Geir Lundestad

Geir Lundestad has been Director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo and Secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee since 1990. Born in 1945 in Sulitjelma, a mining community in Northern Norway, he received his MA (Cand. philol.) in history from the University of Oslo in 1970 and a PhD from the University of Tromsø¸ in 1976.

Lundestad held various positions at the University of Tromsø¸ from 1974 – 1990, including Associate Professor of History, Professor of American Civilization, and Professor of History. He has also been a research fellow at Harvard University (1978-79, 1983) and at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. (1988-89). Concurrent to his position as Director of the Nobel Institute, Lundestad is also Adjunct Professor of International History at the University of Oslo.

Lundestad is the author of many books and articles in English and Norwegian; covering a broad range of topics, including Norwegian history, the European community, the Cold War, and American foreign policy. He is a frequent commentator on Norwegian television and radio.