IN THIS MONTH'S NEWSLETTER YOU CAN READ ABOUT:
- Department Meeting 16 June
- Who's Who: Zhencai Li
- Bread on Fridays (Aalborg)
- Michelle Hyldegård Mortensen in AAU’s Main Occupational Health and Safety Committee
- Peter Kristensen Professor
- Calmodulin Research Leads to Possible Reform of Australian Legal System
- New Funding Openings
- The Master’s Degree Program in Biology is Included in the Institutional Accreditation of AAU
Department Meeting 16 June - Sign up
All employees are invited to a Department Summer Meeting which will be followed by refreshments in both Aalborg and Esbjerg, Friday 16 June at 2:30 PM.
In Aalborg we will meet in the auditorium – you are also welcome to join online (link in Outlook-invitation). At the meeting the management will give a status on the examination of the project economy and more, and there will be time for questions.
The refreshments will be a great opportunity for a social gathering before the summer break. We hope to see you there!
Due to refreshments: Please click here to reply to the management’s invitation..
Who's Who: Colleague spotligHt
Name: Zhencai Li
- Profession: Postdoc
We have asked Zhencai Li a few questions, to get to know him better.
When did you start at the department, and what is your background?
- I started in the department as a PhD student on April 1 2019. My supervisor was Yuanzheng Yue, and my PhD project was inorganic glass fundamental research. Now I am a Postdoc and keep working with Yuanzheng Yue on the Quartz Purification Project. I studied material chemistry at Binzhou University and then focused on material engineering especially glass knowledge when I was a master's student at Kunming University of Science and Technology, Yunnan, China. Afterwards, I had a strong interest in glass research and then continued my glass career in the department at Aalborg University.
Why did you choose the path you did regarding your education?
- When I was a child, I had a dream of becoming a mathematician, inspired by Luogeng Hua, as I was interested in and had an aptitude for studying math. And teaching math in school to foster students' enthusiasm for studying mathematics was also a dream of mine. Instead, I was interested in and obsessed with inorganic materials during my master's period at Kunming University of Science and Technology. My wife has always supported me and encouraged me to study abroad, thus giving me a lot of motivation. Based on this, I decided to continue my research journey in Denmark.
What does your role at BIO entail?
- I have been working on materials for 8 years. My initial exposure to materials science occurred during my master’s studies. Afterwards, I had a strong interest in glass research and then continued my glass career in Yuanzheng’s group at Aalborg University. After finishing my PhD, I continue to work here as a Postdoc.
- Currently, I am supervising a master's student doing a project on lithium-ion batteries by using the active materials of silicon carbide (SiC) and metal organic framework (MOF) glasses. This means that I can learn something from this supervision process. For my Postdoc project on Quartz purification, by conducting some new experiments, I have obtained some interesting results that 99.95% Quartz can be obtained on the laboratory scale. In the future, we will keep moving forward to investigate the feasible method to commercialize quartz. If possible, I will consider that high-purity quartz can contribute to the development of semiconductors. Moreover, it is an exciting workplace, and I am very happy to work here.
Is there a fun fact about you that would surprise your colleagues at the department?
- During my spare time, I enjoy running and playing basketball with my friends who are part of both the AB5 Club and the Chinese community. I like the feeling of getting sweaty from playing basketball, which is beneficial for keeping young and healthy. In addition, I have been watching NBA (National Basketball Association) matches for 15 years. However, it is so annoying to have to watch the NBA live at midnight or in the early morning. Nowadays, watching NBA game recap is my favorite and only way to follow NBA matches. More importantly, I love the time staying with my family of three. We often visit Fårup Summerland to unwind and enjoy our weekends together.
Bread on Fridays (Aalborg)
Recently initiated there will be bread on both Wednesdays and Fridays (in Aalborg). Every Friday from now on there will be bread in the lunchroom at 10 AM (like the bread on Wednesdays). It’s a new initiative, which has been suggested and discussed in the Research Committee (where all ten research areas are represented as well as the management). Hope to see you there!
