New Head of Department at Sociology, Environmental and Business Economics
Torben Munk Damgaard will soon be taking charge of the Department of Sociology, Environmental and Business Economics at SDU.
Torben Munk Damgaard will take up the position of Head of Department at the Department of Sociology, Environmental and Business Economics on 1 March 2020.
He is a familiar face at SDU, where he has been employed since 1989 and held several key management positions, the most recent of which was as Head of Professional Development and Executive Education since 2015. Before that, he was Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences from 2013-2015 and Head of Department at the Department of Entrepreneurship and Relationship Management from 2005-2013.
His new position means that Torben Munk Damgaard will be in charge of a department with 45 employees and approximately 900 students, all of whom spend their time at SDU's campus in Esbjerg on a daily basis.
Close interaction with the outside world
The newly appointed Head of Department looks forward to undertaking the task.
- The department has strong research environments at international level and we must build on them. I am also concerned with the fact that we must strengthen our interaction with the outside world – both regionally and nationally – and that we must position ourselves even more clearly as the university of the city and South West Jutland. It’s all about showing that research creates value and makes a difference to society. We must also work on entering into more engagements with external actors, Torben Munk Damgaard says and adds:
- Most of all, I am looking forward to meeting the department’s talented staff and receiving their input on how we can collectively develop and set the direction for the department, which is known for cultivating interdisciplinarity across areas as diverse as sociology, business and environmental economics. I see this as a tremendous advantage.
A department under development
Jens Ringsmose, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, also welcomes the appointment of Torben Munk Damgaard.
- In Torben Munk Damgaard The Department of Sociology, Environmental and Business Economics will be getting a very experienced, competent, and ambitious leader. I am convinced that the department will continue the very positive development it has been undergoing for the past 5-10 years with Torben at the helm, and I look forward to working with him on the further development of the department and faculty in the years to come, Jens Ringsmose says.
When Torben Munk Damgaard commences his duties in March, he will be replacing Professor Arne Feddersen, who has been acting Head of Department since May 2019.
On the home front, Torben Munk Damgaard lives in Odense with his wife and they have four grown-up daughters.
Meet the new Head of Department
Torben Munk Damgaard is an associate professor and holds an M.Sc. in Economics & Social science and a PhD from SDU. He is currently the Head of Professional Development and Executive Education, which offers Professional Development and Master’s programmes, as well as continuing education through short courses. Torben Munk Damgaard’s research involves business-to-business marketing, relationship management, collaboration between companies, and cluster development.