About the lectureThe role of predation in the microbial world is like that in the macroscopic world: it makes energy flow to form food webs, regulates prey population, and is a source of biodiversity. However, mechanistically, predation operates very differently since in the microbial world viscosity impedes predator-prey contact, there is no vision to facilitate prey (and predator) perception, and observed behaviours are often counterintuitive. I will demonstrate how planktonic predators, from few micron-sized nanoflagellates to mm-sized copepods, have overcome the impeding effect of viscosity by a fascinating diversity of adaptations, and how microbial predators have balanced the fundamental problem of eating without themselves being eaten. I will show how this trade-off has driven an evolutionary arms race between diatoms and copepods with important consequences for the biological carbon pump. Finally, I will describe how the functional diversity of foraging in flagellates provides a new lens through which to explore early eukaryotic evolution. The presentation will be light on physics and rich in videos and animations.About the speakerThomas Kiørboe is a professor of Biological Oceanography at DTU Aqua. He has been the founder and leader of VKR centre of excellence Centre for Ocean Life (2012-2024) (www.oceanlifecentre.dk) and leader of a Research network (Trait-based plankton ecology, 1993-2013) supported by the Danish Research Council, and head of section at DTU Aqua (2008-13). His research interests span plankton ecology and biogeography, small-scale biological-physical interactions, microbial ecology, trait-based ecology, marine snow, and early eukaryotic evolution. He has been a visiting professor at MIT, UC Berkeley, and CSIC in Spain, and an adjunct professor at SDU (2006-2010). He is an Elected Fellow of Royal Danish Academy of Science and Letters and The Danish Academy for Technical Sciences, and the recipient of multiple national and international awards and accolades, including the AG Huntsman award and the Carlberg Foundation research prize.The event is organized by Donald Canfield

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About the lecture:Humans have introduced a huge array of novel chemical and material pollutants into the Earth system, and continue to do so at an ever-increasing scale.  Humanity’s pollution disrupts Earth system processes, and the stream of novel pollutants flowing into Earth’s environment poses a constant threat of new planetary-scale impacts.  This lecture provides a summary of nearly 15 years of evolution of ideas about how to confront risks and threats from planetary-scale pollution on Earth, and about a new initiative to extend those principles to protection of the moon, Mars and other celestial bodies where humans explore, visit, and may eventually colonize.About Matthew MacLeodMatthew MacLeod is Professor of Environmental Science at Stockholm University, Sweden, and Deputy Dean of Earth and Environmental Science.  He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) and is currently Sweden’s “Designated Expert” on Persistent Organic Pollutants for the Arctic Council’s Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP). He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Victoria (Canada), and Master’s and PHD degrees from Trent University (Canada). Prior to moving to Sweden in 2010 he was a post-doctoral researcher at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (USA) (2002-04) and a Research Group Leader at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland (2004-10). Professor MacLeod uses mathematical models and data analysis to study the factors that control human and environmental exposure to environmental contaminants, and the links between the three dimensions of the “triple planetary crisis” of pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss. The goal of his research is to build a quantitative understanding of humanity’s impacts on the Earth system, and to develop practical tools and guidance to support rational decision-making.The event is organized by DIAS Chair Zhanyun Wang

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About the lecture:The concert and lecture will present 300 years of musical history through compositionsfrom the vast and rich piano repertoire. Masterpieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven,Franz Liszt, and Claude Debussy will be performed and analysed to deepen both ourunderstanding and emotional perception of the music. Birch’s Astronomic Piano Pieces willtake the audience on a journey into space, thereby demonstrating a highly interesting, innovative,and unorthodox approach to music-making.All aspects of this remarkable instrument and its many possibilities will be explored — notonly the music itself, but also the piano’s technical development in relation to broader politicaland cultural movements throughout history.About the speaker:SVEN BIRCH was born in Denmark and studied piano at the DJM in Aarhus, where he graduated with a soloist diploma. Thanks to numerous scholarships, he was able to continue his studies in Vienna with Prof. Alexander Jenner. In addition, he attended masterclasses with renowned pianists such as Tatiana Nikolayeva, Conrad Hansen, John Lill, and Peter Feuchtwanger.As a sought-after pianist, Birch possesses an extensive repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to contemporary music. He is active as a soloist, chamber musician, accompanist, and composer, and has performed throughout Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Among his major projects is the performance of the complete cycle of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas.Since 1992, Professor Sven Birch has been teaching at the Anton Bruckner Private University in Linz. From 1996 to 2004, he also taught at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg.He is a member of the George Crumb Trio Linz and the Georgiadis-Birch flute and piano duo. He regularly conducts concerts and projects, and he serves as the conductor and artistic director of the ensemble Lézard aux Plumes in Linz.He is frequently invited to give masterclasses and workshops (Sibelius Academy Helsinki, Chopin Academy Warsaw, Royal Academy Manchester, as well as universities in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Beijing, Riga, Tallinn, Aarhus, Rome, Milan, and Seville) and has produced numerous CD, television, and radio recordings.The event is organized by Anne-Marie Mai & Andreas Birch