NEWS FROM THE ADMINISTRATION
HR News
New employments March 2023 – May 2023
| Emilia Guerra Silva Sørensen | Research Assistant | Sustainable Biosource Technology | 1 March |
| Anders Kjær Jørgensen | PhD fellow | Sustainable Biosource Technology | 1 March |
| Laura D'Andrea | Postdoc | Supramolecular Chemistry | 15 June |
| Jannie Munk Kristensen | Postdoc | Environmental Microbiology | 1 March |
| Nicolai Præst Nielsen | Laboratory Technician | Chemical Engineering | 1 March |
| Christina Karmisholt Overgaard | Research Assistant | Environmental Microbiology | 1 April |
| Ane Louise Vendelin | Communications Employee | The Administration | 1 April |
| Alessandro Perrucci | PhD fellow | Chemical Engineering | 1 April |
| Nicolai Sundgaard Bekker | Research Assistant | Sustainable Biosource Technology | 15 April |
| Maryam Tavakolmoghadam | Postdoc | Separation Processes | 1 May |
| Jonas Bech Jensen | HR-employee | The Administration | 1 May |
| Yuqiu Chen | Research Assistant | Chemical Engineering | 1 May |
| Peter Kristensen | Professor | Medical Biotechnology | 1 May |
| Alex Jørgensen | Laboratory Engineer | Environmental Biomonitoring | 1 May |
| Tina Dolbak | Employee of Finance | The Administration | 8 May |
| Anusuya Talukdar | Postdoc | Cehemical Engineering | 1 June |
| Amanda Frederikke Irlind | Research Assistant | Environmental Biomonitoring | 1 June |
| Søren Karst | Associate Professor | Environmental Microbiology | 1 June |
| Henriette Casper Jensen | Laborant | Supramolecular Chemistry | 1 June |
Resignations
| Giulia Dottorini | Postdoc | Environmental Microbiology | 30 April |
| Peam Cheali | Postdoc | Separation Processes | 31 May |
| Nicolai Sundgaard Bekker | Research Assistant | Sustainable Biosource Technology | 31 May |
Michelle Hyldegård Mortensen in AAU’s Main Occupational Health and Safety Committee
Michelle Hyldegård Mortensen has just been elected member of AAU’s Main Occupational Health and Safety Committee (Hovedarbejdsmiljøudvalget/HAMiU). Last year she started as a stand in in July 2022, after Anne Flensborg stopped. Michelle has some experience as occupational health and safety representative at the department.
Some of Michelle’s priorities are to fight for, that it will become a natural part of our daily lives to consider our future work environment and see it both as a workplace and a study environment. We are all aware that we can encounter hazardous situations if we forget to consider how we move around in the laboratories. But Michelle wants to work towards a work environment where we have the energy to navigate our daily lives, both at work and at home.
It is important that we have a work environment where we take care of ourselves and each other, both physically and mentally. This way, we can be good role models and show the students at Department of Chemistry and Bioscience how to take care of themselves and their colleagues in future jobs, says Michelle Hyldegård Mortensen. Read more about the committee here (Danish).
News from research
Peter Kristensen Professor
In May Peter Kristensen was appointed professor at Aalborg University. The department would like to thank and congratulate Peter! His research has centered on the technical development and application of methods that allow Darwinian evolution of proteins using directed evolution technologies.
The main scientific contributions have been in the area of recombinant antibodies and methods of isolating such antibodies from large libraries. Peter Kristensen was the first researcher to develop technologies which allow isolation of proteins with improved stabilities from large libraries of mutants. The interest to make technological developments based on recombinant antibodies and for manipulating protein stability and activity, were initiated while performing his post doc at the MRC-LMB in Cambridge in the group of Nobel Prize Laureate Sir Greg Winter. However, to justify technological development, the technology developed should be able to provide new insight or solve important problems, and here he has especially focused attention at finding novel biomarkers which can be used in characterization of important human conditions, such as neurological diseases, cancer, and other age-related diseases.
In recent years Peter’s field of research have broadened to also include molecular engineering of enzymes involved in creation of bioplastic or plastic degradation. You can read more about Peter's research here.
