SDU Business School

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

Devon Stockall forsvarer sin ph.d.-afhandling ved et offentligt foredrag: “Defects and Interfaces in Topological Sigma Models via Higher Sheaf Theory”.Lektor Matthias Oliver Wilhelm vil være ordstyrer ved arrangementet. Ph.d.-forsvaret finder sted i IMADAs Konferencelokale (Ø18-509-2). Alle er velkomne.

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

Michael Boelstoft Holtes doktorforsvar.

Speaker: Yuki Matsubara (University of Southern Denmark)Abstract: A smooth complete intersection X of two quadrics in P^{n+2}  admits an interpretation as a moduli space of bundles.For n = 2, it parametrizes stable rank 2 parabolic bundles on P^1 with five marked points, while for n = 3 it parametrizes stable rank 2 bundles of odd degree with fixed determinant on a genus 2 curve. For general n, it can be interpreted as a moduli space of semistable twisted Spin-bundles. In my talk, I will discuss the topology of the very stable locus X \ W, where W is the wobbly locus, consisting of bundles that admit a nonzero nilpotent Higgs field. The importance of the very stable locus in the geometric Langlands correspondence was emphasized by Laumon. I will explain that W is an irreducible divisor for n >2 and how to compute H_1(X \ W, Z).Using a root stack description, we identify the fundamental group $\pi_1(X \ W)$ with the kernel of a monodromy homomorphism from an orbifold mixed braid group.The Reidemeister—Schreier method then yields an explicit presentation of this fundamental group in every dimension. This talk is based on joint work with S. Bhattacharya (https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.31421).

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Speaker: Benjamin Shackleton (​University of Southern Denmark).Abstract: In this pre-PhD work, completed with input from Professor Sir Simon Donaldson and Dr Daniel Platt, I prove the existence of a Ricci flat metric on the Kummer K3 surface. The proof follows the general strategy of Donaldson’s gluing construction. However, we tackle the analysis without appealing to weighted norms or conformal transformations to model spaces, instead relying solely on compact elliptic theory on usual Hölder and Sobolev spaces.The talk will coversetting up the problem and the computation of the estimates used.The paper can be found here: https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.02046.

Speaker: Shing Tak Lam (​University of Warwick).Abstract: In complex geometry, a central theme is the relationship between algebro-geometric stability and the existence of canonical metrics. Examples of this include the Hitchin-Kobayashi correspondence for holomorphic vector bundles, and the Yau-Tian-Donaldson conjecture for varieties. In this talk, I will discuss a parabolic analogue of these results, relating the asymptotics of the associated geometric flows to algebro-geometric filtrations defined by Haiden-Katzarkov-Kontsevich-Pandit and Ibáñez Núñez.

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Mød din næste studentermedhjælper på SDU  Har du opgaver, der hober sig op, vagter der skal dækkes, eller projekter, der venter på at komme videre?

Mød din næste studentermedhjælper på SDU  Har du opgaver, der hober sig op, vagter der skal dækkes, eller projekter, der venter på at komme videre?

I Danmarks næststørste by flygtede kun et par jøder, da tyskerne startede ’jødeaktionen’ i oktober 1943 – sådan har historikerne hidtil ment.

I Danmarks næststørste by flygtede kun et par jøder, da tyskerne startede ’jødeaktionen’ i oktober 1943 – sådan har historikerne hidtil ment.

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).

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Professor Tore Rem, University of OsloAbout the eventTore Rem will present the work currently undertaken by the large interdisciplinary research initiative UiOemocracy (University of Oslo), which has been in existence since 2023. He will talk about why and how UiOemocracy came about, what the 12 research groups do, and how the initiative functions as a laboratory for interdisciplinarity. Rem will also share ways in which the initiative has led to new forms of engagement between research and society, and how it has created popular arenas for discussing the contemporary challenges of democracy.About the speakerTore Rem (b. 1967) is director of UiO emocracy and Professor of literatures in English at the University of Oslo. He has published extensively on British and Scandinavian 19th- and 20th-century literature, book history, world literature, and life writing, and is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.  The event is hosted by Anne Marie Mai

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 UiOemocracy, the University of Oslo's interdisciplinary research initiative dedicated to the study of democracy, public discourse, citizenship, and democratic culture.

