2. February 2017

Here are the six new Niels Bohr Professors

The following six highly recognized researchers have been invited to contract negotiations with the DNRF:

Niels Bohr Professor: Rita Felski, University of Virginia
Uses of Literature: The Social Dimensions of Literature.
Host professor: Anne Marie Mai, University of Southern Denmark

Read more via University of Southern Denmark (in Danish)

The Niels Bohr professorship is expected to develop new analytical methods and identify new literary topics that will help us better understand the critical role that literature plays in our perceptions of, for example, politics, class divide, and health.

Niels Bohr Professor: Thomas Pohl, Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems
Many-body Quantum Optics in correlated Matter (maQma)
Host professor: Michael Drewsen, Aarhus University

Based on the quantum mechanical descriptions of interactions between individual light quanta and atoms, the focus of Thomas Pohl’s research is to examine the new quantum phenomena that occur when one light quantum or a single atom interact in a very controlled manner. The special quantum correlations that can occur between the atoms and the light quanta provide, for example, the chance for two light quanta to interact very strongly, and for the individual light quanta to create spatial correlations in atomic systems. In addition to contributing to a better understanding of quantum effects in complex situations, Thomas Pohl’s research will be highly relevant for the development of future quantum technologies.

See more via Aarhus University

 

Niels Bohr Professor: Matthew Collins, University of York
Understanding and exploiting the survival of ancient proteins (PROTEIOS)
Host professor: Thomas Gilbert, Universitet of Copenhagen

Niels Bohr professorship will spur research to redefine research in ancient proteins by describing the fundamentals of biomolecular survival and exploring ancient proteomes, fossil sequences and material culture. Collins’s research into patterns of protein diagenesis will improve targeting of samples, while his approach to non invasive analysis opens us a suite of studies of material culture. Replicating his experience in establishing ‘BioArCh’ at York, and exploiting both the research strenghts in Copenhagen and the extraordinary material culture preserved in Denmark, Collins will hope to bridge the divide between the sciences and humanities. Greenland’s sediments and Denmark’s bogs are world recognised as some of the riches sources of protein artefacts in the world (skins, leather, textiles and tools).

 

Niels Bohr Professor: John McGrath, University of Queensland An Integrated Program of Psychiatric Epidemiology (IPPE) 
Host professor: Preben Bo Mortensen, Aarhus University

Too little Vitamin D in the fetus is probably one of the reasons for an increased risk of developing the serious illness schizophrenia. This is what a group of researchers concluded in a groundbreaking study from 2010. One of the driving forces behind this hypothesis was Professor John McGrath from the University of Queensland. He is considered one of the world’s leading researchers in schizophrenia and other mental illnesses and has worked closely with the Center for Register-based Research at Aarhus University, who were also co-authors on the 2010 study. With a grant of 30 million kroner from the Danish National Research Foundation, the Center for Register-based Research will now strengthen the collaboration with the international top researcher. “Danish scientists have long been at the forefront of psychiatric epidemiology and through enhanced collaboration with Professor John McGrath, we can ensure that Denmark maintains its leading position in this area,” explains Professor Preben Bo Mortensen at the Centre for Register-based Research.

See more via Aarhus University

Niels Bohr Professor: Morten Bennedsen, INSEAD Business School
The Impact of Family Assets on Corporate Structures and Outcomes (FAMBUSS) 
Host professor: Peter Norman Sørensen, Universitet of Copenhagen

The FAMBUSS project, headed by Niels Bohr professor Morten Bennedsen, analyzes the world’s most widespread organization type: the family-owned business. The project will increase our understanding of how management and family ownership affects a company’s organization and performance. The project analyzes the family-owned business culture and innovation, leadership and future investments.

Read more via University of Copenhagen 

Niels Bohr Professor: Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, University of California
NBI Center for Transient Astrophysics (NCTA)
Host professor: Jens Hjorth, Universitet of Copenhagen

Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz is a highly recognized, top international researcher and his research is a strong addition to the research in the Dark Cosmology Centre. His research lies primarily in the universe’s powerful phenomena such as supernova star explosions, outbursts of gamma radiation, black holes in the centers of the galaxies, and other phenomena in which DARK is an international leader. Ramirez-Ruiz is a theorist and he studies the phenomena using computer simulations, while a large part of DARK’s current research is based on observations made with both space telescopes as well as large, land-based telescopes. Both of these methods – observations and theoretical calculations – are necessary in order to unravel what is happening in the universe.

Read more via the Niels Bohr Institute

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