Calmodulin research leads to possible reform of Australian legal system
Monday 5 June was a big day for science as the previously convicted Kathleen Folbigg was unconditionally pardoned and released from prison in Australia. She was pardoned after spending 20 years in prison, jailed in 2003 after a seven-week jury trial found her guilty of three counts of murder and one of manslaughter over the deaths of her four babies. Involved in covering a part of the scientific data in the case was from Department of Chemistry and Bioscience was Malene Bredal Brohus, Helene Halkjær and Michael Toft Overgaard and a big group of other researchers.
They have worked with the scientific evidence and background in this case for years, and the scientific data from Denmark was at the center of the argument made by the court to pardon the previously convicted mother. A growing set of data about the calmodulin dimension as well as several other dimensions of the case suggested she could be innocent, and there was only a dismal basis of suspicion. Read more at e.g. Nature.com, Tv2.dk and others.
New Funding Openings
Many BIO researchers have the thematic edge to influence and benefit the Danish and European green and sustainable research agenda, while benefitting greatly from the funding opportunities available in this area. The deadline for the DFF thematic call for projects within Independent Green Research is June 13, but there are also new opportunities within EU Life funding in support of research on climate, environment, biodiversity and natural resource management, closing in July, September and November (please confer the funding schedule in this Excel-link).
The Global Innovation Network Programme (GINP, deadline August 15) is a unique opportunity to develop new network relations aiming for closer collaboration with researchers or institutions in either Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Israel, Japan, the Republic of South Korea, South Africa, Switzerland, The United Kingdom or The USA. However, you have to apply through the Department, because each department can only submit one application, please contact BIO’s funding adviser, Kristian if you wish to use this funding instrument.
Future events
- PhD defense, Celine Petersen, 22 June, Thesis title: "Genomic Characterization of Filamentous Fungi Using Long-read Sequencing From DNA Bases to Biological Function and Validation of Gene Clusters Using CRISPR/Cas Engineering" - Read more.
New Future Vice Head of Department
As we wrote in the January newsletter Cejna Anna Quist-Jensen will be the next Vice Head of Department in charge of research. This will take effect in October 2023. Our current vice head of department for research, Torsten Nygaard Kristensen, has decided to reprioritize some of his efforts. Cejna will become co-ordinator of the Department's research strategic initiatives that extend across research areas, and participate in the faculty's Research and Innovation Committee (FIU) with a view to identifying and stimulating possible collaborative relationships between the Departments. Cejna will also be part of the Department's day-to-day management together with Niels (Vice-Head of Education and Studies) and Morten (Interim Head of Secretariat). Read more in the January newsletter.
NEWS ABOUT RESEARCHERS AND STUDENTS
- Dan Bruhn, Majken Pagter og Peter Povlsen - Verdens planter udleder 4-6 procent mindre CO2 end eksisterende modeller viser, AAU.dk
- Malene Bredal Brohus, Helene Halkjær, Michael Toft Overgaard & Mette Nyegaard - ‘Science was heard’: Woman who was convicted of killing her children pardoned after inquiry, Nature, Tv2.dk and others.
- Marco Maschietti - Optimeret offshore reduktion af svovlbrinte, Maskinmesteren.
- Morten Lykkegaard Christensen - Nanna vinder Stockholm Junior Water Prize Denmark, Pdjf.dk.
- Niels Thomas Eriksen - Insects could help turn beer waste into beef, The Economist and others.
- Sophie Lund Rasmussen - The earliest recorded kiss goes back at least 4,500 years to Mesopotamia, Washington Post, Videnskab.dk and others.
- Sussie Pagh - Kæledyr på stribe forsvinder i bydel: - Det er makabert, Tv2.dk and others.
- Sussie Pagh - En godbid, Jæger.
- Sussie Pagh - Detektiver i døde fugle og dyr, Dof.dk
NEWS FROM EDUCATION
The master’s degree program in Biology is included in the institutional accreditation of AAU
AAU is once again undergoing institutional accreditation. As part of the process leading towards accrediting the university, the accrediting institution will evaluate whether we systematically work to ensure the quality and relevance of our programs. In this regard, the master’s degree program in Biology has been selected to be part of an audit trail concerning graduates' transition to the job market. This audit trail aims to map whether we work in this area according to the description outlined in the university's quality system.
