After 15 years, Anne Louise Dannesboe Nielsen is getting ready to say goodbye to her colleagues at the Danish Technological Institute. From 1 November, her desk will be in Skejby, where she has just accepted the job as head of the Department of Food Science at Aarhus University.

"I have almost ten years of management experience, and I’m really looking forward to continuing working with this skill at the Department of Food Science. I’m also interested in the big picture when it comes to work on the green transition and on further strengthening both internal and external collaboration at the department," says Anne Louise Dannesboe Nielsen, who has worked in the food sector for the past 10-12 years. Her latest position was centre director of the food technology project at the Danish Technological Institute.

"Food is an extremely important area at the moment, particularly in connection with the green transition. Food production is the source of a lot of our emissions, so it’s an area where we can make a huge difference. What drives me is being part of making sure cell-based and plant-based foods become a success because this would have a huge impact," says Anne Louise Dannesboe Nielsen.

Anne Louise Dannesboe Nielsen will also be bringing her sizeable network within the food industry to her new position. Networking and meeting people is very important to the new head of department:

"I’m a very outgoing person and I love building rapport and establishing new networks. One of the things I’m looking forward to most is meeting the people I'll be working with at the Department of Food Science. And of course finding out how I can best put my skills into play together with them,” says Anne Louise Dannesboe Nielsen.

Eskild Holm Nielsen, dean of Technical Sciences, looks forward to welcoming the newest member of the faculty management team to the Faculty of Technical Sciences and Aarhus University.

"I’m delighted that we were able to recruit such a talented manager. Anne Louise was selected thanks in large part to her extensive managerial experience and her expertise. I look forward to our collaboration and to seeing how Anne Louise continues the great course set by the Department of Food Science," he says.

Four facts about Anne Louise Dannesboe Nielsen

• Anne Louise Dannesboe Nielsen has an MSc in Engineering (Chemistry) from Aalborg University, where she also took her PhD.
• Her PhD focused on microencapsulation for drug delivery in pharma products – an area she has later worked on in a food context.
• Anne Louise is married to Christian and is the mother of three boys aged 10, 12 and 18. The family lives in northern Aarhus.
• In her free time, she enjoys knitting, being active with her family or going for a run in the forest.