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Brief description of the lecture:The lecture will explore the logic of Russian hybrid warfare and its relationship to the information sphere. The talk will highlight some of the dilemmas associated with efforts to counter hybrid warfare and suggest a way to bridge insights from the relatively disconnected fields of international security and political communication. Short bio: Yevgeniy Golovchenko is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science and the Copenhagen Center for Social Data Science, University of Copenhagen. He does research on international security, political communication and social data science. His interests include disinformation, censorship, hybrid threats and maritime sanction evasionThe event is organized by Claes De Vreese

About the lectureAging is often presented as one of the greatest scientific challenges of our time. Yet understanding why some individuals remain healthy well into old age while others develop disease requires insights from many disciplines, including genetics, epidemiology, medicine, statistics, demography, and the social sciences.In this lecture, Sara Hägg will explore how modern aging research has evolved from gerontology and geriatrics to understanding the biological processes that drive healthy aging. Drawing on examples from large population studies and molecular aging research, she will discuss how biological age can be measured, what these measures can and cannot tell us, and how they are shaping current efforts to improve healthspan.The lecture will also reflect on the opportunities and challenges of interdisciplinary research, highlighting how scientific breakthroughs often emerge at the intersection of fields and why collaboration is essential for addressing complex questions about aging, health, and longevity.About the speakerSara Hägg is Associate Professor of Molecular Epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet and an internationally recognized researcher in the biology of human aging. She leads a research group that investigates why people age differently and how genetic, molecular, environmental, and lifestyle factors shape trajectories of health and disease across the lifespan.Her research combines epidemiology, genetics, biostatistics, omics and bioinformatics to identify biomarkers of biological aging and to understand their relationship with age-related diseases, functional decline, and mortality. Using large population-based cohorts and advanced causal inference methods, she studies mechanisms of healthy aging and evaluates potential interventions aimed at extending healthspan rather than simply lifespan.Sara serves as Principal Investigator for several major national and international research projects funded by organizations including the Swedish Research Council and the U.S. National Institute on Aging. Her work has contributed to the development and evaluation of biological age measures that are increasingly used in research and precision medicine.Beyond academia, Sara is a highly sought-after science communicator and public speaker. She frequently appears in newspapers, television, radio, podcasts, and public debates, where she provides evidence-based perspectives on aging, longevity, and preventive health, helping bridge the gap between scientific discovery and public understanding.The event is organized by Moustapha Kassem

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The impact of AI-powered clinical assistants on clinical practice and healthcare experiencesAbout the ConferenceArtificial intelligence (AI)-based chatbots, automation tools, and patient-facing robots, powered by large language models (LLMs), are rapidly becoming integral to modern healthcare, both in the Danish healthcare system and globally.Clinicians increasingly use these technologies for information-seeking, documentation through ambient voice systems and digital scribes, clinical decision support, communication, and patient interaction. Patient-facing robots are emerging in hospitals, clinics, and home-care settings to assist with, e.g., rehabilitation, medication adherence, and emotional support. As these assistants begin to complement or replace tasks traditionally performed by humans, they transform both the delivery of care and the experience of providing and receiving it.National and international research projects are emerging, exploring these transformations, and new interdisciplinary networks are forming.The purpose of this conference is to bring together researchers and clinicians for knowledge-exchange, constructive dialogue and networking.Date12th of November 2026 - 10:00 to 17:30 followed by a conference reception.VenueUniversity of Southern Denmark, Odense Campus, DIAS auditorium.The conference is hosted and co-funded by the Danish Institute of Advanced Studies (DIAS), University of Southern Denmark (Research Unit of General Practice and Department of Business and Management) and Odense University Hospital.The cross-disciplinary research network Caring for People and Technologies at the University of Southern Denmark organizes the conference (Associate Professor Elisabeth Assing Hvidt, Professor Dorthe Brogård Kristensen, Assistant Professor Line Maria Simonsen, Post Doc Kathrine Rayce, Associate Professor Elena Shulzhenko and special consultant Henriette List).