Before the summer break, this will involve the studyboard, the chairman of the study board, and the head of studies at the department. We have gathered a range of documents and sent them to the Study Service, which will prepare a report on how we address this topic. In the autumn, the accrediting institution will conduct interview rounds at the university, which will also involve teachers and students.
DHL Relay Race Sign Up
Everybody’s welcome – whether you have a team or not – to join the annual relay race “DHL-stafetten” in Aalborg 30 August at 6 PM.
The distance is five kilometers – either running or walking. Remember to sign up before 13 June.
As a new initiative this year Department of Chemistry and Bioscience is introducing two new DHL trophies. Each year these trophies will be passed on to the winning team of each category at the department.
MEETING SCHEDULE FOR THE DEPARTMENT COMMITTEES
Being involved in the governing bodies at Aalborg University is one way to increase your influence and support the positive development of the university. We would like to encourage everybody to participate in this process. Therefore, in the future, an updated meeting schedule for each Department committee will be included in the newsletter, so that you know in good time when the meetings are scheduled. Please note that the agenda is prepared well in advance of the meetings, which is why any subject for the agenda should be submitted to the committee's representatives no later than one month before the date of the meeting. You will find the representatives of the committees here.
DEPARTMENT COMMITTEE:
- 13.09.2023
- 15.11.2023
CONSULTATION COMMITTEE (samarbejdsudvalg):
- 14.06.2023 (Please note the change of date)
- 19.09.2023
- 13.12.2023
SAFETY COMMITTEE:
- To be announced
RESEARCH COMMITTEE:
- 29.06.2023
- 14.09.2023
STUDY BOARD:
- 21.06.2023
- 23.08.2023
- 27.09.2023
- 24.10.2023
- 15.11.2023
- 13.12.2023
MINUTES AND AGENDAS FROM DEPARTMENT COMMITTEES
Minutes + agenda from Department Committee Meetings
Minutes + agenda from Consultation Committee Meetings
Minutes + agenda from Health & Safety Committee Meetings
Minutes + agenda from Research Committee Meetings
Minutes + agenda from Study Board Meetings
PUBLICATIONS
SGD’s
Please remember to register SDGs to your publications and projects in Pure. Your publication or project does not have to contribute directly to the goals. They can contribute indirectly.
Open Access Agreements
Aalborg University Library has taken out membership/licence to different Open Access publishers. The particular publishers can you find here.
Useful Guides
- How to register publications in Pure
- How to register projects in Pure
- You can find more guides to Pure here
You are advised to continually register publications in Pure as they are being published. Pure/VBN is your window to the out, showing your success to funds, companies and media.
Always link to the published publication or upload pdf of the published version of the publication for documentation.
For Open Access please remember to upload accepted manuscript as either closed or unknown. Do not upload it as open.
Registration of students.
Please write Steffen at smje@bio.aau.dk if you have students as co-authors on publications. Please write their full names in the e-mail.
RECENTLY PEER-REVIEWED REGISTERED PUBLICATIONS IN PURE
From the 31-03-2023 till the 02-06-2023
Bhatia, S. K., Kumar, V., Kumar, V., Bhatia, R. K., & Yang, Y. H. (2023). Microbial activity and productivity enhancement strategies. I Basic Biotechniques for Bioprocess and Bioentrepreneurship (s. 85-104). Elsevier Editora. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-816109-8.00004-0
Bøcker, A., Iversen, N., & Roslev, P. (2023). Adverse Effects of Agrochemicals on Methanotrophy Examined in a Toxicity Assay with Methane Oxidizing Bacteria. I Abstract Book SETAC Europe 33rd Annual Meeting (s. 256). Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.
