Kristín Vala Ragnarsdóttir is Professor of Sustainability Science at the University of Iceland. She was previously the Dean of Engineering and Natural Science at the University of Iceland and Professor of Environmental Sustainability at the University of Bristol, UK. She is Distinguished Fellow at the Schumacher Institute (UK), Vice-President of the Balaton Group, and Fellow of Academia Europeae, Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, Icelandic Academy and the Royal Society of Arts and Commerce.

Vala’s research engagement, publications and teaching focus on evaluating natural resources and their link with the economy, developing structure and indicators for the wellbeing economy, determining soil sustainability indicators, finding fabric for sustainable communities with focus on food security, and imagining sustainable futures with steps towards them through back-casting. Her most recent interests are linking the energy Sustainable Development Goal with other SDGs, casting light on corruption and developing groundwork for the circular- and bioeconomy.