuals quality of life“ says Dr. Hanna Steinunn Steingrímsdóttir, Associate Professor in Applied Behavior Analysis at Reykjavík University‘s Department of Psychology. „That is the short description!“

Masters students in information technology can complete portions of their degree programme studies at another Nordic university, whilst earning a double degree 

A new epidemiology regulation for universities took effect on January 1^st. It states that 50 students may share an infection prevention zone, as long as they can keep a 2 meter distance to other students, and that groups of students should not mix in classes.

As usually the RU building will be closed during the holidays as follows:
From 4 pm on December 23rd to 10 am December 27th.
From 4 pm on December 30th to 10 am on January 2nd.
Otherwise the RU building will be open from 8 am to 10 pm from December 19th to January 3rd. From 5 pm, an access card and pin number are needed.

The annual Reykjavik University Awards were announced yesterday, Saturday. The awards are presented to employees who have demonstrated excellence in research, teaching and service. This year’s recipients are Dr. Jack James, professor in the Department of Psychology; Steinunn Groa Sigurðardottir, lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Stefania Gudny Rafnsdottir, who works in finance.

The Dean's list at Reykjavik University is compiled each term in order to award students for their academic achievements. The recognition is in the form a grant, i.e. a full tuition fee waiver for next semester. The Dean's list will be funded by Arion Bank for the next three years, according to an agreement that RU President Ari Kristinn Jonsson and Benedikt Gíslason, Arion CEO, signed yesterday.

The first part of the Reykjavik University student housing has been inaugurated and students moved into its rooms and apartments last August. In this first step of the development, 122 rental units are available: fully furnished individual rooms, individual apartments, apartments for couples and family apartments.

In light of the pressure caused by the impact of Covid on studies and daily life, the decision has been made to reduce students‘ workload by increasing flexibility around final exams for the fall semester of 2020. 

Since the beginning of the Covid epidemic, Reykjavik University has regularly conducted surveys among its students to assess how they feel, how studying at home is going, and more. The results have been used when the University's actions in regard to Covid have been decided upon.

Sleep Revolution, an interdisciplinary international research and development project, has been selected for a 15-million Euro grant from the EU‘s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Health, demographic change and wellbeing.

Dr. Slawomir Koziel is a professor in the Department of Engineering in Reykjavik University. Koziel‘s research is focused on computer aided design and optimization of expensive simulation models, largely carried out in an anaechoic chamber in the basement of the RU main building. He teaches courses mainly in electrical engineering. Dr. Koziel is an extremely proficient scientist with a disciplined work ethic. His research has been cited in over 11 thousand scientific efforts internationally.

Due to the increased number of Covid infections in society, the Icelandic government has announced stricter measures to prevent infections. Those measures influence the university’s operations, but also give leeway for continued on-site teaching, and for students to be able to use university facilities to study. 

Covid-19 infections have been confirmed this week among a small group of RU students. The infection does not seem to be wide-spread as all but one of the known infections are connected and within the same student group. That group and its teachers are now studying and working at home, while the infection tracking team, works on tracking and deciding on who needs to go to quarantine.

Ongoing research promoting sustainable development in Iceland and abroad

Reykjavik University among the 350 best universities in the world and the best Icelandic university according to THE

Dr. Sveinn Vidar Gudmundsson is the new Chair of RU's Dept. of Business Administration. Before joining Reykjavik University, Sveinn was professor of Strategic Management at Toulouse Business School. He is ex-Vice President of the Air Transport Research Society (2006-2019), and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Air Transport Management.

"Do I need to give up coffee?" is probably one of the most common questions health professionals get asked by pregnant women. Today, they will be told that they do not need to stop drinking coffee but should limit consumption to 1-2 normal cups per day. These instructions need to be revised, according to a professor at Reykjavik University.

Yesterday, Wednesday 26th of August, the campaign "Íslenska er allskonar" was launched. The campaign's organisers wish to reach people who have Icelandic as a second language and ask them to participate in the 'Samrómur' project.

The RU building has been divided into more than 30 infection prevention zones, each with a separate entrance. At all entrances there is information on for which classrooms the entrance is used. All classrooms on the first floor, which have emergency exits to the outside, are separate zones and are accessed through the emergency exits only. RU employees and security guards will be outside RU for first few days to assist students with finding their way.

This autumn, around 1700 new students will begin their studies at Reykjavik University, in undergraduate, master‘s, and PhD programs. The number of students at the University has been growing, but this is the largest number of new students so far; an increase of 20% since last autumn.

It is always a great pleasure for teachers and staff to welcome students back to school and start a new school year. This fall is no exception.

Due to a new cluster of domestic COVID infections in Iceland, the government has put in place new restrictions that will remain in effect untilAugust 13th. It is unclear what will happen after August 13th, but Reykjavik University (RU) will abide by directions of Icelandic Health Authorities, which may change at short notice, depending on how society manages to deal with the pandemic.

Would you like to take part in research on motion and seasickness at the RU Motion Sickness Lab? The research is carried using a novel multimeric system based on virtual reality and a mechanical platform, which simulates rough sea, and several biomedical sensors (EEG, EMG, heart rate sensor, etc.). 

Reykjavik University graduates candidates at Harpa June 20 at 11am and 2pm. 

Applications are now open for new apartments and rooms at Reykjavik University Campus. The apartments will be ready this autumn. Available are single, fully furnished rooms with shared kitchen, studio apartments, two room apartments for couples and three room apartments for families. Wireless wifi is available in all apartments.

Reykjavik University has organised a schedule of courses that university students, and the general public, can complete this summer. Many of the courses start in early June.

As of today, May 26^th applications are open for 150 new summer jobs at Reykjavik University. Deadline for applications is June 5^th. The work period is June 10th for most of the vacancies and is for two months. The jobs are part of an effort by the Ministry of Social Affairs, Directorate of Labour and Reykjavik University to secure summer jobs for students. The vacancies are especially for students, 18 years and older.

