Her work focuses on the politics of Arctic change, environmental governance, communication at the science-policy interface, future scenarios, and the relationship between resource extraction and sustainable Arctic communities. She has participated in several scientific assessments under the auspices of the Arctic Council. Nilsson received her PhD in environmental sciences in 2007, following a 20-year career as a science journalist. Her published writing includes the edited volume Media and the Politics of Arctic Climate Change.
- Arctic sea ice and the communication of climate change
- Arctic sustainability research: past, present and future
- Towards extended shared socioeconomic pathways: a combined participatory bottom-up and top-down methodology with results from the Barents region
- Knowledge production and environmental conflict: managing systematic reviews and maps for constructive outcomes
- Organizational learning in regional governance: A study of the Arctic Council