Academic Workshop:Illness, Narrative, and the Politics of VulnerabilityReflections on professor Tore Rem's book, Tidligere frisk mann, Previously Healthy Man: A Story of Illness, 2025We warmly invite scholars, researchers, healthcare professionals, and graduate students to participate in a workshop devoted to the literary, cultural, and political dimensions of illness narratives, taking Tore Rem's remarkable book Previously Healthy Man: A Story of Illness as its point of departure. The book is written in Norwegian, but the workshop will take place in English, and the workshop is open to all interested participants, regardless of whether they have read the book. After collapsing during a football match in 2014, Rem was diagnosed with the rare autoimmune disease cardiac sarcoidosis, an experience that transformed him from a healthy and active citizen into what he describes as a member of "the realm of the sick." Through his account of living with uncertainty, intensive treatment, bodily change, and repeated encounters with mortality, Rem develops a powerful literary reflection on illness, vulnerability, care, and the meaning of being human. The workshop will explore questions such as:[list][*]How does serious illness reshape personal identity and self-understanding?[*]In what ways are illness and vulnerability social and political rather than merely individual conditions?[*]How can literature and reading contribute to medical practice and public discussions of health?[/list] Through interdisciplinary discussion, we aim to bring together perspectives from literary studies, medical humanities, narrative medicine, sociology, cultural studies, and healthcare practice.We look forward to an engaging exchange of ideas on one of the most fundamental yet often overlooked dimensions of human existence: our shared vulnerability. Tore Rem will open the workshop by a short introduction. Moderator: Professor Anne-Marie Mai Tore Rem is professor of English Literature at the University of Oslo and one of Norway’s most distinguished biographers and literary scholars. He is the author of acclaimed biographies of Jens Bjørneboe, King Olav V, and Knut Hamsun: Journey to Hitler. He is director of UiO:Democracy, the University of Oslo's interdisciplinary research initiative dedicated to the study of democracy, public discourse, citizenship, and democratic culture.

About the eventAn upper age limit of 65 years for DIAS Chairs was proposed when DIAS was established a decade ago. The idea was fiercely debated, with opinions showing a strong correlation with age, and it never became a reality. There is no mandatory retirement age at Danish universities, and practices therefore vary considerably. Nevertheless, the process of generational succession in research is discussed surprisingly little within Danish academia. At this Wild Wednesday, SDU mid- and late-career researchers will share their experiences and perspectives on generational succession in research, serving as a starting point for a broader discussion with the audience. Moustapha Kassem, Tore B. Stage, and Mette Præst Knudsen will each briefly present their experiences and views on the "crown prince(ss) model" versus the "bottom-up approach" from both senior and junior perspectives. Anthony Fernandez will challenge the traditional Danish approach to academic recruitment and generational transition. Finally, Martin Karstoft, Chief Consultant and Psychologist at SDU HR, will summarise insights gained from his involvement in several generational succession processes at SDU. The session will be chaired by Kaare ChristensenAbout the speakerDr. Christensen is the Director of the Danish Aging Research Center and the Danish Twin Registry at the University of Southern Denmark.  Through a 20-year period he was also affiliated as a Senior Research Scientist at Duke University, USA. Dr. Christensen’s research is multidisciplinary and primarily engaged with human development and aging, combining methods from epidemiology, genetics, medicine, demography, and other disciplines. He has headed a long series of epidemiological studies on twins, the oldest-old and longevity-enriched families in Denmark, in order to shed light on the importance of genes, environment and behaviour in aging, diseases and longevity. Dr. Christensen has co-authored more than 750 scientific peer-reviewed publications and his work has been cited 100,000 times. Dr. Christensen is a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters and has received 14 national and international honors and awards for his scientific contributions. These include the Knight of the Order of Dannebrog; the first University of Southern Denmark Outreach Award for widespread and creative communication of science; and the Ethical Merit Award granted by the Danish National Committee on Biomedical Research Ethics, received on behalf of the Danish Twin Registry.The event is organized by Kaare Christensen