Chimanlal, I., Nthunya, L. N., Mahlangu, O. T., Kirkebæk, B., Ali, A., Quist-Jensen, C. A., & Richards, H. (2023). Nanoparticle-Enhanced PVDF Flat-Sheet Membranes for Seawater Desalination in Direct Contact Membrane Distillation. Membranes, 13(3), [317]. https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13030317
Ge, X., Lai, P., Shi, C., Xu, X., Wang, J., Du, T., Smedskjær, M. M., Yang, D., Yang, F., Lu, W., Qin, J., Li, J., & Hu, Q. (2023). Unconventional floppy network structures in titanate glasses. Acta Materialia, 253, [118953]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2023.118953
Gu, X., Stott-Ross, P. A., Gill, A., Yang, Q., Ansermin, E., Sharma, S., Soleimannejad, S., Sharma, K., Callahan, A., Brown, C., Umina, P. A., Kristensen, T. N., & Hoffmann, A. A. (2023). A rapidly spreading deleterious aphid endosymbiont that uses horizontal as well as vertical transmission. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 120(18), [e2217278120]. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2217278120
Gutschmann, B., Högl, T. H., Huang, B., Maldonado Simões, M., Junne, S., Neubauer, P., Grimm, T., & Riedel, S. L. (2023). Polyhydroxyalkanoate production from animal by-products: Development of a pneumatic feeding system for solid fat/protein-emulsions. Microbial Biotechnology, 16(2), 286-294. https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.14150
Hansen, R. J., Nielsen, S. H. M., Johansen, M., Nielsen, F. K., Dragsbæk, F. B., Sørensen, O. S. B., & Eriksen, N. T. (2023). Metabolic performance of black soldier fly larvae during entomoremediation of brewery waste. Journal of Applied Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jen.13124
Herskind , C., Huus Petersen , H., Pertoldi, C., Østergaard, S. K., Kołodziej-Soboci ́nska, M., Soboci ́nski, W., Tokarska, M., & Jensen, T. H. (2023). Effect of Translocation on Host Diet and Parasite Egg Burden: A Study of the European Bison (Bison bonasus). Biology.
Hylle, P. M., Falden, J. T., Rauff, J. L., Rasmussen, P., Moltzen-Juul, M., Trudslev, M. L., Quist-Jensen, C. A., & Ali, A. (2023). Determination of Heat and Mass Transport Correlations for Hollow Membrane Distillation Modules. Energies, 16(8), [3447]. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16083447
Jensen, T. H., & Kuiken, T. (2023). Update on Avian Influenza Virus. I E. Miller, N. Lamberski, & P. Calle (red.), Fowler' s Zoo and Wild Animal Medicine Current Therapy (Bind 10, s. 139-144). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-82852-9.00022-8
Kheirkhah, T., Neubauer, P., & Junne, S. (2023). Controlling Aspergillus niger morphology in a low shear-force environment in a rocking-motion bioreactor. Biochemical Engineering Journal, 195, [108905]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bej.2023.108905
Kucheryavskiy, S., Rodionova, O., & Pomerantsev, A. (2023). Procrustes cross-validation of multivariate regression models. Analytica Chimica Acta, 1255, [341096]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2023.341096
Longis, M., Pereira, J. C., Högl, T. H., Neubauer, P., & Junne, S. (2023). Plug-flow anaerobic digestion with multi-position sensors: The value of gradient measurement for process monitoring. Biomass and Bioenergy, 173, [106803]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2023.106803
Menzel, T., Neubauer, P., & Junne, S. (2023). Effect of bioaugmentation with Paenibacillus spp. and thin slurry recirculation on microbial hydrolysis of maize silage and bedding straw in a plug-flow reactor. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-023-03958-8
Mingione, S., Pedersen, M. T., Sørensen, S. S., Winnefeld, F., Montagnaro, F., & Yue, Y. (2023). Role of Zn in aluminosilicate glasses used as supplementary cementitious materials. Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, 614, [122397]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2023.122397
Moreno, P. J. G., Yesiltas, B., Echers, S. G., Marcatili, P., Overgaard, M. T., Hansen, E. B., & Jacobsen, C. (2023). Recent advances in the production of emulsifying peptides with the aid of proteomics and bioinformatics. Current Opinion in Food Science, 51, [101039]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cofs.2023.101039
Nielsen, E. B., Iversen, N., & Roslev, P. (2023). Mitigation of Tire Rubber Microplastic Ecotoxicity by Combined Vacuum UV and UV-C treatment. I Abstract Book SETAC Europe 33rd Annual Meeting (s. 693). Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.