Graduation ceremony will be held June 20th

Today the government's ban on gatherings and the closing of universities was relaxed. It is great that Iceland has reached this point and we look forward to slowly returning to a more normal situation in university operations.

Dr. Paolo Gargiulo has been promoted to Professor in the Department of Engineering. The evaluation committee consisted of Dr. Andrei Manolescu, Professor, Department of Engineering, Reykjavík University (Chair); Dr. Zohar Yosibashi, Professor, School of Mechanical Engineering, Tel Aviv University; and Karin Wuertz-Kozak, Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology. Following are comments from the report of the committee:

In a recent survey, 92% of students of Reykjavik University (RU) said that they are rather or very happy with the University's response to COVID-19.

In a memo from the Directorate of Health to the Minister of Health on the lifting of certain restrictions on gatherings, it is stated that universities can, to some extent, open their facilities on May 4th, but still with restrictions. 

Some questions and answers that will hopefully be of use to RU students during these special circumstances. 

It has been decided to extend the application deadline for studies at the University of Reykjavik before autumn semester 2020. A new deadline for undergraduate studies is June 15, instead of June 5, and a new deadline for applications for postgraduate studies is May 20, instead of April 30.

Generally, RU students feel that moving all teaching online due to the closure following COVID-19 has been a success. Employees also feel that the transition to working from home has generally worked out well. However, the students do worry about the current situation and their experience with home studies varies. 

The EATCS (European Association for Theoretical Computer Science) Fellow Selection Committee has selected Magnus Mar Halldorsson from RU's Department of Computer Science as one of the EATCS Fellows of 2020. Magnus is honoured for "seminal contributions to the theory of approximation and graph algorithms as well as to the study of wireless algorithmics."

Dr. Luca Aceto, Chair of RU's Department of Computer Science is the first Chair to tell us about his favourite field of research in a new series of videos. The mini-documentaries focus on each Chair of the seven of RU's academic departments and show these individuals in a new light. 

María Óskarsdóttir explains in a short lecture how data and network science are used to analyze the spread of the SARS-CoV-2virus

One of the most pressing dilemmas Icelanders face is the future of their language. The daily lives of Icelanders are so saturated with English, especially through voice controlled technology such as Alexa and Siri, that the government of Iceland decided to do something about it. 

In order to respond to the difficult and complex circumstances students are experiencing during the COVID19 pandemic, Reykjavik University has decided to allow students to choose “pass/fail” as a grading option for spring semester 2020 courses.

As Reykjavik University is now closed due to the Covid 19 epidemic and all teaching online, here is a list of necessary e-mail addresses so that the RU staff can keep on assisting RU students. 

As of today, the government of Iceland has put in force a ban on mass gatherings as a means of prevention of the COVID-19 epidemic. This means that all teaching at Reykjavik University will be moved online from midnight of the morning of Monday, March 16th. RU‘s objective is clear: to ensure that studies go forward, that the courses of spring semester are finished on time, and that students are graduated in June.

According to information from the Directorate of Health in Iceland, as of this Friday, March 6th, 43 individuals in Iceland have been diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease. None of them has become seriously ill. No RU students or employees are among those infected.

Reykjavík University participates in a two-year project within the the EEA and Norway Grants that are funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The Grants have two goals – to contribute to a more equal Europe, both socially and economically – and to strengthen the relations between Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, and the 15 beneficiary countries in Europe.

The annual University Open Day will be held in Reykjavik University on February 29th from 12pm till 4pm. RU welcomes the public in the Sun and various lecture halls with programme introductions for undergraduate and graduate studies.

Lanark county in Canada recently joined the many cities and communities that apply the so-called Icelandic Model, developed by The Icelandic Centre for Social Research and Analysis (ICSRA) at RU, for preventive measures against teenage substance abuse.

The meeting is online and will be held on March 26th between 11:30-12:10. 

During this three-day challenge, students work in teams to develop and put forward an idea for an actual Icelandic company in the Seafood Industry. Vitinn takes place over three days from Thursday to Saturday. 

One of the key foundations of the so-called fourth industrial revolution is Artificial Intelligence. We hear concepts like AI being talked about, but sometimes need practical examples of its use in this much discussed revolution - one that promises to make our life easier and our work more efficient. 

We would like to encourage RU students to keep an eye on the weather and weather forecast today and leave school soon after lunch, if possible. There are a few exams today and as the forecast is now, they will not be postponed, but students living outside the capital area will be allowed to take the exams in their home area.

Erna Sif Arnardóttir is a Research Specialist at RU´s Department of Engineering. She, along with her research team, received funding recently from the Icelandic Centre for Research to establish a new facility within Reykjavik University for high-impact sleep and circadian rhythm research. An accessible facility for sleep and circadian research is currently missing in Iceland.

Students in the Reykjavik University Executive MBA will present their strategies for Icelandic start-up companies in front of a panel of experts at MIT in April.

Jón Guðnason, Associate Professor at RU´s Department of Engineering, delivered a speech analytic software to the Icelandic Parliament, Atlhingi, formally last Saturday on Icelandic Language Day.

A graduation ceremony for RU´s Department of Business masters graduates was held in RU recently. Dr. Ragnhildur Helgadóttir, Dean of Reykjavik University´s School of Social Sciences, handed the candidates their graduation diplomas and congratulated them on their achievement.

Usually, when an individual wishes to buy a property and apply for a loan, the ususal process is to review bank statements, expenses and salary. However, there are around two billion people all over the world that do not have bank accounts and therefore no access to funding.

Eight projects received funding from RU’s Teaching Development Fund recently. The aim of the Fund is to strengthen teaching, innovation in teaching and quality of teaching at the University. The ideas for innovation in teaching come from the teachers themselves and they continue their development in cooperation with specialists. The allocated amount in total was around 20 million ISK.

Professor Ragnhildur Helgadóttir, dean of the School of Social Sciences at RU, had her honorary doctorary conferred at a ceremony in Bergen yesterday, October 15.