Capitalism in the Nordic Countries: Different Paths or a Common Model? Speakers:[list][*]Torben M. Andersen, Aarhus University[*]Ann-Kristin Bergquist, Uppsala University[*]Pål Thonstad Sandvik, Trondheim, Norwegian University of Science and Technology[*]Pasi Nevalainen, University of Jyväskylä[*]Jeppe Nevers, SDU[/list]

Speaker: Sebastian Pögel (​University of Zurich).Abstract: TBA

Muhammad Rajabinasab forsvarer sin ph.d.-afhandling ved et offentligt foredrag: “Explanation as an Act of Selection: Feature Selection, Explainable AI, and Evaluation in Machine Learning”.Professor Melih Kandemir vil være ordstyrer ved arrangementet. Ph.d.-forsvaret finder sted i IMADAs Konferencelokale (Ø18-509-2). Alle er velkomne.

Research dissemination – A perspective from a recent national award winnerAnton Pottegård, Professor, PhD DMScDepartment of Public HealthUniversity of Southern Denmark About the eventResearch communication is part of a researcher's responsibility. Researchers are often told this, but rarely told why. For many, communication ends up at the bottom of the list, and for some it is simply not their favorite part of the job. Communicating out of duty, or to please the university, rarely leads anywhere. In this talk, Professor Anton Pottegård (SDU) starts with the question researchers seldom ask before they begin: why communicate at all? The answer decides what to communicate, where, and whether to do it at all. He uses his own strategy as a starting point, including what has not worked. He also covers a return he did not expect: dialogue with the public has made his group's research more relevant (and easier to fund!).Earlier this year, he was awarded the National Research Communication Award by the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science. You can follow his Instagram channel here. As the Minister for Higher Education, Science and Digitalization, Christina Egelund, said regarding his award: “With his lively and clearly competent manner, Anton Pottegård manages to cut through the noise and a sea of opinions with knowledge and facts. It is incredibly important for our society and the democratic discourse that researchers also succeed in reaching ordinary Danes. It takes courage and great dedication to venture into the debate on, for example, pharmaceuticals and the use of medication, where emotions can run high and misinformation flourishes. Everyone benefits when we have more dialogue based on credible and research-based knowledge”.About the speakerAnton Pottegård is a clinical pharmacist by training and professor of pharmacoepidemiology and clinical at the Department of Public Health. He leads a research group of about 50 people that uses the Danish health registers to study how medicines are used and what effects they have. He once ran an ice cream shop and later a jewellery company. He communicates research widely, including on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram, and received the Danish Research Communication Prize 2026.The event is organized by Kim Klyver.

Speaker: Apoorv Tiwari (​University of Southern Denmark).Abstract: TBA

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.

Speaker: Arim Song (​Friedrich-Alexander University Erlagen-Nürnberg).Abstract: $W$-algebras are families of vertex algebras associated with Lie algebras and their nilpotent elements. They can be viewed as chiral analogues of the Feigin-Frenkel center of the Lie algebra and exhibit rich structures, including Feigin–Frenkel duality and coset realizations. The $W_\infty$-algebra is a two-parameter family of vertex algebras whose quotients recover type A principal $W$-algebras. It provides a powerful framework for classifying vertex algebras with prescribed strong generating type and has led to the discovery of isomorphisms among various families of vertex algebras, including results that partially establish the celebrated triality conjecture of Gaiotto and Rapčák. The construction of $W$-algebras extends naturally to Lie superalgebras, giving rise to $W$-superalgebras. However, many questions concerning dualities among these algebras remain open. In recent joint work with Creutzig, Kovalchuk, Linshaw, and Suh, we extended the $W_\infty$-algebra framework to type A Lie superalgebras and established dualities for type A principal $W$-superalgebras. In this talk, I will introduce $W$-algebras and $W_\infty$-algebras, and discuss their structural properties. If time permits, I will briefly discuss the recent developments in the super setting.

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