Background
Iris is pursuing a Master’s degree in Political Science at the University of Oslo (ISV), where she is writing her thesis on the division of labour between the EU and NATO and the strengthening of the European defence pillar. Her thesis explores the EU’s enhanced role in the defence industry and operational military cooperation within European security policy, and examines the implications this role division has for NATO's role as a security guarantor within collective defence.
Her supervisors are Pernille Rieker, Director of the ARENA Centre for European Studies, and Gjermund Eide, Senior Advisor at Kruse Larsen.
The thesis is associated with the research project Norway and the EU undergoing change, and Iris is the recipient of the ARENA Master’s Scholarship for the academic year 2025/2026.
Iris has a particular interest in defence and security policy, and through various board positions in Changemaker, she has also developed a strong engagement in climate and environmental issues. She previously completed a Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies at the University of Oslo. Her bachelor’s thesis examined the strengthening of Kurdish identity in Turkey, with a particular focus on how assimilation policies, nation-building, and Turkification have reinforced the minority status surrounding Kurdish identity.