In a recent report for the Icelandic Quality Enhancement Framework, a team of international experts on quality education states that "the Team formed a view of a very distinctive, innovative University, with a mission that is clearly aligned to the needs of Iceland. The University has strong institution-level leadership and strategy, with objectives and financial allocations clearly aligned to its mission."

"My aim is to develop the subject of smart grids which is a hot topic these days. It is basically an intelligent power system that has a self-healing feature, supported by advanced protection systems with interactive automation and control. This also enables a successful integration of renewable energy sources."

On the Times Higher Education rankings list for 2020, Reykjavík University is ranked in first place along with six other universities. This is measured by the number of citations, proportianally, i.e. how many times scientists cite research findings from RU scientists in peer-reviewed articles.

Bob Sutor: VP - IBM Q Strategy and Ecosystem will in Iceland in September to introduce the IBM quantum computer Qiskit which is now in beta testing. With him is a group of Masters students called The Blue Smarties.

Reykjavik University awards three staff member every year for achievements in their field, in three  categories: the RU Teaching Awards, the RU Service Awards and the RU Research Awards.

RU International day will be held Thursday 12 September at 11:00-13:00. The aim of the International day in the Sun is to provide students at RU with information on exchange/internship/study opportunities abroad, to emphasise the importance of gaining international experience and to celebrate cultural difference.

Patrice Letourneau, Strategic Account Manager Fintech at Amazon Web Services talks about the Future of financial services and AWS Fintech offering at Reykjavik University, room V102, on Tuesday August 20, 4-5 pm.

Reykjavik University welcomed our new incoming student group. An energetic group of promising new students joined us at the Fresher’s fair to meet teachers, staff, our student associations, and their future classmates.

Reykjavik University (RU) is in 52nd place on the new list of Times Higher Education over the 100 best young universities in the world (Young University Ranking). 

Reykjavik University will graduate candidates this next Saturday, on June 22th. The ceremony will be held in Eldborg, Harpa and starts at 1:00 pm.

An introduction to new deans at Reykjavik University.

Reykjavik University recently signed a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Industries and Innovation, The Renewable Energy Cluster, and GRP ltd. regarding innovation in the green energy sector and continuing research collaboration with Cornell University in New York.

Rovers for Mars exploration will be tested in Iceland during the summer with the participation of a group of RU students from the departments of Engineering and Applied Engineering. Their role is to assist Mission Control Space Services (MCSS) crew in charge of the SAND-E (Semi-Autonomous Navigation for Detrital Environments) project.

The production of Game of Thrones began in 2011 and in the eight years since then, the production team at Pegasus have had to manage budgets, location scouting, shooting schedules, lodgings and food, travel to and from locations, permits etc. It has been a diverse and complicated task that has demanded a great amount of funding and intricate planning.

Reykjavík University (RU) is ranked 101–200 in the overall 2019 Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings. The results are based on scaled and pre-rounded performance of universities globally with regards to their social and economic impact which is based on the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals.

Reykjavik University is shifting the gender gap in tech subjects and its operations have become even more environmentally friendly. These are among findings in a newly published report on RU´s achievements in reaching sustanability goals put forth in the United Nations' PRME collaboration.

Next week, March 25^th-29^th, RU will host the Graduate Study Week. Introductory meetings about individual courses will be held and light refreshments served. In the meetings, teachers and current students will explain the course structure.

Phillips´ talk is titled 7 ways to how I became a World and Olympic Champion and is open to everyone.

On Friday March 8 at 12-1pm the opening of RU´s new innovation center for students will be held in a newly renovated building by the Bragginn Bar & Bistro in Nautholsvik. Light refreshments will be served and the name of the innovation center will be announced.

Lesley Millar-Nicholson, director of MIT‘s Technology Transfer Office (TLO), will give a talk on tech transfer on Monday March 4, in Reykjavík University, room M209 between 12-13.

According to Reykjavik University Research Services´ annual reports, the overall research activity at RU is constantly rising and has been for the last ten years. An example of this is allocation from national competitive funds which has increased fivefold over a period of 11 years. These impressive results are established with the latest rankings from Times Higher Education. 

The structure of academic schools and departments within Reykjavik University (RU) will be changed on March 1^st. This change will not affect the availability or structure of any study programs at the university.

The University of Reykjavik opens its doors to the public on Saturday 2 March 2019 between 12 and 4 p.m.

RU Research Fund has awarded 8 PhD Student Grants og the total amount 42.720.000 ISK. Furthermore, Reykjavik University has launched a special two-semester course for PhD students.

Students and employees at Reykjavik University can now charge their electric and plug-in hybrid cars at twelve new charging points next to the University building. The charging points have been set up in cooperation with the service company Hlaða ehf.

RU International day will be held Tuesday 12 February at 11:00-13:00 in the Sun 

The main objective of Framadagar is to link employment opportunities, and for final project co-operation, summer work, part-time and full-time work in Iceland and young people.

Dr. Paolo Gargiulo, Associate Professor at Reykjavik University´s School of Science and Engineering and the director of the Institute of Biomedical and Neural Engineering, Taugalífeðlisfræðistofnun, manages the Icelandic part of the RESTORE project, which recently received a 5,5 million Euro grant from the EU´s ambitious Horizon project.

The Hnakkaþon Fisheries Challenge will take place in RU from the 24^th of January until the 26^th. Hnakkaþon is an open competition for RU students who would like to use their creativity, skills and talent to develop a business solution for the seafood industry. The event is organised in co-operation between Reykjavik University and Fisheries Iceland with the support of Icelandair and The US Embassy in Iceland.

Eight RU students have the opportunity to travel to France and stay there for five days in February or March. There they will learn about decision making skills in a new and exciting way in the international coastal town of Brest in Bretagne. Travel and living expenses are included. 

Bjarni Tryggvason, the first and only Icelandic astronaut (to date) will be teaching a new course at RU late November and December. The course, Space Systems Design, will be one of RU´s School of Science and Engineering´s three-week courses which are held after exams every semester. The three week courses present theory through practice and/or an experienced guest lecturer from industry.

