Mia Masiha Kakar-Afzali

Mia Masiha Kakar-Afzali currently holds a position as researcher at the Norwegian Research Centre (NORCE) in Oslo. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in Energy, Environment, and Society from the University of Stavanger.

Her primary research areas include energy transition, social acceptance, energy justice, regional development, and the circular economy. She examines how new energy solutions and transition processes affect regions, local communities, businesses, and various societal groups. Her research covers topics such as offshore wind, hydropower, and biogas, as well as regional vulnerabilities and adaptation opportunities within the energy transition.

In projects related to offshore wind and hydropower, Kakar-Afzali analyzes how various interests, needs, and perceptions are expressed, and identifies factors that influence social acceptance, local anchoring, trust, and legitimacy. Through this work, she develops a knowledge base and recommendations to support authorities, the business sector, and other stakeholders in planning and decision-making processes.

She also has experience with circular value chains in onshore/offshore wind, biogas, food waste, and seafood sectors. In this context, she investigates barriers and opportunities related to resource utilization, cross-value-chain collaboration, infrastructure, and public facilitation, among other factors. Methodologically, she works primarily with qualitative interviews, document and discourse analysis, stakeholder analysis, value chain analysis, and co-creation processes.