Svein B. Manum

Svein Bendik Manum (3 October 1926 – 30 September 2015) was a Norwegian palaeobotanist and palynologist who pioneered the study of pre‑Quaternary palynology in Norway. Over a career spanning more than five decades at the University of Oslo and in international appointments, he made foundational contributions to the biostratigraphy of dinoflagellate cysts, Arctic palaeofloras and the application of palynology to petroleum geology.

Early life and education

Svein Bendik Manum was born in Askim, Østfold, on 3 October 1926 to Ivar Rui Manum and Anna Walborg, who ran a local grocery shop. He completed his secondary schooling in Askim in 1945 and enrolled at the University of Oslo the following year, graduating in 1950 with degrees in botany, mathematics and physics. Under the supervision of Professor Ove Arbo Høeg, Manum undertook the first postgraduate thesis on pre‑Quaternary palynology in Norway—a study of Paleogene coal deposits from Spitsbergen—earning his Candidatus realium in 1953. He married Randi Hafting in 1953, and the couple had three children: Ivar, Ketil and Kari.