Thomas Skjødeberg Toftegaard

Thomas Skjødeberg Toftegaard has been a professor with particular tasks at the Aarhus School of Engineering, Aarhus University, since 2009. He has been director of the Centre for Applied Science and Engineering (CASE), Aarhus University, since 2010, as well as being R&D director of Electrical Engineering and ICT at the Engineering College of Aarhus.

He completed his PhD in Wireless Communication in 1999 – as part of the Danish Industrial PhD Programme – at the Centre for Personal Communication, Aalborg University, in collaboration with Sonofon. Since then, he has gained considerable industrial experience via positions as R&D director for a rapidly growing R&D department in IT and at L.M. Ericsson A/S – the telecommunications giant – in Aarhus, and subsequently at Tieto A/S.

As director of a large R&D department, he has been responsible for a number of PhD students and has collaborated closely with institutions such as Aalborg University. In 2003–2006, while working at L.M. Ericsson, he was also a part-time lecturer at the Engineering College of Aarhus.

Thomas Skjødeberg Toftegaard took up his appointment on 1 July.

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Kurt Jensen

Kurt Jensen has been head of the Department of Computer Science at Aarhus University since 1998 and was appointed professor of Computer Science in 1999.

Professor Jensen comes from an extensive career as a researcher at Aarhus University. He was awarded a doctorate in Coloured Petri Nets at Aarhus University in 1995, after completing a PhD at the same university in 1980 with a dissertation on Net Models in System Development. From 1988 to 1990, he was a senior research officer in the private firm Meta Software in Massachusetts, USA.

Professor Jensen’s research area is Coloured Petri Nets, including modelling language, analytical methods, computer tools and industrial applications. He has written four textbooks on Coloured Petri Nets, has repeatedly been invited to lecture on the topic and is the author of more than forty papers in journals and other peer-reviewed publications.

For the last seven years, Professor Jensen has been chairman of the steering committee for the international Petri Net Society.

Kurt Jensen took up his appointment on 1 July.

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Lars Henrik Andersen

Professor Lars Henrik Andersen is the new head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He has been a professor of Physics at Aarhus University since 2007 – and was previously an associate professor at the university since 1993, when he was awarded a doctorate in Physics at the Department of Physics and Astronomy. In 1996–1997, he spent a year in the USA as a visiting fellow at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Professor Andersen is the author of many publications and is an experienced lecturer. Over the years, he has also worked hard to share his knowledge in popular science contexts – including other scientific fields such as theology. In addition, he has considerable experience as a counsellor for research talent from Denmark and abroad.

Professor Andersen’s primary research area is experimental atomic physics. In his research, he has covered different topics ranging from atomic physics with anti-particles to molecular reactions in astrophysical contexts. During the last decade, he has developed new spectroscopy methods for spectral studies of protein components, with a view to clarifying issues such as the mechanisms behind colour vision at the atomic level.

Concurrently with his scientific work, Professor Andersen has been involved in the management of the Department of Physics and Astronomy as a representative of the academic staff on the department’s board, where he was appointed chairman on 1 March this year.

Lars Henrik Andersen took up his appointment on 1 July.

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Ib Johannsen

Ib Johannsen comes from a position as head of the Department of Physics and Chemistry at the University of Southern Denmark.

Ib Johannsen has a Master of Science (Chemistry) from the Technical University of Denmark. He has had a career within physics, chemistry and material science in both the public and the private sectors. He has worked as an assistant/associate professor at the University of Copenhagen, as a head of department at the RISØ National Laboratory, as head of the Danish Polymer Centre and has twice been a member of research committees. In the private sector, Ib Johannsen has been the head of research at a number of institutions, such as the Carlsberg Research Centre and GE Healthcare. In addition, he is a member of the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences and sits on the board of Chempilots.

During his research career, Ib Johannsen has published sixty-one peer-reviewed articles in international journals and been granted fifteen patents.

Ib Johannsen will take up his appointment on 15 August.

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Eva B. Vedel Jensen (interim appointment)

As of 1 July, Professor Eva B. Vedel Jensen has taken up an interim appointment as head of the Department of Mathematics. In 2003, she was appointed professor at Aarhus University, where she was awarded a doctorate in 1987.

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Allan Würtz

Allan Würtz has a PhD from the University of Iowa (1996) and a Master of Science (Economics) from Aarhus University (1993). He comes from a position as a director of studies (2009–2011) and associate professor at the School of Economics and Management, which he joined in 1997. He has also been employed at the University of New South Wales and the University of Copenhagen, and has been a visiting fellow at Princeton University and the Australian National University.

His primary research area is theoretical econometrics. His main themes include the testing of econometric models and the analysis of cross section and panel data models.

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