In Memoriam: Hans Jørgen Munkholm

No individual has left a greater mark on the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science (IMADA) than Hans Jørgen Munkholm. He was a solid mathematics researcher, an outstanding teacher, and a skilled and forward-thinking administrator as both department head and dean.

Hans Jørgen was a trail blazer. He grew up in Brorstrup in Himmerland, moved to the boarding school, Birkerød Statsskole, and graduated in 1959. He then returned to Jutland, to Aarhus University, where he earned his Master of Science degree in 1966 and his Lic.scient. (the Danish equivalent of a Ph.D. at the time) in 1972. There, he also began teaching early on, both in small classes and as a lecturer for large groups.

The Department of Mathematics (later IMADA) was founded in the spring of 1972 with the appointment of the Swedish mathematician Edgar Asplund, and in the summer of the same year with the appointment of Hans Jørgen. Together, they gave the department a visionary start by establishing a mathematical library and a fixed study structure with four core areas: analysis, geometry, algebra, and statistics. Additionally, all students were required to have a basic knowledge of computer science and programming – truly forward-looking more than 50 years ago! The Polish engineer, Andrzej Ormicki, was appointed to handle that part.

In the spring of 1974, the two of us, the undersigned, were hired, but Asplund was unfortunately already seriously ill. At an emotional meeting in May at Asplund’s home, just a few days before his death, we chose Hans Jørgen as the new head of the department. In August, Uffe Haagerup and Erik Kjær Pedersen were hired – the department was now on track, following the course laid out by Asplund and Hans Jørgen, with Hans Jørgen as its leader and guarantor.

Alongside his administrative and teaching responsibilities, Hans Jørgen’s scientific contributions were also remarkable. Between 1965 and 2004, he published more than 40 papers. His expertise lay in algebraic topology, manifolds, K-theory, category theory, and differential geometry. A major work is a 50-page article from 1974 on the Eilenberg-Moore spectral sequence. One of the founders of the field, the American, J. Peter May, wrote in a review:

– The argument bristles with technical difficulties and entails a great deal of hard algebraic work, but the exposition is careful and thorough throughout.

Hans Jørgen spent several periods abroad – about five years in total – at leading universities in the USA (Chicago, Princeton, Maryland, Notre Dame). In 1981, he and Uffe Haagerup published a solution to a problem concerning the maximal volume of a simplex in hyperbolic n-dimensional space. In 1998, together with his wife Ellen Munkholm, after extensive joint research, he wrote a detailed biography of the Danish Norwegian mathematician Poul Heegaard.

Hans Jørgen left a profound mark on IMADA as department head from 1974 to 1976 and again from 1996 to 2000, and on Odense University as a whole (later the University of Southern Denmark) as dean from 1985 to 1991. He made great efforts to promote research at the faculty and played a key role in the establishment of the engineering program. He was also involved in the first contact with the Lindø shipyard and the beginning of Odense’s robotics adventure. Twice, in 1994 and 2004, he received the award for Teacher of the Year in Science.

The year 2000 was declared the Year of Mathematics by UNESCO. At the University of Southern Denmark, the most significant celebration was the First AMS Scandinavian International Mathematics Meeting, the XXIII Scandinavian Congress of Mathematicians. The organizing committee consisted of four Danish mathematicians and four from the United States, with Hans Jørgen as chairman. Among his other important roles were membership in the National Committee for Mathematics and chairmanship of the corps of external examiners in mathematics at Danish universities, both held for many years.

Shortly before retiring from SDU in 2010, Hans Jørgen was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Despite the serious physical progression of the illness, he – with Ellen’s persistent support – enjoyed many good years, learning to live with his condition. His administrative abilities did not fail him here either: he established an Odense Club within the Danish Parkinson’s Association, and from 2015–2017 he served as chairman of the Funen branch.

Hans Jørgen had many fine qualities that we will continue to remember and cherish. Perhaps most notably, he was full of insight, had an open and selfless demeanour, and possessed a highly developed sense of humour. Much could be told about this but let us end with a quote from 1974. At that time, the Department of Mathematics organized a professional meeting with colleagues from other universities. A mathematician from DTU later said:

– It must be a pleasure to have a colleague like Munkholm, with such great insight, and with the ability and willingness to express it constructively!

He was right.

May the memory of Hans Jørgen Munkholm be honored.

This obituary was written by Niels Jørgen Nielsen and Bjarne Toft, both associate professors emeriti at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.