Norway Calls
Sophie O'Brien:
SAFER (Strengthening Agricultural landscape multiFunctionality through expansion of agroecological farming in EuRope) is a major pan‑European initiative focused on accelerating the shift toward agroecological farming. Working across six Living Labs, the project brings together farmers, stakeholders and researchers to co‑design locally adapted agroecological practices, measure their agronomic, ecological and socio‑economic impacts, and forecast how different landscape‑scale strategies could shape future food systems.
Sophie’s role sits at the centre of this work. And her move to Norway reflects the spirit of FT2050’s wider network: globally engaged, impact‑driven, and committed to shaping food systems that are resilient, equitable and grounded in evidence.
Dr Sophie O’Brien, who completed her PhD at the University of Canterbury in 2025, has built a research career defined by cross‑disciplinary thinking and a commitment to improving outcomes for communities and the environments they depend on. During her time at UC, she developed a dual specialism in ecology and economics, producing work that spans local qualitative studies, regional spatial modelling, and global meta‑analyses — all anchored in the goal of supporting better decision‑making across scales.
This year, Sophie has taken that momentum to Europe. She has relocated to Bergen, Norway, joining the SAFER Research Project — part of the Horizon Europe–funded AGROECOLOGY PARTNERSHIP — as a postdoctoral researcher at the Universitet i Bergen (UiB) with Professor Pete Manning.