Professor Jens Hjorth joins the board of directors of the Carlsberg foundation

At a members’ meeting on 28 October 2021, the members of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters appointed Professor Jens Hjorth to the Board of Directors of the Carlsberg Foundation with effect from 1 January 2022. Jens Hjorth will be replacing Professor Lars Stemmerik, who has been on the Board since 2010.

“I welcome Jens Hjorth as a new member of the Carlsberg Foundation’s Board of Directors. Jens Hjorth is a visionary international scientific capacity who also understands the structural foundations on which research is based and the requirements and working conditions that must be met if researchers are to deliver optimum results. As a research director, he has worked hard to remove structural barriers to talent development in terms of gender, identity and social or ethnic background. I am convinced that Jens Hjorth will be a strong asset for the Carlsberg Foundation in the coming years,” says Flemming Besenbacher, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Carlsberg Foundation.

“At the same time, I would like to express my warmest thanks to Lars Stemmerik for the contribution he has made as a member of the Carlsberg Foundation’s Board of Directors for the last 12 years. With his broad insight into earth sciences and natural history, Lars Stemmerik has been an important capacity in relation to assessing the many natural science applications received by the Foundation every year. In addition, he has provided important professional input for the many cases handled by the Carlsberg Foundation’s Board of Directors on a regular basis.”

About Jens Hjorth

Jens Hjorth is 56 years old, graduated with an MSc in physics and chemistry from the University of Aarhus and obtained a PhD in astrophysics, also from the University of Aarhus, in 1993. Jens Hjorth has published more than 300 articles in international journals, including 20 in the highly esteemed journals Nature and Science. He has received several major awards for his academic achievements, most recently in 2021 from DANWISE for his extensive work to promote gender equality in the Danish research community. Furthermore, he has for a number of years assessed applications at all levels as a panel member for the European Research Council.

In recent years, Jens Hjorth has headed the Dark Cosmology Centre at the Niels Bohr Institute. He is currently researching how cosmic explosions have contributed to shaping the world we know.

“I am excited to be joining the Board of Directors of the Carlsberg Foundation. I feel ready to take the next steps towards the third phase of my career, that is, to give something back to society in a broader sense, based on the experience I have gained. I am looking very much forward to working with the other four members of the Board of Directors to the benefit of Danish research and actively helping talented and skilled researchers to unfold their potential and advance their careers.”

About the Carlsberg Foundation’s Board of Directors

The Carlsberg Foundation was established by brewer J.C. Jacobsen under the Charter and Deed of Gift of 1876. Since then, members of its Board of Directors have, in accordance with the Charter, been appointed by the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters from among its Danish members. Board members are appointed for terms of five years.

The Carlsberg Foundation’s Board of Directors has five members. Every year, one member’s term expires. Members may be reappointed.