highlights from THIS MONTH'S NEWSLETTER:
- From the desk of the Head of Department
- Organisational structure – in highlights
- BIO grant news
- Low service days
FROM THE DESK OF THE HEAD OF DEPARTMENT
Thank you for attending the department Christmas meeting this afternoon (slides are available here)! ! It was great to see so many of you there – both in Esbjerg, in Aalborg, and online. A special thank you to the 6 tenure-track assistant professors (Caitlin, Helene, Kasper, Nadieh, Søren, and Xinxin) for some interesting presentations.
As I mentioned at the meeting, we are coming to the end of a turbulent year for the department. A whistleblower case on how we manage our economy on externally funded projects has led to some changes. Examination and correction to how we manage our current project portfolio (both academically closed and ongoing projects) have been a major task for the department’s employees in the economy and project team throughout the year. Centralization of AAU Kommunikation brought us into unknown territory, and a new collaborative strategy for our communication effort have only started to be unfolded. Since I started as Head of Department 1 September this year, I have become a lot wiser with respect to the department’s performance. Owing to everyone’s great and tireless efforts, we perform very good on all major parameters, including education of valuable candidates, PhD students and PostDocs, external funding, and valuable research with impact to society. – A huge thank you to all of you for making this possible!
Although our department economy is sound and relatively robust, the general stressed economy on faculty level has had - and will have - large implications on our strategic investments this year and in the years to come. All in all, I´m quite optimistic on behalf of the department, and I believe that we will be able to develop and perform even better in the coming years.
It is soon time to spend a few days off with family and friends, celebrating Christmas and the new year. I wish everyone a well-deserved break and look forward to seeing you again next year.
Department Structure
As presented at the department meeting today, the management has during the last couple of months been working on whether to update the current organisational structure. Following a workshop with the Consultation Committee and the Research Committee on 1 December, the management has decided to implement some changes to the organisational structure. The following has presented for verification at Research Committee Meeting on 12 December and the Consultation Committee Meeting on 13 December. I would like to give the reasoning behind the changes and the process regarding implementation in 2024.
Reason behind
As presented at the Summer Seminar in August, I intended to start looking at the organisational structure, as I found it important to give the organisation a ‘service check’ as a new head of department. Following individual conversations with each Research Area Leader, other Heads of Department at ENG, the Dean, the pro-deans, and the management, ideas started to form. The timeline of the process was furthermore affected by the fact that Professor Kåre Lehmann Nielsen informed the management that he wished to stop as Head of Section for Bioscience and Engineering from 1 January 2024. I would like to thank Kåre for his huge efforts in leading the bio-section and staying on the task until the new organisational structure was in place. Following the before mentioned workshop and meetings, the following organisational structure was decided upon:
Organisational structure – in highlights
A simpler structure
The main change to the organisational structure is to go from section and research area leaders to only having section leaders, with the intent of shorting the way between management and employees, as well as to ‘slim’ and simplify the structure. With this structure I hope that all employees will experience a shorter distance to influence and transparency regarding the department’s daily management and strategic goals. An integral part of this new structure is the formation of a management committee (the current research committee and the education committees will be discontinued) focusing on coordination and strategic development of the department. The committee will consist of the management and the new heads of sections as well as selected ad hoc stakeholders for qualification of specific strategic discussions.
Leader of Chemistry and Biosciences in Esbjerg
As a department with two campuses, the management finds it very important to have a leader in Esbjerg with clear mandate, as well as a representative of our employees and activities at campus Esbjerg in the daily management. Therefore, we have decided to inset a Leader of Chemistry and Biosciences in Esbjerg, who will represent the department in local forums and take part in the local strategic work regarding reassuring that Campus Esbjerg continuously is a vibrant and high-quality work- and study place that can retain and attract both students and employees. The Leader of Chemistry and Biosciences in Esbjerg will refer directly to the me as Head of Department and will be a part of the management. I am happy to announce that I have offered this central position to Jens Muff, who have accepted.
From research areas to sections
The responsibilities of the research areas in the new structure will be discussed and agreed upon in the new year. As we remove one layer of management (the large sections) we also need to redistribute some tasks to other parts of the management. It is not expected that the research area leaders will take over all the tasks and responsibilities of the current sections, but that it will be redistributed between the research area leaders, the management, and the administration. As part of the restructuring of the organisation, we will also have a closer look on the size and composition of the research areas. Whether or not we will implement any changes to the research areas is still open for discussion, but I hope everyone will contribute to an open discussion on how we can adjust the compositions of the research areas for everyone’s benefit. As the tasks of the research area leaders are bound to change in the new structure, it has been a great wish form the current research area leaders (and the Dean for that matter) that we change the name of the research areas to sections. This will be in effect after any restructuring of the research areas has taken place (you can see a first draft of a description of the Departmental Leadership here, which will be updated during the implementation process).
Implementation process
Large changes to the department structure are not something that we can implement overnight. We will therefore have an interim period (expected to be 3-4 months) where it is almost business as usual. We will thus enter 2024 with our current structure, except for the two large sections. Until we have settled the new structure of the research areas (which will eventually become sections) and the distribution of tasks and responsibilities, it has been decided that Jens Muff will continue management of employees and economy for the “old” Section of Chemical Sciences and Engineering and Niels Thomas Eriksen will take over the responsibility for the same for the “old” Section of Bioscience and Engineering. The process going forward will be discussed with both the Research Committee and the Consultation Committee at meeting on Monday 15 January 2024.