These are among the findings of a new report written by Eyjólfur Ingi Ásgeirsson and Hlynur Stefánsson, among others.

Reykjavik University recently awarded more than 42 million ISK to 8 different PhD research projects. The funding is for a period of one year. The projects that received grants from the fund in 2018 are:

Given the extensive media coverage concerning an assistant professor who has recently left Reykjavik University, it should be stressed that University management can not discuss publicly matters concerning individual employees.

RU´s School of Science and Engineering will host the 12th International Conference on Axiomatic Design, October 9-12, 2018.

In the latest rankings released by Times Higher Education (THE) of the best universities in the world, Reykjavik University (RU) ranks third to sixth in terms of scientific citations, along with Stanford University, MIT and Brandeis University.

The latest edition of the Journal of Human Kinetics is dedicated to handball research, making it the first distinguished, peer reviewed scientific magazine to assign a special edition to the sport.

Reykjavik University celebrated its International Day today. The aim of the International Day is to celebrate RU´s  vibrant international culture on campus and to promote exchange, internships, grants and other international opportunities. In the Sun, International students at RU offered food from their home countries and provided information about their home schools.

The 11th annual meeting of the Transnational Working Group for the Study of Gender and Sport is now being held at Reykjavik University. Among the speakers yesterday were Mr. Guðni Th. Jóhanesson, the president of Iceland, and Þóra Björg Helgadóttir, former member of the women´s national football team. 

Dr. Ágúst Valfells is new the dean of Reykjavik University´s School of Science and Engineering from August 1st 2018. He takes over the role from Dr. Guðrún Sævarsdóttir who has been dean since 2011.

Orientation day will be held August 14th at Reykjavik University 

RU will be closing early on Friday, June 22nd @ 2:30 pm.

Graduate students at Reykjavik University can now complete online courses from MITx and earn credits, which they can use in their graduate studies at RU.

As many are aware of, certainly all Icelanders, the country will be playing for the first time ever in the football World Cup. The national team´s first ever game is tomorrow agains Argentina.

Reykjavik University will graduate candidates this next Saturday, on June 16th. The ceremony will start earlier than usual due to the first Iceland match in the football World Cup, or at 10 am. Graduating candidates are however required to attend at 8am in Eldborg hall in Harpa. It is expected to be finished at 12pm.

According to the latest Times Higher Education ranking (THE), Reykjavik University (RU) is one of the top 100 young universities.

Various research projects in digital marketing, personal data collection laws, airspace metrics, FinTech, big data, energy issues, and many more were introduced in RU on the 8th of May. Students and project supervisors have until May 29th to apply for the projects, or funding for projects they think applies to each company.

The International Office at RU, hosted the 4^th International Staff week from 11^th -13^th of April, and welcomed 35 participants from 12 countries.

The well-received Netflix series Mindhunter (2017) centers around the research of the FBI Behavioral Science Unit on the minds of serial killers. The show´s characters are based on real people and Dr. Ann Burgess (the show´s "Dr. Carr") will give a talk on Wednesday, April 18th, in RU courtesy of the MPM Master of Project Management programme.

An agreement was signed between Meet in Reykjavík and Reykjavík University (RU), the University of Iceland, and the Iceland Academy of the Arts on April 9th. The aim of the agreement is to increase the number of international academic meetings and conferences held by universities in Iceland.

Graduate studies at RU School of Business will from next autumn take 14 months to complete instead of two years. This is made possible with the addition of a summer semester. The School of Business has also launched two new gradaute courses: Innovation Management and Tourism and Hospitality Management.

Dr. Jónas Þór Snæbjörnsson, professor, and Dr. Þórður Víkingur Friðgeirsson, assistant professor, at RU's School of Science and Engineering are participants in an ERASMUS+ project that focuses on the development of six manuals for construction management. 

Reykjavik University (RU) School of Business, in cooperation with the University of Southern Maine (USM), will host a 10-day summer school on Creativity, Leadership, & Innovation, with focus on sustainable tourism, in Iceland this summer.

A lecture by Arnaud de la Tour, a life science engineer and economist.

The Mental Health Awareness Week in RU is organised by RU student counselling and RU's Psychology Department. From Monday through Friday, open seminars and lectures will be held at lunch time. One of the lectures will be in English.

The staff of PAPESH Research Centre of Reykjavik University has been evaluating the Icelandic National Handball Teams, both A-teams and youth teams. The Research Centre is now also counselling the Canadian women's national handball tea

Inga Dóra Sigfúsdóttir, professor at RU's Department of Psychology, participated in an official event in Stockholm yesterday which was a part of the President of Iceland's official visit to Sweden. The event was held at the renowned Karolinska research institute and was hosted by the Nobel Assembly. In attendance were the President of Iceland and their majesties the King and Queen of Sweden.

The 2017 Women in Energy Conference was held at Strathmore University in Kenya December 13-14th, focusing on the link between energy access and women empowerment. Winnie Apiyo, a student at RU's Iceland School of Energy attended the conference and also received the 2017 Women in Energy Innovation Award.

This Monday, students from Reykjavik University's Computer Game Design & Development class will be showcasing 11 new games that they made in only 3 weeks time. Come and give them a try!

Join us at an open discussion session with Violeta Bulc, the European Commissioner for Transport

RU's School of Science and Engineering, through the CORDA Center of Risk and Decision Analysis, will participate in the D'Ahoy research project, along with other European universities.

Georgina Campbell Flatter, Executive Director, The Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT

Lecturer in Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management
MIT Sloan School of Management 

• Reykjavik Unversity, room M201 
• Wednesday, October 11 at 12:00

This is an important part of presenting internation opportunities available and see the importance of international experience. This time we will focus expecially on exchange for RU students as we will have representatives from 14 partner universities visiting us, 13 from the Nordic countries and 1 from Germany.  These are colleagues from the international offices.

