New head of department to unite FKF around clear priorities and stronger academic environments
Professor Jacob Kongsted has been appointed as the new Head of the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy following a period as acting Head of Department. With in-depth knowledge of FKF’s strengths and challenges, he views it as a central task to create direction and cohesion within a department characterised by an exceptional breadth of disciplines.
- I applied for the position because I had already taken on significant responsibility for FKF’s direction as acting Head of Department, and because I see a genuine need for continuity and clear prioritisation in the years ahead, says Jacob Kongsted.
In a Danish context, FKF is a unique department, bringing together physics, chemistry and pharmacy within a single organisational unit. This offers considerable opportunities but also places demands on clear leadership.
For Jacob Kongsted, the ambition is clear: the department must unite around fewer, stronger focus areas and a well-defined shared direction.
- We risk spreading ourselves too thin if we try to do everything. Therefore, I am committed to bringing the department together around a limited number of clear priorities, creating balance, and at the same time enhancing quality and coherence between research and education, he says.
Leadership closer to everyday practice
A central element of Jacob Kongsted’s approach is a distributed leadership model, where responsibility and decision-making are placed closer to the day-to-day academic activity.
Leadership should not only “come from above” but be exercised from multiple positions within the organisation. The Head of Department sets the direction and priorities but should not become a bottleneck for decisions.
-I am motivated by defining a direction and ensuring things happen in a way where decisions are transparent and where more people are empowered to succeed, he explains.
The new leadership structure at FKF is built on clearly defined roles and responsibilities, with vice heads of department, heads of sections, and heads of studies playing an active role in translating strategy into practice. At the same time, transparency and clear decision-making pathways are key principles, ensuring it is evident who is responsible for what.
For Kongsted, this is about creating both tempo and cohesion.
- We must be able to make decisions closer to everyday practice without losing the overall perspective. That requires clear frameworks and trust in leadership being exercised at multiple levels, he says.
Strong disciplines - strong intersections
Jacob Kongsted has a research background in theoretical and computational chemistry and has worked throughout his career to develop strong research environments. This shapes his ambitions for FKF.
He does not see interdisciplinarity as an end in itself, but as a means of strengthening individual disciplines and creating new opportunities.
- Interdisciplinarity is not merely decorative. It must be used to strengthen core disciplines, build critical mass, and open up new research and educational pathways.
The goal is a department with robust single-discipline environments, as well as selected intersections where physics, chemistry and pharmacy together create international visibility and research impact.
Education and coherence
For Jacob Kongsted, it is essential that research and education are closely connected - both academically and strategically.
He highlights the need to further develop degree programmes so they become more coherent and better reflect an increasingly data-driven and technological world.
In particular, the field of pharmacy must be strengthened in terms of research, so that education rests on an even firmer foundation. At the same time, he sees significant potential in closer and more integrated collaboration with the Faculty of Health Sciences.
- I am motivated by building something that lasts: strong academic environments that can attract talented people, secure external funding, and deliver degree programmes students are proud of, he says.
An FKF in balance
Looking five years ahead, Jacob Kongsted presents a clear vision: FKF should be a department with a better balance between ambitions and resources - and with a more sharply defined profile.
- In five years, I see an FKF with fewer but stronger focus areas. We will have robust academic environments alongside selected intersections where we have critical mass and international visibility, he says.
The ambition is also to create a department where both staff and students clearly understand what FKF aims to excel at.
Here, the distributed leadership model plays a central role. With clear roles, well-defined delegation, and a focus on “the whole before the parts,” the model is intended to ensure that priorities are reflected in operations, staffing and teaching.
- I want to create the conditions for more people to succeed - and the framework for using our breadth as a strength without becoming too fragmented.
Facts about Jacob Kongsted
Jacob Kongsted is 50 years old, married and has three children. He lives in Odense and often starts his day with a run.
- It gives me energy and a clear head. And a clear head is something you need when maintaining direction, prioritising, and ensuring that FKF is a good place to work and study, he says.
Time for deep focus