New head of new department

DTU Engineering Technology was established on 1 January 2021, and on 1 March Malene Kirstine Holst was appointed head of department, having previously been acting head.

DTU Engineering Technology was created on the basis of the former centre for the Bachelor of Engineering programme, DTU Diplom, and will continue to play a major role in the education of BEng students at DTU. In addition, it will focus on the implementation of technology across a broad range of engineering fields.

“I’m very happy and honoured to be able to continue the journey we’ve been on for a while. As a department, we’ll be stepping up the research in didactics, learning, and the engineering programmes. We can teach in a wide range of areas, and with a lot of data we’ll be able to contribute evidence on how to promote learning.

We will also generate knowledge about technology implementation in more systematic ways and enhance our collaborations with small and medium-sized enterprises. Our goal is to create even more value for Danish companies and thereby make a positive contribution to technological developments in Denmark,” says the new head of department.

Malene Kirstine Holst has been part of the management at DTU Diploma since 2015, first as head of the innovation department and then as a laboratory manager. She holds an MSc in Engineering and a business PhD from Aalborg University. She did her PhD in collaboration with the consulting engineering firm Alectia (now merged with Niras).

“Malene knows DTU and the new department well and has been very active in the work on formulating the strategy. I have no doubt that she has the necessary expertise and familiarity with the employees to lead the department’s development from educational centre to a research department,” says DTU President Anders Bjarklev.