RU ranks among the 500 best universities in the world, according to the recently published list of Times Higher Education. This is the first time RU appears on the list, which is an excellent result for a young and specialized university.

Every year, the Iceland School of Energy hosts their Summer School from July to August, where students around the world come to Iceland to learn about sustainability and renewable energy. This year, 38 students attended the summer school, the most there has ever been.

RU students can now access the HigherEd global talent portal. The portal is targeted towards students that want to gain international experience, whether it be through internships, trainee positions, apprenticeships or graduate positions.

Through different studies and contexts, spanning from computer games to textile handling, I will present our current understanding of how people perceive and express affect through body movement and touch behaviour. In doing so, I will also present our work on automatic recognition of naturalistic affective expressions and on how technology can be used to regulate people's affective states and perception of themselves.

Dr. Gísli Hjálmtýsson is the new Dean of Ru School of Computer Science. Dr. Hjálmtýsson has more than 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur and leader in IT and innovation. He has extensive knowledge in various fields of Icelandic and international industry.

Last week, at the UN PRME Global Forum in New York, Reykjavik University‘s School of Business won the award "Recognition of Excellence in Progress Reporting". The report is a testimony of Reykjavik University‘s commitment to the six UN PRME principles.

Study in Iceland, a web portal containing information about higher education in Iceland has been re-launched. This website is run in cooperation between The Icelandic Centre for Research and Promote Iceland. The focus of the website is to gather all relevant information useful for international students in one place.

The Iceland School of Energy at Reykjavik University and the consulting company Navigo are offering a presentation of Climate-KIC´s Open Innovation Competition on the use of residual heat for urban food production.

Every spring, first-year graduate students at Reykjavik University are organised into random groups of three or four and assigned the task of coming up with a new business idea. The students then have three weeks to bring together ideas and skills, and knowledge from their respective academic fields to make their plan, and are even encouraged to do a prototype of the new product.

Students from Reykjavik University's School of Computer Science are working on a project that has received some well-deserved interest lately. Project Discovery is the name of the project, a collaboration between RU and CCP Games that among other things develops the popular game EVE Online.

Reykjavik University, in cooperation with key players in Icelandic industry, hereby calls for project proposals for funded MSc projects for the school year 2017-2018.

Student research, pineapple on pizza, new double degree with RU and Aalto University, and record-breaking amounts of fresh snow are among the topics in a newsletter published by the RU International Office.

Tuesday, February 28th 2017, LHBI and RU will host an international workshop at RU, room V201, on snow hydrology for real-time maps.

Do Icelandic start-up companies put enough effort into marketing these new solutions and products? Are they aware of how much investment is needed in marketing to achieve international success? Do they focus too much on the domestic market?

For over twenty years, Dr. Sigfusdottir has been gathering masses of data regarding the lives and wellbeing of Icelandic teenagers.

Graduate students in Electrical Engineering at RU's School of Science and Engineering will from now be able to graduate with a double degree from RU and Aalto University in Finland.

The Fisheries Challenge (Hnakkathon) of RU and Fisheries Iceland, will take place at Reykjavik University January 19th to 21st. The winning team will visit the Seafood Expo North America in Boston in March, courtesy of Icelandair and the US Embassy in Iceland.

The Iceland School of Energy, a part of Reykjavik University offering a set of master's degrees in sustainable energy and engineering, is proud to announce that Dr. Juliet Newson has joined its team as the School's new Director.

The first radio-frequency anechoic chamber in Iceland can now be found in the basement of the RU University Campus. The chamber has been customized for the needs (and budget) of the Engineering Optimization & Modeling Center (EOMC) at RU. It is about 7m x 4m x 3m in size, electrically shielded, and covered inside with aborbers that suppress reflections of electromagnetic waves within it.

For the past 18 months, Dr. Bjarni Mar Magnusson, associate professor at RU School of Law, has been a Fulbright Arctic Initiative scholar. The Initiative is a new multidisciplinary, multinational team research programme designed around specific applied research challenges in the areas of water, energy, health and infrastructure.

The AI Festival 2016 will be held Friday the 11th of November in Reykjavik University, Lecture Hall V101

Dr. Olafur E. Sigurjonsson, associate professor at the Biomedical Enigineering deptartment at RU School of Science and Engineering, is the new president of the Scandinavian Society for Biomaterials (ScSB).

A dynamic talk on constitutional reform in light of the different purposes of constitutions. The speakers will approach the matter from original perspectives seldom presented in Iceland.

The short talks will end with answers to common question which are posed to the lectures being addressed, namely: “Poetry or Prose: What makes a constitution legitimate?“ At the end of the formal lectures there will be an interactive session with audience members and presenters. 

Location: Room V102 at Reykjavik University. The seminar is open to the public. 

Thursday October 6th, 9am-12:00 pm GMT in Reykjavik University, Room V102

The objective of this event is to build common interests in the Arctic Ocean, considering drivers and risks of impacts in the Arctic High Seas from the perspectives of diverse stakeholders in an inclusive manner.

Mr. Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, former President of Iceland, will address the conference. 

The RU MBA programme has been awarded the AMBA accreditation, for the second time. AMBA (Association of MBAs) accredits MBA programmes around the world. The aim of AMBA is to increase the quality of postgraduate business education.

This is the second time the quality of the RU MBA is affirmed by the association. There are around 25 thousand MBA programmes taught world-wide but only 200 or so out of this great number has received the accreditation.

VR Jam will be held at Reykjavik University September 29th - 30th, focusing on all things virtual reality. This is a great opportunity for those interested in this exciting technology to come and collaborate with fellow enthusiasts. 
VR Jam is held by Junction and Slush PLAY and hosted by RU in the day preceding the Slush PLAY conference held at Austurbær, September 29th - 30th.

Representatives from Parliament and RU School of Science and Engineering have signed an agreement regarding the development and implementation of an open software that is to be used for recording speeches. The aim is to have a speech analysis system, based on artificial intelligence, functional within two years.

