Three more years for the Dean: “I find it hard to let opportunities pass me by”

For six years, Eskild Holm Nielsen has served as dean of the Faculty of Technical Sciences. He is the first dean the faculty has had since the division of the former Science & Technology. He has now agreed to extend his contract for a further three years.

“The driving force for me now is to hand over the faculty in the best possible shape in three years’ time. There are things we need to consolidate and some ships that need to be brought into harbour. But nothing will be finished in three years. There will still be development,” he says.

As dean, Eskild Holm Nielsen has led a growing faculty, whether measured in terms of finances, student numbers, or research activity. Like the rest of the university, major changes are underway, such as Campus 3.0 and the establishment of AU Viborg. Outwardly, the faculty emphasises impact, collaboration, and innovation.

“My task as dean is to prepare the faculty for new challenges. The geopolitical situation is becoming increasingly tense—uncomfortably tense—and there are societal crises where there is an expectation that we play a significant role in creating security and resilience. That includes cybersecurity, but also the broader digital field, as well as food and the environment. And then there is the whole European policy agenda.”

What do we need to be able to do there?

“If we are not a competitive continent, we will fall behind other economies. I believe we can thrive by pursuing green and digital transitions while embedding them in a resilience agenda and placing far greater emphasis on innovation and solutions,” says Eskild Holm Nielsen.

“It matters to me that the faculty succeeds”

The contract extension until 2028 means that Eskild Holm Nielsen now has a personal finishing line in sight, even though the societal challenges he addresses stretch far beyond that.

“Many of the things you work on have a longer time horizon than you now have yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Can you keep that long-term perspective, or will there come a point where you focus more on bringing things safely across the finish line and thinking about what a successor might say about what you’ve set in motion?”

“I never really think about that, because if you do, you also end up not doing things,” he says.

“My nature is such that I find it hard to let opportunities pass me by. It’s not so much for my own sake; I’ve achieved what I wanted personally. But I don’t think the faculty has yet. It matters to me that the faculty succeeds,” he says.

A greater footprint in society

The Faculty of Technical Sciences is home to 2,100 full-time staff and nearly 4,500 students.

Over the next three years, the new work-integrated Master’s degree programmes will get properly underway in close collaboration with companies and industry. The expansion of AU Viborg will bring many more students to the campus and create new opportunities for collaboration with Viborg Municipality and the university’s neighbours in the upcoming business park. In Aarhus, the consolidation of engineering activities continues, and development is also underway at the other Tech locations in Roskilde, Flakkebjerg, and Auning.

Where will you place particular emphasis in relation to staff over the next three years?

“The main focus will be the impact we create for society. And that varies greatly depending on whether one primarily teaches, advises public authorities, or conducts research. We are already good at this, but I believe the academic environments will increasingly orient themselves towards making a societal imprint. It is also crucial for recruiting the next generation of staff, because they want to make a difference.”

As dean, Eskild Holm Nielsen is the faculty’s top leader, but he works closely with the faculty management, the dean’s office, and the local leadership at all departments and centres.

“Is there anything you will approach differently in your work over the next three years compared to what you have done so far?”

“I genuinely want the faculty not to be dependent on me as a person. I really want that for the faculty. Of course, I am the overall leader, but it must be firmly anchored in the faculty management and the rest of the leadership,” he says.