Niklas Eklund

Niklas Eklund is Professor of Political Science at Umeå University and Director of the European CBRNE Centre. His research focuses on security, governance and societal resilience, with particular emphasis on the Arctic, northern Europe and the Nordic region. He has worked extensively on Arctic security, Swedish and Nordic security policy, civil–military relations, Russian security and military affairs, crisis management, and the challenges posed by disinformation and changing geopolitical conditions to democratic and resilient societies. 
Appointed an Arctic Six Chair in 2024, Eklund has led work to strengthen research collaboration on Arctic security across the six northern universities in Sweden, Finland and Norway. His Arctic Six project examines how international, national and local processes of securitisation intersect across defence, commerce and climate, and seeks to connect academic research with municipalities, regional authorities, industry and other societal actors. 
Eklund previously served as Director of the Arctic Centre at Umeå University and has long contributed to research and dialogue on the governance and security of Europe’s far north. In his current role at the European CBRNE Centre, he brings these perspectives into interdisciplinary work on preparedness, total defence and emerging security risks, strengthening connections between research, public authorities and practitioners across Sweden, the Nordic region and Europe.