Every semester, the International Exchange Office organises the RU International Day, held in the Sun at lunchtime. It is customary for international students at the University to be present for a chat about their home country and offer some traditional dishes.

The annual IceCTF hacking competition was held on August 12-26 by Reykjavik University and Syndis Information Security Company. The goal of the IceCTF is to raise awareness of security in information technology in a fun way. 

The week started with a special orienation programme for both international and Icelandic students. During the two days, RU staff introduced the services available, academic rules and resources and organised a game of orienteering that required the students to venture into the far corners of RU's campus.

It is almost time to start University! RU will host two separate orientation programmes for new international students on August 15th and 16th. There is a separate programme for international students and exchange students. 

Dr. Pall M. Rikhardsson is the new Dean of RU School of Business. He will take over the position from dr. Thoranna Jonsdottir on August 15th. 

RU graduated 641 students this Saturday at Harpa Concert Hall, 443 undergraduate and 196 graduate. Two students graduated with a PhD degree. 

Earlier this spring, the students at RU elected a new administration for their Student Union, most often referred to as SFHR. The Union's president for the 2016-2017 academic year is Rebekka Rún Jóhannesdóttir. Skúli Þór Árnason is vice president, Kristinn Guðmundsson is treasurer, Erna Sigurdardottir is student officer, and Íris Björk Snorradóttir is information officer.

Reykjavik University and the Ministry of Industries and Innovation will for the next two years be involved in an international project with MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, that aims to create jobs and promote economic growth in Iceland with innovation.

University of Reykjavik partners, Icelandair Group, Isavia, LS Retail and Fisheries Iceland will provide a total of 24 million krona for research at masters and doctoral level in the academic year 2016-2017. Recently, the joint committee of RU and these partners allocated the abovementioned amount for various research projects of masters and PhD students. 

First year students from all academic departments form groups during a three-week session each spring after exams to finish a course in startup and innovation. Last Friday awards were given out for the best ideas and for special consideration to social responsibility. 

Reykjavik University, SKY (The Icelandic Computer Association) and SI (Federation of Icelandic Industries) organised the annual Girls in ICT day at RU recently. Around 400 girls from the East of Iceland and the greater Reykjavik area visited RU and nearly 20 tech companies. 

Kyle Edmunds is a PhD student in biomedical engineering at RU's School of Science and Engineering. At the prestigious Medicon conference held in Cyprus recently, Kyle received two awards, the MEDICON2016 First Place Honorarium and the Springer Scientific Young Investigator Award. The conference is the largest in Europe in the field of medical and biological engineering and computing. 

In 1998 substance use amongst adolescents in Iceland was one of the highest in Europe. By 2015, it was amongst the lowest. Dr. Inga Dora Sigfusdottir, Professor, introduced this twenty year success story at the United Nations General Assembly on the world drug problem in New York last week. 

Icelandic musician Valdimar has compiled a list of songs for RU students.

A research-team at Mount Sinai hospital in New York has received great attention recently after proving the effectiveness of a simple, effective way to reduce effects of depression and fatigue for cancer patients. Dr. Heiðdís Valdimarsdóttir is a professor of psychology at Reykjavik University and a part of the Icahn School of Medicine research team at Mount Sinai.

Every year RU rewards three members of staff for outstanding achievements in their fields. The awards are given out in three categories: the RU Teaching Awards, the RU Service Awards and the RU Research Awards. The awards go out to employees who are considered to have excelled in development, research, teaching and service to students.

The annual Science Carousel took place in RU recently. The event is organised by RU in cooperation with a primary school each year. The carousel, named Hringekjan in Icelandic, aims to bring science to life for students in the 9th and 10th grade.

The annual University Open Day, held in Reykjavik University, the University of Iceland and Iceland Academy of the Arts will be held on March 5th 2016 from 12pm till 4 pm. 

The winning team of this year's Fisheries Challenge visited Thorfish ltd., the challenge 2016 partner, on Monday. They were greeted by Thorfish staff and management in the town of Grindavík in the South of Iceland and introduced to all aspects of the operation.

According to custom, RU put on a fun and informative show at this year´s UTmessa, an annual show dedicated to the latest in Information Technology (IT). The UTmessa is held in Harpa concert hall in Reykjavík and draws a great crowd each year.

204 students were graduated from Reykjavik University on Saturday. The ceremony took place in Harpa concert hall. 

Exchange students will invite students and staff to taste delicacies from their home countries. They will also give information about their home universities for RU students interested in studies abroad.

Marta Serwatko defended her master‘s thesis in biomedical engineering at RU's Department of Science and Engineering last week. In her study she measured the effectiveness of a new method to assess respiratory effort during sleep. Marta was among the young scientists who received a grant from Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland for her research in December 2014 and has already introduced preliminary findings at international conferences.

The Iceland School of Energy (ISE) at Reykjavik University aims to train students in the field of clean energy.
The school offers a unique opportunity to study sustainable energy in close cooperation with leaders in the field of renewable energy. 

The Arctic is estimated to hold the world's largest remaining untapped gas reserves and some of its largest undeveloped oil reserves. Developing these resources in the harsh Arctic environment will be complex and challenging and could result in far-reaching impacts. At this seminar, three experienced scholars of international law will examine the remedies available if there is damage to the Arctic environment or the people who live in it. 

Hnakkathon – or the Fisheries Challenge – will take place at Reykjavik University 21-25 January. The competition is open to all RU students.

Ari Kristinn Jonsson, rector of Reykjavik University, recently visited Vietnam and South Korea as a member of a delegation for the president of Iceland´s official visit to the two countries.  

Tufwane Mwagomba, from Malawi, became the first former student of the United Nations Geothermal Training Programme to defend his MSc thesis at Iceland School of Energy (ISE) in December 2015.

Jack James is a professor in the Psychology Department at RU and the author of a recently published book called “The Health of Populations: Beyond Medicine”. According to Dr. James, healthcare is dominated by strong beliefs that biological understanding is the foundation for promoting health and preventing illness. “What this book shows is that despite the importance of biological understanding, health in all societies is more closely related to behavioural and social factors.” 