Quantum Advantage to AI Supremacy by Volodymir Zenin, Shailesh Kumar and Torgom YezekyanAbout the event:In the series of three presentations by young scientists, Volodymir Zenin, Shailesh Kumar and Torgom Yezekyan from SDU Nano Optics, we intend to illustrate the basic underlying concepts involved in quantum optics, especially quantum computing and communications, by using a simple (pedestrian level) language and conducting real and gedanken experiments. We’ll endeavor to answer, or at least start answering, questions like:What is quantum about light? Can one see/feel any signs of quantum light in real life? What is so special about quantum computing/communications? Do we really need quantum computing/communications? How does AI come into all this?The idea is to make the realities of quantum revolution we are witnessing nowadays just a bit more understandable and tangible, i.e., more real.  About the speakersShailesh Kumar is an Associate Professor at SDU Nano Optics, University of Southern Denmark. His research focuses on quantum nanophotonics, particularly solid-state single-photon emitters, metasurfaces, nanoantennas and integrated photonic structures. He develops ways to control the emission rate, directionality, polarization and spatial modes of quantum light, with the aim of creating compact sources of structured and entangled photons for quantum technologies. Dr. Vladimir Zenin received his Ph.D. in Energy and Environmental Technologies from the University of Southern Denmark in 2014. Since joining the Nano Optics group, his research has focused on scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM), progressing from fiber-based collection-mode SNOM with in-house fabricated probes to advanced scattering-type SNOM.His work applies SNOM to precise nanoscale characterization of optical properties in advanced materials, including gold monocrystals and van der Waals materials. Dr. Zenin has published extensively in high-impact journals and regularly presents his research at international workshops and conferences. Dr Torgom Yezekyan is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Nano Optics, University of Southern Denmark (SDU). He received his PhD in Physics in 2019 from Yerevan State University where his work focused on the theoretical investigation of interactions between quantum emitters and plasmonic structures. His current research centers on experimental studies of nanoscale light–matter interactions, with an emphasis on passive and active plasmonic and photonic systems.The event is organized by Sergey I. Bozhevolnyi.

The future of food may be buried in the past Climate change is reshaping the conditions under which our food is grown. But long before the present crisis, ecosystems and species were already adapting to environmental disruption. On 16 December, DIAS Chair and internationally renowned DNA researcher Professor Eske Willerslev takes us into AEGIS: the ambitious new research initiative using ancient environmental DNA to understand how past ecosystems responded to change - and how those insights may help build more resilient crops and food systems for the future. Drawing on the project’s first research questions and findings, Willerslev will explore what sediments, genomes and deep environmental history can teach us about climate resilience, biodiversity and global food security. He will also reflect on the challenge of building a major new research centre across disciplines, methods and institutions. The event will be followed by a panel conversation with DIAS Chairs and an open discussion with the audience. About Eske Willerslev Professor Eske Willerslev is a world renowned evolutionary geneticist and pioneer in ancient DNA research. He is Director of the Centre for Ancient Environmental Genomics (CAEG) and leads the international AEGIS programme at the University of Copenhagen, while also serving as Professor at the University of Cambridge. His groundbreaking work has reshaped our understanding of human origins, past ecosystems, and how lessons from ancient DNA can help address future challenges related to climate, biodiversity, and food security. This event is organised by Sten Rynning, DIAS Director & Eske Willerslev, DIAS Chair *Registration: Please register here by 14 December 2026*

About the lectureEnabling behaviour change at individual, community and populations levels is at the heart of addressing the many societal problems and crises we face, including in the areas of health and sustainability.  Behaviour change is not easy and there is a science of behaviour change that needs to be drawn on to understand behaviours in their contexts and develop interventions and policies that are likely to be effective.This talk will present widely-used methods for doing this, using the COM-B model of behaviour and the Behaviour Change Wheel framework.  I will present examples to illustrate this approach and demonstrate how  systematic behaviour analysis and frameworks can enable precise, evidence-based strategies. These tools can also be used to facilitate knowledge sharing, accelerate scientific progress, and improve health and environmental outcomes across systems and populations.About the speakerSusan Michie, FMedSci, FAcSS, FBA, FSBM is Professor of Health Psychology, University College London, UK. She is Director of its Centre for Behaviour Change. (www.ucl.ac.uk/behaviour-change) and co-Director of WHO’s Collaborating Centre for Behavioural and Implementation Sciences for Health, and co-Director of Behavioural Research-UK (www.br-uk.ac.uk), a leadership hub to advance behavioural research across the UK.  Her undergraduate degree was in Experimental Psychology, Masters in Clinical Psychology and D.Phil in Developmental Psychology. Her research focuses on human behaviour change in relation to health and the environment: how to understand it theoretically and apply theory and evidence to intervention and policy development, evaluation and implementation. Her research, collaborating with disciplines such as information science, environmental science, computer science and medicine, covers population, organisational and individual-level interventions. She has pioneered methods for investigating and synthesising evidence e.g. the Human Behaviour-Change Project (www.humanbehaviourchange.org) and the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology (www.BCIOntology.org). She has published >600 journal articles and several books, including the Behaviour Change Wheel: A Guide to Designing Interventions (www.behaviourchangewheel.com). She is a Lancet commissioner for “Evidence-Based Implementation in Global Health” and is past chair of WHO’s Behavioural Insights and Sciences Technical Advisory Group, and member of the UK Government’s Scientific Advisory Group in Emergencies.The event is organized by Nikos Ntoumanis