Ørsted, M., & Overgaard, J. (2023). Thermal limits of life and death in ectotherms: implications for predicting species distributions. Abstract fra Danish OIKOS Meeting 2023, Odense, Danmark.
Pedersen, E. J., To, T., Sørensen, S. S., Christensen, R., Christensen, J. F. S., Jensen, L. R., Bockowski, M., Magdysyuk, O., Diaz-Lopez, M., Yue, Y., & Smedskjær, M. M. (2023). Short- and medium-range structure synergistically control fracture toughness of densified aluminoborate glasses. Physical Review Materials, 7(5), [053607]. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.7.053607
Poulsen, J. S., & Nielsen, J. L. (2023). Proteomic characterisation of polyethylene terephthalate and monomer degradation by Ideonella sakaiensis. Journal of Proteomics, 279, 104888. [104888]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jprot.2023.104888
Qi, M., Vo, D. N., Yu, H., Shu, C. M., Cui, C., Liu, Y., Park, J., & Moon, I. (2023). Strategies for flexible operation of power-to-X processes coupled with renewables. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 179, [113282]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2023.113282
Rasmussen, S. L., Vorkamp, K., Zhu, L., Roslev, P., Pertoldi, C., & Lund Nielsen, J. (2023). Pesticides and Biocides in the Danish Population of European Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus). I Abstract Book SETAC Europe 33rd Annual Meeting (s. 213). Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.
Shi, T., Zhou, J., Ren, J., Ayub, Y., Yu, H., Shen, W., Li, Q., & Yang, A. (2023). Co-valorisation of sewage sludge and poultry litter waste for hydrogen production: Gasification process design, sustainability-oriented optimization, and systematic assessment. Energy, 272, [127131]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2023.127131
Shortall, K., Arshi, S., Bendl, S., Xiao, X., Belochapkine, S., Demurtas, D., Soulimane, T., & Magner, E. (2023). Coupled immobilized bi-enzymatic flow reactor employing cofactor regeneration of NAD+ using a thermophilic aldehyde dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase. Green Chem., -. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3GC01536J
Smedskjær, M. M. (2023). Glasses across chemistries and length scales: Invited Talk. Abstract fra 18th Aarhus Winter Meeting, Aarhus, Danmark.
Sørensen, S. S., Ren, X., Du, T., Traverson, A., Xi, S., Jensen, L. R., Bauchy, M., Horike, S., Wang, J., & Smedskjær, M. M. (2023). Water as a Modifier in a Hybrid Coordination Network Glass. Small, 19(14), [2205988]. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202205988
Sun, D., Zhang, Q., Liu, P., Jensen, L. R., Wang, D., & Smedskjær, M. M. (2023). Balancing fracture toughness and transparency in barium titanosilicate glass-ceramics. Ceramics International, 49(11), 17479-17487. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2023.02.115
Yang, Y., Deng, Y., Shi, X., Liu, L., Yin, X., Zhao, W., Li, S., Yang, C., & Zhang, T. (2023). QMRA of beach water by Nanopore sequencing-based viability-metagenomics absolute quantification. Water Research, 235, [119858]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2023.119858
Zhang, A., Hao, S., Xie, M., Liu, Y., & Yu, H. (2023). Inspection and maintenance optimization for heterogeneity units in redundant structure with Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm III. ISA Transactions, 135, 299-308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isatra.2022.09.029
Zhang, A., Yin, Z., Wu, Z., Xie, M., Liu, Y., & Yu, H. (2023). Investigation of the compressed air energy storage (CAES) system utilizing systems-theoretic process analysis (STPA) towards safe and sustainable energy supply. Renewable Energy, 206, 1075-1085. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2023.02.098
