Competence centers for Arctic studies: thesis-based analysis

The article deals with theses thematic grouping, both following the Russian Arctic zone’s areas of socio-economic activity and organizations where they were prepared. Thesis selection on Arctic topics was carried out using morphemes (titles and keywords) of theses defended in 1990–2018. 1.436 of theses were selected, incl. 1.201 for the degree of Candidate of Sciences and 235 — for the degree of Doctor of Sciences amounting to 1% of the total number of analyzed theses. More than 50% of theses related to the Arctic topics were dealing with three principal areas of Arctic socio-economic activity: “water and biological resources”, “ecology, climate and people”, and “geology and minerals”. Researchers’ organizations were in 51 different territories of the Russian Federation. Among 503 organizations involved in Arctic research on all topics, the leaders are Lomonosov Moscow State University (72 theses), Murmansk Marine Biological Institute, Kola Scientific Center, Russian Academy of Sciences (62 theses), Knipovich Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (43 theses). The analysis allows us to create an objective list of all organizations — Competence centers for Arctic studies — involved in areas related to Arctic socio-economic activity.