The MPM Master of Project Management course at RU's School of Science and Engineering was recently awarded a certification by the British Associaton for Project Management, APM.

Two students at RU School of computer Science, Hjalti Leifsson and Johann Orn Bjarkason, are in the middle of their exams. At the same time, they are participating in a massive cross-European research project, breaking ground in the new area of citizen science. So how do two undergraduate students get involved in a project of that scale?

In recent years, HR managers in Iceland have established themselves as a part of the executive management teams in companies and public institutions. It seems that their position has not been compromised in the wake of the financial collapse in 2008. These are among the many conclusions that can be drawn from this year´s CRANET-study conducted by the Research Centre on HRM at the School of Business.

The British Embassy and Reykjavik University, in cooperation with the British-Icelandic Chamber of Commerce and SI - the Federation of Icelandic Industries, hosted a well-attended workshop last Wednesday that addressed questions about how countries can succeed in a digital economy and how government can help to foster good ideas

Magnús Már Halldórsson, professor at RU‘s School of Computer Science, has been elected to serve as a member of the Council of the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science (EATCS). The appointment is for four years.

More and more students come to Iceland, in spite of Iceland´s harsh weather and dark winters. This perplexed a journalist from Reykjavik Grapevine, a monthly newspaper published in Iceland in English. The journalist visited Reykjavik University a few weeks ago and asked some of our students: Who are you and why are you here?  

This next Saturday SARU invites you, your family and your friends to join us at the annual Reykjavík University Family day. The program will be from 11 till 14 in the Sun.

To help us in SARU host this wonderful day the board members of the 6 student organisation in our school will be inviting us to various beverages and entertainment. Among other entertainment, the Icelandic Circus will have a show. For you can find further information about the agenda via the Facebook event.

The objective of this event is to identify drivers and risks of impacts in the Arctic High Seas from the perspectives of diverse stakeholders in an inclusive manner.

Time and place: Thursday October 15th at 9am-12:30pm in Reykjavik University, room V101

Iceland School of Energy at Reykjavík University presents a forum on Energy Security in the 21st Century.

The forum brings together leading experts from Harvard, Tufts, MIT, Reykjavik University and Brookings Institution, as well as key local experts from Landsvirkjun, The National Power Company of Iceland, and Landsnet, The National Transmission System Operator of Iceland. The forum focuses on current energy security challenges in isolated areas, with a global perspective.

The forum takes place in room V101 at Reykjavik University, on Thursday, October 15^th from 1:30 pm – 4 pm.

Equality days' purpose is to connect and highlight the various angles of; diversity, privilege, the history of suppression, gender equality, power, and discrimination. These topics are open for discussion in order to increase understanding, visibility and stimulate momentum for the many individuals who take an active part in working towards equality.

The annual Reykjavík University Mobility Week will be held September 28th till October 2nd. Its goal is to minimise car usage and enable community responsibility.

This semester, Reykjavik University is launching a series of executive training courses tailored to industry managers and executives in the fishing industry from around the world. Combining expert instructors, hands-on visits, and best practice case studies, the new Iceland School of Fisheries covers the latest developments in management, operations and sustainability within the fishing industry.

Henning Arnór Úlfarsson draws complex math.

Scientists at Reykjavik University, the Icelandic Meteorological Office and ISAVIA Ltd. the Icelandic Air Navigation Service Provider have set up a joint research project to improve monitoring of weather phenomena in Iceland. The objective is to enhance airport safety at Keflavík airport, in particular in connection with potential volcanic eruptions in Iceland, by implementing the use of scanning Doppler Lidar observations as a part of the meteorological observational system.

This past month the European Commission announced that Spain is the the first country to launch the Erasmus + master loans. The new loans scheme is a new and ambitious initiative that represents a major step forwards for student mobility in Europe. The scheme aims to fund 200,000 Master student loans by 2020, as part of the EU's objective of 20% of its students being mobile by 2020.

RU School of Business recently gained recognition from the UN for its first progress report in conjunction with the PRME-project. The aim of PRME is to inspire and champion responsible management education, research and leadership globally. PRME partner universities are in total 600 from 80 countries.

Reykjavik University plans to build 350 new apartments and single rooms, as well as a kindergarten and housing services to the west of Öskuhlíð in a new “University Garden” development. The plans were agreed by the city council last week and construction is planned to begin next year.

Around one hundred 9^th grade girls from schools around Iceland were invited to the University and to the premises of four technology companies in Iceland, to mark "Girls in ICT Day". The aim of the day is to introduce girls and raise their interest in the various possibilities in technology education and careers. The project was join collaboration with  Reykjavik University Ský and Samtök Iðnaðarin.

The Warming of the Arctic Conference was held April 13-14 at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, USA. The 4^th annual event brought together professionals from the Arctic Council countries, as well as students from the Iceland School of Energy, Harvard Kennedy School, and Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Tomorrow, Saturday February 28th, is University Day and Reykjavik University has an exciting programme open and free to all.

"This is great recognition for our research group and what we stand for and the University of Reykjavík as a whole." Said Inga Dora Sigfúsdóttir, professor at Reykjavik University,

This year's UTmessan was held in Harpa from February the 6^th – 7^th and was attended by 9,000 guest's.The purpose of the UTmessa is to highlight the importance of information technology and its effects on individuals, businesses and Icelandic society alike.

The 40th Annual Stanford Geothermal Workshop took place in Stanford, California, USA this past January. Students had the opportunity to present their thesis work and represent the Iceland School of Energy in various workshops.

Computer simulations is a fundamental tool of the design process in many engineering disciplines including aerospace engineering. However, although high-fidelity numerical models are accurate, they can be computationally expensive with evaluation time for a single design as long as hours, days or even weeks.

Our international exchange students will offer dishes from their home countries and give information on their home institutions, which our part of our extensive exchange network.

