IT-University of Copenhagen
IT-University of Copenhagen
01/31/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/31/2024 04:12
Jens Christian Godskesen is stepping down as prorector 1 August 2024
Jens Christian Godskesen is stepping down as prorector 1 August 2024
Jens Christian Godskesen will be resigning his position as prorector on 1 August 2024. Jens Christian will be returning to a position as associate professor at the Computer Science Department to resume his research career.
Jens Christian GodskesenAbout ITU
Written 31 January, 2024 10:01 by Theis Duelund Jensen
Jens Christian Godskesen will be resigning his position as prorector on 1 August 2024. Jens Christian will be returning to a position as associate professor at the Computer Science Department to resume his research career.
"The rigid schedule of a top management function is not easily compatible with my family life, and therefore I wish to return to a role that to a greater extent accommodates planning my own work time," says Jens Christian.
Jens Christian has been a part of the IT University from the very beginning. In the Spring of 1999, he was brought on by former rector Mads Tofte after having held a position as assistant professor at DTU in Lyngby. Since then, he has occupied several different positions at ITU. In 2005, he became Employee Representative, in 2009 he was appointed head of department, and finally in 2016, Jens Christian accepted the position as pro-rector of the university.
"When Mads Tofte hired me ITU was in its infancy. Our building in Copenhagen's Nordvest area was still being renovated. On the first day of class, the students had to piece together their own chairs. It really has been quite an adventure. With ITU, we were building something unique in the educational landscape, and we all knew it. Back then we would all fit around one table at lunch for meetings. Today, we are close to 800 employees, and lots has changed, but that innovative spirit remains," says Jens Christian.
As prorector, Jens Christian has represented ITU as a member of several committees and boards including the Danish e-Infrastructure Consortium as well as the national digital innovation and research flagship, DIREC - where he serves as chairman.
At ITU, Jens Christian has been deeply involved in many things, including the long-term effort to streamline the funding process for researchers. Today, thanks to the high-quality research applications and an efficient funding process, ITU has the highest success rate in the country when it comes to attracting external funding. Last year, ITU researchers secured a total of close to 100 million kroner in external funding.
In the future, Jens Christian will be dedicating his time to his research career. He has previously conducted work in the field of verification - among other things, mathematical proofs that ensure algorithms and software run without errors.
"Correctness of digital systems in the age of AI and quantum computing is extremely important. I look forward to getting myself up to date on the current state of the field," he says.