Honorary Co-Chairs

Icelandic representatives

Dr. Kristinn Andersen (Chair) is a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Iceland. He received a Fulbright grant to study in the U.S., where he received his PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University in 1993. He joined Marel, an Icelandic firm developing technology solutions internationally for food processing, where he held positions in product development and as a research manager for over 20 years. He joined the University of Iceland in 2014 where his research area is robotics, artificial intelligence and industrial applications.

Dr. Berglind Tómasdóttir is a flutist and interdisciplinary artist, as well as a professor of contemporary music performance at Iceland University of the Arts. In her work she frequently explores identity and archetypes, as well as music as a social phenomenon. Berglind holds degrees in flute playing from Reykjavik College of Music and The Royal Danish Music Conservatory in Copenhagen and a DMA in contemporary music performance from University of California, San Diego, where she was a Fulbright fellow.

Dr. Bryndís Björk Ásgeirsdóttir is a professor at the Department of Psychology and the Dean of the School of Social Science at Reykjavik University. She received her PhD from King´s College London in 2011 and has in her research focused on trauma, mental health and the effects of sexual abuse. In 2018 Bryndís was a Visiting Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University.

Hjálmtýr Hafsteinsson is an associate professor of Computer Science at the University of Iceland.  He received a Fulbright grant in 1984 to study at Cornell University, where he received a PhD degree in Computer Science in 1988.  He then joined the faculty of the University of Iceland and has been there ever since.  Hjálmtýr is a founding member of the Icelandic Teaching Academy.

Guðrún Nordal (alternate) is the Director of the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies and a professor in medieval Icelandic literature at the University of Iceland. She was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley in 2017.

U.S. representatives

Rebecca Doffing (Vice-Chair) is the Arctic Watcher at the U.S. Embassy in Reykjavik, Iceland.  A career Foreign Service officer, she previously served in Turkey, Pakistan, Niger, and Washington, D.C.  Rebecca has a degree in Diplomacy and Turkish Studies from Boston University, and studied as a Fulbright research scholar in Turkey in 2008.

Dr. Catherine Chambers is the Director of the University Centre of the Westfjords and a Senior Scientist at Stefansson Arctic Institute. She received her PhD in Fisheries from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2016. In her research, Catherine focuses on human dimensions of fisheries governance and small-scale fisheries management, among other things. Catherine was a Fulbright fellow in Iceland in 2011.

Erin manages the U.S. Embassy’s public diplomacy section and its work in press, social media, grants, and exchanges.  She previously served as the General Services Officer in Skopje, North Macedonia, and as the Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Vladivostok, Russia, as well as in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, St. Petersburg and Moscow.  She also previously worked as the Strategic Outreach Officer in ECA’s Cultural Heritage Center.  Prior to joining the Department of State, Erin served with USAID as the Senior Communications Advisor for its regional mission to Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova.  Erin holds a BA in news-editorial journalism and an MBA, and has focused on strategic communications, international management, women’s economic empowerment, and humanitarian assistance throughout her career.

Dr. Pamela Innes (Treasurer) is Emerita Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wyoming. Her work focuses on language retention and revitalization, as well as language ideologies. Currently, she is examining the role that language plays in the lives of people who have immigrated to Iceland. She began this work during her 2012 Fulbright grant to study the work being done by Icelandic language schools.

Bridget Burger (alternate) is a Specialist in Research Services at Reykjavik University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science of Natural Resources at Yale University, her Master of Education degree from Lesley University, and is pursuing a PhD in Education at University of Iceland, where her research focuses on teacher education for ocean literacy. She came to Iceland as a Fulbright Specialist in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education in 2022.