Ansvarsområder
Professor in work- and organizational psychology
- Supervision of master- and phd-candidates
- Course responsible for MSH-VET4100 "Philosophy of Science and Research methods".
- Lecturing on work- and organizational psychology in MSH-VAA4300 "health promoting work places", in applied statistics in MSH-OPP4400 "Master thesis".
- Aquisition of external funding for research- and innovation projects
- Collaborating with national and international universities, private and public sectors in for research, innovation and development of knowledge and techology.
Head of Research Group in Health Promotion in Settings
- Planning of research strategy
- Representing research group in internal and external fora
- Support of research-related activities in the research group
Kompetanse
Research Interests
I have been involved in cross-disciplinary research for more than 20 years. My current research interests are related to:
- Relationship between Work Environment and Worker Health, Productivity and Turnover.
- Dynamic analyses of human behaviour at work
- Human-technology interaction
- Transportation safety
- Work environment and health promotion
- Human-technology interaction
- Decision making and situation awareness
- Modelling of human performance and system safety
- Applied statistics
- Development of research- and analytic methods
Competence
- Professor-competent in Work and Organisational Psychology: Maritime Human Factors (May 2011)
- Professor-competent in Work Life Research (April 2018)
- Professor-competent in Human-Technology Interaction (2020)
- Specialist in Research Design and Applied Statistics with particular focus on General Linear Modelling, non-parametric statistics and bootstrapping procedures.
- Experienced in Cross-disciplinary research
Previous employment.
He has worked as Professor of Work and Organisational Psychology at USN since May 2011. He was previously employed at the Department of Maritime Operations at USN (2011-2018) and has worked as adjunct associate professor at the Department of Psychology, University of Oslo (2012-2015) and adjunct Professor at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (2017-2018). His work experience also includes work at AIBN (Accident Investigation Board of Norway) and NSB (Norwegian State Railways) and in the strategic HR company EBHR.
Awards and Honors
In 2012 he was the recipient of a gift professoriate from Kongsberg Maritime (4 MNOK over 5 years).
Head of maritime research at the Faculty of Technology and Maritime Sciences (Jan 2012-Dec 2016).
Currently is head of the research group for health promotion in settings at the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Department of Health-, Social-, and Welfare Studies (since Feb 2023 to date).
He has been both head and vice-head of the program board for the National PhD-program in Nautical Operations (Joint Degree) between September 2016 and April 2018.
Has led 6 (re)accreeditation expert panels for study programs at universities in Georgia and Croatia.
Language proficiency:
Norwegian: Proficient (CEFR C2+)
English: Advanced (CEFR C1)
German: Upper intermediate (CEFR B2)
Croatian: Elementary (CEFR A2)
CV
Education
- PhD in Psychology (Cognitive Systems Engineering) from NTNU, Norway 2008
- Cand.Polit in Psychology (Ergonomics and Human Factors) from NTNU, Norway 2004
- Cand.mag from Akershus College, Norway, 2001
Professor Kjell Ivar Øvergård specializes in human performance in complex systems and workplace well-being. As a Full Professor and Head of Research at the University of South-Eastern Norway, his work spans decision-making, human error, and the interaction between humans and technology, alongside a strong focus on health promotion and psychosocial work environments.
Øvergård’s research includes extensive studies on workplace well-being, particularly the factors influencing sickness absenteeism, employee engagement, and organizational health. His publications explore how workplace environments, leadership, and individual traits impact absenteeism and burnout, offering evidence-based strategies to enhance well-being and performance.
In safety-critical domains such as maritime operations, Øvergård examines real-time processes like situation awareness and decision-making under pressure. His work also addresses the influence of automation on trust and performance, as well as time-based modeling of human behavior to predict and mitigate errors.
By integrating psychology with applied science, Øvergård’s research provides actionable insights for improving workplace dynamics and safety. His interdisciplinary contributions have informed training programs, organizational policies, and technological advancements across industries, emphasizing the importance of adaptability, precision, and employee well-being in achieving operational excellence.