Five outstanding researchers honoured with EliteForsk awards

The researchers are being honoured for their outstanding research results which attract great attention to top level Danish research in the health, natural science and political science areas.

• Read about the award winners (in Danish)

The focal point for this year’s EliteForsk winners stretches from tiny atoms and proteins in our cells, to diabetes, the sound of whales, and international diplomacy. In each their own way, their research can have great importance for the future.

On 28 February, the five researchers will receive DKK 1.2 million for their research results. DKK 200,000 of this is a personal award, while DKK 1 million is for their research activities. The awards will be presented by HRH Crown Princess Mary and Minister for Higher Education and Science Tommy Ahlers at an event at the Copenhagen Opera House.

– Today we are honour the best. The greatest talents in their research fields. The award recipients strive to solve great societal challenges, make us healthier and make us wiser about ourselves and society. The researchers are receiving the EliteForsk award for their exceptional results and for their tireless work to achieve those results despite challenges and roadblocks, which is a cornerstone of all research and a prerequite for creating something new, says Tommy Ahlers.

Recipients of the EliteForsk award 2019 are:

• Professor in physics Kristian Sommer Thygesen, Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark
• Professor in biology, Peter Teglberg Madsen, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University
• Professor in political science Rebecca Adler-Nissen, Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen
• Professor in molecular biology Chunaram Choudhary, Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen
• Clinical Professor in medicine Niels Jessen, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University

During the same ceremony, 20 talented PhD students will receive an EliteForsk travel scholarship worth DKK 200,000. The scholarships will assist the students in travelling around the world to apply themselves in some of the best international research environments.

– When we travel, we achieve greater realisation and see things from a different angle. The EliteForsk travel scholarships give young researchers the opportunity to gather inspiration and build a network at the best universities around the world. It is not only valuable for the PhD students’ future, but also for Denmark, which benefits from talented researchers’ new knowledge and connections, says Tommy Ahlers.

For further information please contact:

Communications adviser at the Ministry of Higher Education and Science, Ingeborg Marie Nielsen: Tel. +45 7231 8654, e-mail: imen@ufm.dk