Q&A-meeting: Thursday 21 December
I know that these changes may cause for questions and comments, and on behalf of the management I would therefore like to invite you all to an online Q&A-meeting (spørgetime) on Thursday 21 December at 2 PM (invitation will be send by email). Participation is voluntary, and you are also very welcome to attend even if you don’t have any specific questions. Furthermore, you are always welcome to contact me (head@bio.aau.dk) – or one of the others from the management – if you would like.
STAFF PERFORMANCE AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW (MUS)
As part of my intent to be better informed on our challenges and opportunities and to have a good understanding of the research activities of the department, I have decided to conduct MUS with all professors, associate professors, and assistant professors (both tenured and non-tenured) for the next two years as a minimum. The first interviews have already been concluded and I look forward to many interesting talks in the coming months.
INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY
As part of AAU’s work on improving diversity and inclusion, the management has in consultation with the Department Committee formulated one activity/task for improving inclusion and diversity, respectively. The work with these activities has been initiated and will be intensified during 2024. Concerning diversity, we have chosen to focus partly on ensuring balance in the department's communicative expression with a focus on equality in relation to gender, age, beliefs, lifestyle, or ethnic background, and partly on promoting the exchange of experiences and ideas regarding diversity between employees. With respect to inclusion, it has been decided that the common language is English for all written departmental mass communication. This together with a clear policy for oral communication (Danish or English when appropriate) aims to ensure that all employees have equal access to information and work-related communication.
NEWS FROM RESEARCH
BIO GRANT NEWS
As we prepare for the end of year holiday and the New Year, we can celebrate some exceedingly happy funding news:
- Tenure track Assistant Professor Caitlin Margaret Singleton has obtained the prestigious Sapere Aude: DFF- Starting Grant.
- Assistant Professor Malene Bredal Brohus has been awarded the DFF Inge Lehmann grant.
- Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Kasper Tolborg has successfully acquired a NNF Start-Package Grant.
- Associate Professors Jens Muff and Morten Lykkegaard Christensen have received funding from the MUDP program.
- Associate Professor Morten Lykkegaard Christensen has also received funding for his research through the EUDP program.
- Professors Michael Toft Overgaard, Morten Mattrup Smedskjær, and Mette Lübeck have obtained important infrastructure funding from the Carlsberg Foundation.
Researchers and Students in The Media
(Chronological)
- Michael Toft Overgaard - Dansk forskning frikender drabsdømt australsk mor, Avisen.dk
- Niels Thomas Eriksen - Stor insektfabrik åbnet i Danmark - kan få afgørende betydning, siger eksperter, Tv2.dk
- Sophie Lund Rasmussen - Det første kys, Femina
- Sophie Lund Rasmussen - Scientists Sequence DNA from a 3,000-Year-Old Brick, Scientific American
- Torsten Nygård Kristensen - Forskere fra Aalborg bekæmper bladlus med bakterier, Videnskab.dk
- Torsten Nygård Kristensen - PRM / Forskning fra AAU kan revolutionere skadedyrsbekæmpelse, Ritzaus Bureau
Another great story to share is that Michael Toft Overgaard, Mette Nyegaard (SUND), Malene Bredal Brohus and Helen Halkjær Jensen together with research leaders are receiving recognition for their significant contribution to scientific findings. These findings played a crucial role in exonerating Australian Kathleen Folbigg, absolving her of any wrongdoing or responsibility in her children’s tragic deaths.
NEWS FROM THE ADMINISTRATION
A SMALL COMMUNICATION REMINDER
Please remember that the department’s central communication mailbox is open! AAU Communication and Public Affairs has expertise in press, web, graphics, social media, and more. If you have any good news, stories, or anything else deserving attention, feel free to write to them at kombio@adm.aau.dk.
ADMINISTRATION ON HOLIDAY UNTIL JANUARY 2ND
During the period between Christmas and New Year, the administration is on holiday, but we'll be back (perhaps a bit rounder) on January 2nd.
LOW SERVICE DAYS
In connection with Christmas and New Year, AAU has low service days from 23/12 2023 to 01/01 2024 (both days inclusive)
On low service days, the following services applies:
- All outer doors are locked, but access is possible with an active AAUcard
- There is no snow and ice clearing
- The telephone switchboard is closed
- Mail is not forwarded - neither incoming nor outgoing
- There is no cleaning service
- Facility Support is closed
- The heat is lowered to night level
- It is not possible to order catering for meetings
Campus Service is closed, but in the event of technical problems, in case of emergency you can contact Building Support on call on telephone +45 2045 8824.
Other building-related errors and deficiencies are reported to Building Support
The canteens are closed for the holidays
The canteens at AAU are closed during the following periods:
CHRISTMASPARTY 2023
On Friday, November 24th, this year's Department Christmas party in Aalborg took place. A big thank you to the research areas of Environmental Biomonitoring and Environmental Change and Adaptation, who worked diligently to organize this year's Christmas party.
merry christmas and happy new year!
