Who is Silja Bára R. Ómarsdóttir?

Silja Bára R. Ómarsdóttir is a professor of international affairs at the University of Iceland and was recently elected rector there by students and staff alike. But who is the new rector, how did she come to work at the University of Iceland, and what are her interests outside of work?

It is fitting to start this journey by asking what the R in her name stands for. It stands for Ragnheiður says Silja, but that is her mother’s name. Silja’s full name is thus Silja Bára Ragnheiðar Ómarsdóttir.

Silja Bára is born and bred in North Iceland "I was born at home in Ólafsfjörður and grew up there until I was eleven. Then I spent two years in Akureyri before moving to Reykjavík," says Silja Bára, who attended three elementary school: Ólafsfjörður, Lundarskóli, and Álftamýrarskóli. She then enrolled in Menntaskólinn við Hamrahlíð (MH) upper secondary school, from which she graduated in 1990. She is the first MH graduate to hold the position of rector at the University of Iceland. 
 

Interest in International Affairs sparked early

Silja Bára says that she knew from a young age that she wanted to learn something related to international affairs. “I remember reading stories from children all over the world during the International Year of the Child in 1979 and wanting, already then to understand better why people’s circumstances were so different. I thought I would have to study law and national rights to get into these subjects, but fortunately found out that international affairs was a thing and I am still fascinated by this field and would not have wanted to study anything else,” she says.

After passing her Icelandic matriculation examination, she went to the United States where she completed a BA in international affairs from Lewis & Clark College in 1995, and an MA in the same subject from the University of Southern California in 1998. 

Among the first lecturers in international affairs at UI

Silja Bára suffered an attack in the US, and shortly thereafter her doctoral supervisor died. These events led to her choosing to move back to Iceland, as she has shared in the media. 

After returning home, she worked as a division director at the Centre for Gender Equality and simultaneously began teaching at the University of Iceland in 2005. 

“When I moved back home from the United States after conducting all my university studies there, I sent my resumé to Margrét Björnsdóttir, then employed at the Institute for Public Administration and Politics, who contacted me, saying she did not have anything concrete for me but wanted to see me to remember me. A year later, a study programme in international affairs was launched, and they contacted me to see if I wanted to teach.  They haven´t gotten rid of me since,” says Silja about how she started working at the University of Iceland.

Alongside teaching, Silja Bára was the director of the UI Institute of International Affairs from 2006-2008. She also completed a postgraduate diploma in social sciences methodology and university pedagogy from the University of Iceland in 2011 and 2012.

Silja Bára then began her doctoral studies at the University College Cork in Ireland, where she completed her PhD in 2018. In 2019, she received the Basil Chubb prize from the Political Studies Association of Ireland for the best doctoral thesis at an Irish university. Subsequently, she was appointed assistant professor and then professor of international affairs at the UI Faculty of Political Science. 

Describes herself as having academic ADHD

Silja Bára’s research focuses on foreign and security affairs, gender and fertility rights and feminist international affairs, and she sometimes describes herself as having academic ADD. “I am interested in so many things. My doctoral thesis was on Icelandic security discourse, and I am hoping a book based on it will be published this year. Some find it odd that I connect my interest in equality and fertility rights to this field, but I see a clear connection between the status of women and LGBTQ+ groups and peace and security.”

Silja Bára is also a member of the Icelandic Love Research Society. My friend Berglind Rós and I are editing a book in the field - love is all around, and thus essential to examine it critically. Finally, I conduct action research on teaching and have published a few articles on pedagogy,” says Silja Bára.

Furthermore, Silja Bára has participated in the Fulbright Arctic Initiative III (FAI), Fulbright’s flagship programme in Arctic research, been a research director of Höfði - the Peace Center of Reykjavík and the University of Iceland as well as being part of the first Icelandic team to edit the scientific journal Scandinavian Political Studies.

Award-winning teacher

Teaching has truly been Silja Bára’s passion since she started working at the University. She has been involved in teaching at all five University Schools, and she has supervised almost 250 students in their final theses at undergraduate, graduate and PhD level. Silja Bára is a member of the Teaching Academy of Public Universities in Iceland, a community of teachers dedicated to pedagogical development, promoting improved teaching methods and seeking to further strengthen and develop higher education. Silja Bára also received the University of Iceland's recognition for a commendable contribution to teaching in 2019. 

“I emphasise sparking students’ interest in the subject and try to get them to connect it to their reality. You can examine almost anything in international politics - health, power, inequality, safety, environmental issues, LGBTQ+ matters etc. It is just a matter of finding what sparks interest among the students. My favourite aspect of teaching is seeing them catch on and hearing the comments at the end of the semester when a student says they explained something to their parents on the news. This shows that they are connecting to the material, using it in real life and applying critical thinking!,” says Silja Bára when asked about her emphasis in teaching. 

In addition to teaching and research, Silja Bára is dedicated to sharing her knowledge in society as a part of her academic responsibilities. Silja Bára is well-known in Iceland for her analysis on American politics and is sought after by the media to evaluate the latest trends in American politics and culture. There is plenty to discuss these days with the presidential elections and Donald Trump's return to the presidency calling for constant interpretations of U.S. Policies, both domestic and international.

Has gained insight into the role of rector through the University Council

When the conversation turns to the new position she was elected to, Silja Bára says that she has become acquainted with the role of rector and the University community through her work in the University Council where she has served for the past three years. “I have gained insight into most aspects of university operations,” she says, full of anticipation.

Silja Bára will formally assume the role of rector from Jón Atli Benediktsson on 1 July 2025. The role of rector is hectic, and Silja Bára is well aware of this. A few weeks before she is formally inaugurated, she will attend the Aurora Annual Conference. “There are already requests for meetings regarding various projects. I would like to start by exploring how we can better promote inclusion in the university, both for students and staff on a broad spectrum,” she says when asked about her first tasks as rector.

Rector on a tractor

Silja Bára has actively participated in social and volunteer work outside the University of Iceland.  She is the current chair of the Red Cross in Iceland and the last chair of the Gender Equality Council from 2019 to 2021. Furthermore, she is among 50 women from all over the world who have been invited to participate in the Global Community for Women's Leadership, aimed at training and supporting a new generation of women leaders for further accomplishments.

When asked what she enjoys doing outside of work, Silja Bára says she tries to spend as much time as possible with her nieces and nephews.  “They are five, aged 3-11, each more wonderful than the next. Powerlifting has taken a back seat recently due to knee injuries, but instead, I practice swimming in the sea. My friends are also very active, and we meet often, sit and talk, and play cards while discussing world affairs. To relax, I do embroidery and knitting while listening to audiobooks or watching TV shows, and I also really enjoy attending pub quizzes.  A few friends and I own a house in Hrísey, an island in North Iceland, which could probably be called a hobby. I try to go there as often as possible and don't need to have anything planned," says Silja Bára, who also owns a seventy-year-old Ferguson tractor on the island. She will thus truly be able to call herself rector on a tractor soon.