Awarded membership of the Academia Europaea

Freysteinn Sigmundsson, a Research Professor at the Nordic Volcanological Centre, Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, has been awarded membership of the Academia Europaea in recognition of his international scholarship and sustained contribution to European research. 

Freysteinn holds a BS and an M.Sc. degree in Geophysics from the University of Iceland and a Ph.D. in the same subject from the University of Colorado. He was director of the Nordic Volcanological Institute from 1999-2004 and has been a research professor at the Nordic Volcanological Centre since it became a part of the University of Iceland's Institute of Earth Sciences.  

Freysteinn's research focus is in the field of volcanology, geodesy and crustal deformation, and he has been active in international research collaboration. Freysteinn led the extensive European project FUTUREVOLC in 2012-2016. The main objective of FUTUREVOLC was to establish an integrated volcanological monitoring system through European collaboration; develop new methods to evaluate volcanic crises; increase scientific understanding of magmatic processes, and improve delivery of relevant information to civil protection and authorities - especially concerning air transport. The project received a six million Euro grant from the European Union; one of the highest awarded to a project led by an Icelandic research scientist. Freysteinn is currently involved in the project EUROVOLC that began in February this year and succeeds FUTUREVOLC. The project has also received a grant from the European Union. EUROVOLC will construct an integrated and harmonized European volcanological community able to fully support, exploit and build-upon existing and emerging national and European research infrastructures, including e-Infrastructures of the European Supersite volcanoes.

The Academy of Europe - Academia Europaea was founded thirty years ago in 1988, and its members are European research scientists in various fields of study, including physical sciences and technology, biological sciences and medicine, mathematics, the letters and humanities, social and cognitive sciences, economics, and law.

The Academia Europaea makes recommendations to national governments and international agencies concerning matters affecting science, scholarship and academic life in Europe; encourages interdisciplinary and international research in all areas of learning, particularly in relation to European issues; encourages the highest possible standards in research and education, and promotes a better understanding among the public at large  of the benefits of knowledge and learning, and of scientific and scholarly issues.

The Academia furthermore draws attention to excellence in scientific and academic work within Europe by offering membership to research scholars who excel in their field of study. New members are nominated and elected by the Academia council. Members of the Academia Europaea are now around four thousand, including 70 Nobel Laureates. Freysteinn is the third Icelandic research scholar who is invited to join. The others are Ástráður Eysteinsson, professor at the University's Faculty of Icelandic and Comparative Cultural Studies, and Kristín Vala Ragnarsdóttir, professor at the University's Faculty of Earth Sciences, both invited to join in 2012.