A team of researchers at Reykjavik University have been awarded a series of grants for research in 2015 from Rannís, the Icelandic Centre for Research.

RU Orientation Day January 2015 Exchange students + masters- and doctoral students Thursday, January 8th at 10:00 – 14:00 in Room V-101

Operating as a forum for discussions regarding academic policy, teaching and research and RU´s  collaboration with industry. The Council has 10 members representing industry, academia and government.

Reykjavik University signed an agreement with the Tokyo Institute of Technology in November. The agreement relates to research in computer science and includes both student and faculty exchanges, which can be used both for teaching and research, and cooperation in the form of joint research projects.

The famous physicist Dr. Stephen Hawking once said that Intelligent Machines could become the greatest invention of all time – but could possibly also herald the end of mankind.  In the AI Festival 2014 the focus was on finding the answers to what lies ahead in this huge growing industry.

On Thursday October the 30th, Reykjavik University hosted a workshop held in association with the Arctic Circle Assembly. The event was a collaboration of the Iceland School of Energy at Reykjavik University, the Harvard Kennedy School and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Summary

The Energy Master Plan is an ambitious document which shapes the government's future energy policies and future energy projects, all aiming towards sustainable utilisation of Iceland's natural resources.

Yesterday, October 2, current students, alumni and staff of Reykjavik University (RU) celebrated the 50th 50 ára afmæliAnniversary of the Technical University of Iceland (Tækniháskóli Íslands). The Technical University of Iceland and Reykjavik University merged in 2005.

Dr. Kristinn R. Thorisson, Associate Professor in the School of Computer Science, along with his colleagues published a paper at the conference Intelligent Systems & Agents in Portugal last month. The article won the prestigious "Outstanding Paper" award as the best paper of the conference.

Yesterday, Thursday, September 4, the RU International Day was held in the Sun at Reykjavik University. The aim of the international day is to celebrate all the cultures that come together at RU and to promote the exchange opportunities offered by RU to our students.

This week Iceland School of Energy students attended a talk given by Margrét Arnardóttir, the project manager for wind power for Landsvirkjun, as a part of the conference session. Meet the Energy Industry,which will be a weekly event for students in the MSc programmes at Iceland School of Energy.

This autumn semester has seen the largest group of new students ever to enroll at Reykjavik University. In total 1418 students have enrolled for studies at RU, compared to 1300 in the autumn 2013.  This semester also saw a record number of applications to study, more than 2,500 in total were received. This is an 11.3% increase in applications compared to last year.

The School of Business at Reykjavik University is looking for a full time faculty member to join our finance and accounting group. Preferred areas of teaching and research can include: Corporate finance, corporate finance including financial management, portfolio evaluation, international finance, risk management, fixed income analysis, equity analysis and financial markets.

This past Saturday the 14th of June, 507 students graduated from the University of Reykjavik.

A record high of 2,500 students have applied for Autumn 2014 admission to Reykjavik University. Applications jumped by 11.3% over last year. Applications to Iceland School of Energy tripled compared to 2013.

The goal of the Innovation Day was to illustrate the buildup and success of the technical and software industries and to illustrate how sponsors, such as the Technological Development Fund, help to create a strong and positive image for companies in the field by creating awareness and highlighting innovation in various companies.

On Thursday the 15th of May a group of students from Reykjavik University successfully launched a rocket they had developed from Mýrdalssandur.  The project entitled "Mjölnir" was created as part of the courseT870-INTE  Integrated Project at Reykjavik University on the spring semester of 2014.

This Tuesday from 9:00-12:00, students from RU's Computer Game Design & Development class will be showcasing 10 new games that they made in only 3 weeks time. Come and give them a try!

The Health Technology Day was held at the University for the fourth year running this week. The topic of the day was the clinical use of mathematical  modelling for treatment of the heart. The Health Technology day is supported by the Medical Technology Association of Iceland, the University of Reykjavik and the National Hospital of Iceland.

Close to one hundred 8th grade girls from five elementary schools in Iceland were invited by Reykjavik University and four technology companies to take part in the first "Girls and technology" day to be held in Iceland.

One of the most prestigious international negotiation competitions, the Negotiation Challenge (TNC), was held at Reykjavik University from the 11th to 12th of April.

Learn more about the Computer Science MSc programmes along with presentations from current and past students.

Last weeks lecture marathon, which brought together 28 professors delivering six minute lectures, was a great success. If you did not manage to make it to the event you can catch up on-line.

This Friday the University will be hosting the annual Lecture Marathon. In total there will be 28 lectures, each lasting 6 minutes. The event kicks off with the first lecture at 10:15 with the final lecture ending at 15:10 in room M209. 

A record number of participants competed this year at the programming competition for secondary schools, held at HR last weekend. The competition had three divisions in which contestants have to solve various programming tasks and puzzles.

The six member team of law students from Reykjavik University has been practising intensely these days for the upcoming international speech competition that will take place in Vienna in early April. They will compete in international arbitration law and international credit purchases.

The contest will be held at Reykjavik University over the weekend of March 21-22. The programming contest is a competition open for all students in secondary school who are interested in design, programming and computers.

The University will be holding an Open Evening in English on March 5^th, for the International Community living in Iceland, to present our programmes. Reykjavik University has over 20 graduate programmes taught in English in the fields of business, computer science, and engineering and sustainable energy studies.

The Master of Clinical Psychology will begin at Reykjavik University (RU) in August and is accredited by the Ministry of Education in Iceland and satisfies the requirements in Icelandic law for practising as a psychologist.

At a ceremony on Thursday, sixty two students from all four departments at RU were recognised for their academic achievements last semester.

The careers fair held at Reykjavik University yesterday was the 20th time AIESEC, the international students organisation, has held this event.

Reykjavik University invites applications for two faculty positions at the rank of an assistant professor in SCS and for one academic position in Psychology.

This past week Reykjavik University welcomed forty-five undergraduate students from the US, who came to Iceland to learn about and experience renewable energy.