2025

Robots, roots, and the road home

Long before he built robots or wireless control systems that stretch across continents, Redmond Shamshiri was a young boy watching people work under harsh, dangerous conditions. During the Iran-Iraq War, his family stayed in rural villages to stay safe, and there, he saw something that stayed with him.

It all began with the swallows

As a child in rural China, Jingjing Xu watched the swallows return each spring to her grandparents’ house. Slipping under the roof, filling the season with fluttering vitality and songs.

“The museum is a sort of sanctum to me”: Kathrin Maurer on museums, meaning-making, and moments of stillness

Inspiration often begins in places of quiet reflection for Kathrin Maurer. Whether it’s a painting at a museum, a novel, or even the stillness of her own living room, these moments of pause are where her ideas take shape.

Will academic freedom be a relic of the past? DIAS zeroes in on the state of research in 2025 with this year's Honorary Doctors

How can we safeguard the integrity of research when freedom of expression, responsibility, and innovation intersect? Join us when the University of Southern Denmark's 2025 Honorary Doctors debate this topic on 30 October 2025.

Jan Hartvigsen, world-leading musculoskeletal health researcher, joins DIAS

The newly appointed DIAS Chair of Health Sciences is renowned for his groundbreaking work in clinical biomechanics and evidence-based care and was knighted by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II for his contributions to science.

Guinea-Bissau as a microcosm of global inequality

A transdisciplinary workshop 1-4 September 2025 brings together scholars across the world to explore how global challenges - climate change, health disparities, economic inequality, and cultural resilience - manifest in one of the world’s most vulnerable regions: Guinea-Bissau.

Professor Teresa Cadierno retires after a remarkable career in SLA research

After more than three decades of dedicated scholarship and leadership in the field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA), Teresa Cadierno has officially retired from her position at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU).

Culture as Counterforce in a Polarised World

In an interview with the Danish Cultural Institute, SDU Professor Kathrin Maurer makes the case for culture as a space for nuance, resilience, and critical reflection in an increasingly divided world.

Morten Birkved, expert in Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainability Modelling, joins DIAS

Morten Birkved’s research shapes how we assess and improve sustainability in sectors ranging from agriculture and food production to civil engineering and resource management. He was recently appointed Chair of Technical Sciences at DIAS.

Meet the first generation of tenure track DIAS Fellows

With diverse expertise and a shared drive for discovery, the seven tenure track Fellows bring fresh energy and the promise of excellence to the Danish Institute for Advanced Study.

Digital Democracy visionary Claes de Vreese joins DIAS

At the crossroads of media, politics, and technology, Professor de Vreese brings a distinctive interdisciplinary lens to his work.

DIAS Ambitious, inspiring – and open

DIAS is central to SDU’s ambitious policy to raise the quality of research. DIAS recruits new talents to the University, creates collaboration with top researchers across the faculties and invites all SDU researchers to be curious.

Freedom, Inequality, and the Economy of the Future: Nobel Prize Winner Joseph Stiglitz visits SDU on 14th May

How do we create a society where freedom applies to everyone – and not just the few?

Aglae Pizzone makes history as DIAS's first Fellow promoted to Chair

Professor Pizzone first joined DIAS in 2017 as a Fellow of Humanities and has since contributed to DIAS through her many research projects and curious approach to finding common ground between disciplines.

Eske Willerslev, internationally acclaimed DNA researcher and evolutionary geneticist, becomes DIAS Chair of Science

Professor Willerslev is renowned for his groundbreaking work in molecular anthropology, paleontology, and ecology, and was recently awarded the Albert Einstein World Award of Science.

Professor Nikos Ntoumanis to receive prestigious award in the US

DIAS co-founder enters the Advisory Board

Thorbjørn Knudsen, who co-founded the Danish Institute for Advanced Study (DIAS) in 2009, is the latest addition to the DIAS Advisory Board. Knudsen is a bridge between the past, present, and future of DIA

DIAS welcomes Professor of Motivation Science Nikos Ntoumanis as new Chair of Health Science

Nikos Ntoumanis is driven to enrich DIAS with his extensive knowledge and passion for interdisciplinary work. At DIAS, we warmly welcome Prof. Ntoumanis and look forward to seeing motivation rise in our community with a motivation scholar in the mix

What do Trump, Dylan, and Elsa have in common?

We will explore them all on the DIAS stage at this year's Word Festival in Odense. The DIAS stage hosts nine talks that shed light and offer fresh perspectives on some of the most influential figures and events of our time.

Genomics luminary Dr. Eric Green to visit DIAS on 5th February

How might the next breakthroughs in genomics revolutionise medicine, agriculture, and even our understanding of life?