Researcher profile: Ignacio Herrera Anchustegui

Many of our researchers come from abroad. We have asked them why they chose the Faculty of Law at the University of Bergen. 

What are your research interests?

I have a broad range of interests; I am curious by nature and I like diving into new areas and legal issues. Currently, most of my time goes on dealing with (offshore) energy issues. I combine this with energy markets and competition issues in different sectors – including, you guessed it, energy.

I work mostly on offshore wind and hydrogen at the moment and how these technologies raise novel legal issues. I am also interested in how rules deal with complex (between two countries, for example) and mixed projects (offshore wind to electrify oil and gas operations). 

When did you start in your current position?

I became an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law in November 2019. Before that, I was a researcher on competition and energy markets, and even before a PhD candidate in competition law.

Why did you choose the Faculty of Law at University of Bergen?

Pure luck and it has been a success story, I think. I used to work as an intern in the United Nations Officer for Drugs and Crime. I had a boss that is Norwegian and back in 2012 he said: “You are a nerd, why don’t you go for a PhD position? Norway has good universities and good job opportunities. Drop them an email”. I did, I got interviewed and later selected for a PhD position in competition law.

I am lucky to have great colleagues working closely to me in the area of climate, energy and environmental law matters.

What are the best 3 things about your position?

I really enjoy the teaching and dissemination part of my job. Unlike many, I like public speaking and interacting with students and colleagues. I am lucky to interact with a lot of intelligent and interesting people all the time.

In my position, I feel I am literally in the middle of the energy transition storm. This keeps me engaged, curious and reading about legal and non-legal topics.

Lastly, I like feeling as a team player and contributing to developing the climate, energy and environmental law team at our Faculty. We keep growing and becoming a place of reference in our fields. This is exciting and motivating.

How would you describe the academic environment at the Faculty?

I am lucky to have great colleagues working closely to me in the area of climate, energy and environmental law matters. As mentioned, we are many, about 20 and a great mix of ages, origins, interests and personalities. Did I mention already that we are the most international group at the Faculty? We are a really varied bunch: from the extroverted ones to those more introverted, from passionate environmental and climate researchers to others like me still doing hydrocarbon related stuff.

However, our fields serve as a meeting point and we often work in teams or on group projects, which is still uncommon in legal academia; this is a launching pad for creating links and ties beyond academia – my best friends in Norway are at the Faculty (and not only within this group – there are quite a few of us into nerdy board games not doing energy or climate).  

More generally and in comparison to other academic cultures, Bergen is a flat(ter) structure – there are no big vertical lines between employees, we are very close to the Faculty’s leadership and seniors are just a step away. Decisions and policies are often formed on the based on discussion and consensus.

We are very close to the Faculty’s leadership and seniors are just a step away

There are opportunities for personal development, and there is a lot of research independence. These are all characteristics that are less common in other parts of the world – and part of the Norwegian way of doing things. I have adjusted to this – and it was a big change for me, and sometimes I am still the odd one out – for the good and bad, haha.

Who would you recommend the faculty to?

Let me turn this question slightly around: I would like the Faculty to be a place that attracts motivated, driven, curious and with eagerness to do high-quality legal research people. Who wants to be our next colleague pushing the frontiers of knowledge in climate, energy and environmental law matters?