Hello! I am Donna Heddle, Arctic lead for the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and ScAN steering group member. I am also Professor of Northern Heritage, Director of the UHI interdisciplinary Institute for Northern Studies based in Orkney, Shetland and Perth, and UHI’s Head of Research Environment and Culture. Phew.

UHI, which has 10 academic partners across the region, covers two-thirds of the landmass of Scotland and is the UK’s most northerly university. UHI is a founder member of the University of the Arctic and is involved in several UArctic thematic networks.

UHI has historically had a strong Arctic and Northern focus to both our research and teaching and this is very much a growth area.

UHI activity relevant to Arctic, Nordic or High North Territories is spread across the partnership including the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Oban; UHI Orkney (Institute for Northern Studies, agronomy, pedagogy); UHI North West and Hebrides (Environmental Research Institute and Centre for Recreation and Tourism Research) ; UHI Inverness (Rivers and Lochs Institute); UHI Perth (Centre for Mountain Studies); UHI Shetland (Centre for Island Creativity and shellfish research). This activity includes curriculum, research, knowledge exchange and wider engagement and we are very keen to collaborate with external colleagues on all of these areas.

I am based in Orkney and my research interests are language, literature, tourism, and cultural history. I am from the Highlands and Islands and I am passionate about locative research – for the communities, in the communities, by the communities.

I am currently leading the development of the UHI Arctic Gateway Hub, which will have a coordinating function for Arctic activities across the UHI Partnership, as well as providing a point of contact for external educational and business organisations across the Arctic and High North. As part of this activity. I am leading the development of a new interdisciplinary Masters in Arctic Studies, which will be the twentieth course I have created!

We were recently visited by Stephen Gethins, Minister for European External Affairs, and Energy, to discuss UHI’s Arctic strategy and the work of the fabulous Institute for Northern Studies team in particular. 

If you are ever in Orkney, come by for a cup of coffee and I will get the good biscuits out!

Find out more about UHI Institute for Northern Studies.