Professor Anja Boisen of Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology, Technical University of Denmark on the 23rd of January received The Villum Kann Rasmussen Annual Award for Technical and Scientific Research. The grant amounting to 2.5 million Danish Kroners is donated to Anja Boisen for her groundbreaking efforts in the field of nanotechnology, especially fabrication and characterising of nanoprobes for a range of practical and scientific applications.
The Villum Kann Rasmussen Annual Award for Technical and Scientific Research 2008 is presented to Anja Boisen for her large and innovative research activities within nanotechnology. Each year the foundation awards a Danish researcher who has gained international reputation for outstanding research in scientific or technical fields.
Anja Boisen has led the development of nanoprobes for a range of practical and scientific applications. The nanoprobes are based on very exact measurements of micro and nano cantilevers bending due to changes in surface stress. They are used for various applications such as high precision mass measurements, detection of chemical and explosive gasses and characterisation of e.g. DNA.
Anja Boisen and her research group have in a unique way developed and characterized various sensor types in combinations, which has required wide skills and technical insight. In the recent years her research has focussed on nanomechanics, nanobiotechnology and fabrication of new nano materials. The revolutionary research of Anja Boisen has had a great influence on Denmark´s international position within nanotechnology.
An intense cooperation with the industry and her establishment of a company has secured the application of her research results. Anja Boisen has a number of patents and pending patent applications. In this way her research has been a means to solve technical problems to the benefit of society. Also Anja Boisen is deeply involved in teaching and is a popular supervisor of Master students and PhDs.
Photo: Jesper Scheel
Anja Boisen, 40, received an MSc degree in physics from the Universities of Copenhagen and Roskilde in 1993. In 1997 she was awarded the PhD degree from The Technical University of Denmark for a research project carried out in collaboration with the Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology and the company Danish Micro Engineering A/S.
Anja Boisen has been employed at the Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology at the Technical University of Denmark since 1997, first as assistant professor, from 1999 as associated professor and head of her own research group, and from 2005 she was given a full professorship and appointed head of the NanoSystems Engineering Section at the Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology. Through the years Anja Boisen has been member of a number of Danish and international committees and councils; amongst others the Danish Research Council for Technology and Production Sciences and the Programme Commission for Young Researchers in the Danish Council for Strategic Research.
In 2000 Anja Boisen was awarded AEG Elektronikprisen for exceptional research in Electronic Engineering. In 2007 she was awarded the annual researcher award from Direktør Ib Henriksen Fund for her outstanding sensor technology research.
The Villum Kann Rasmussen Annual Award for Technical and Scientific Research is presented by the Villum Kann Rasmussen Fund founded by late Villum Kann Rasmussen, M.Sc. (Civil Engineer), Dr. Techn. h.c. (1909-93), best known for developing the VELUX roof window.