Celebration
Commemoration Day 2025: A celebration of innovation, startups and research
On Friday 2 May, DTU celebrated the achievements of the past year with an award ceremony, a commemorative lecture, singing, a gala dinner and a great party with several concerts.
President Anders Bjarklev opened the academic part of the annual commemoration with an inspiring speech highlighting DTU's impressive achievements and future ambitions.
He emphasised the importance of knowledge, innovation and action in a world characterised by unpredictability and challenges such as climate change, technological dependence and geopolitical tension.
The President recalled how DTU has advanced technological development by coding, building, calculating, analysing, developing and creating.
"At DTU, we use Computerome for world-class research. For secure storage of data and control over our own critical infrastructure," he said.
The President also presented DTU's impressive growth:
"We have more than doubled the number of researchers. We have more than doubled the number of students. We have increased our external funding fivefold," he emphasised.
At the end of his speech, the President thanked all DTU's employees, students, partners and politicians for their efforts and support.
"Believe in us! And I promise you that we at DTU will show you results beyond your imagination!"
Two Lecturer of the Year Awards
Carl Høy Sander Kruse teaches the basic course "Ingeniørarbejde", which introduces students to practical examples, problem solving, technical drawing, as well as the development of professional vocabulary and collaboration skills.
Ulrik Engelund Pedersen teaches the course “Matematik 1”, which is mandatory for all students at DTU.
Occupational Health and Safety Award of the Year
Bodil Madsen receives the award for her persistent commitment and outstanding efforts to promote the working environment, safety and well-being. The award comes with DKK 25,000.
The Innovation Award
Professor Andreas Hougaard Laustsen-Kiel, DTU Bioengineering, receives the Innovation Award for his excellent research in antibody technology. In addition to his research, he has been active in creating business collaborations and startups.
The largest of these startups is Bactolife, which today is an active company that develops and produces binding proteins that help protect the gut from harmful microbes.
The award was presented by Marianne Thellersen, DTU’s Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Senior Vice President.
The Student Startup of the Year
Skjoldet is an AI-powered browser extension that protects consumers from online fraud such as phishing attacks and fake webshops. The award came with DKK 25,000 for further development of the product.
The award was presented by Marianne Thellersen, DTU’s Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Senior Vice President.
The Henning Holck-Larsen's Travel Grant
Assistant Professor Marie Brøns, DTU Construct, receives the Henning Holck-Larsen Travel Grant to expand her competences in the intersection between data science and structural health monitoring. This will include a stay in Switzerland, where she will visit top researchers at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and ETH Zurich.
The Technical Doctorate
The Academic Council has awarded Professor Jesper Henri Hattel, DTU Construct, the technical doctorate. At the DTU Annual Celebration 2025, he was honoured for his research in numerical modelling of manufacturing processes such as casting, 3D printing, moulding and welding in metals and polymers.
The Technical Doctorate is the highest academic title an engineer can achieve.
Read more about Jesper Henri Hattel's doctoral dissertation.
The commemorative lecture of the year
This year's commemorative lecturer was Anne Ladegaard Skov, Professor at DTU Chemical Engineering.
Her research is about polymer technology, and the lecture was about how to create artificial muscles that can help older people in particular with declining muscle mass.
Honorary doctorates of the year
This year, two honorary doctorates were awarded. Honorary doctorates are awarded to researchers who have pushed science to new heights in their field and have made a significant difference to DTU. A first honorary doctorate was awarded to Paul Veers, Senior Research Fellow at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the USA.
Paul Veers has been active in the early days of wind energy from the 1970s to today, where wind energy is a well-established and scientifically grounded field. Through his pioneering work at the intersection of national laboratories, universities and industry, he is recognised for playing a leading role in the growth of wind energy, not only in the US, but worldwide.
Paul Veers' research focuses on wind energy technology, including atmospheric turbulence simulation, fatigue analysis, reliability, structural dynamics, and aeroelastic adaptation of wind turbine blades.
The second honorary doctorate was awarded to Bernhard O. Palsson, Professor at the University of California, San Diego.
Bernhard O. Palsson is one of the leading experts in computational analysis of cellular metabolism. He headed DTU Biosustain from day 1 in 2011 until 2022, and is still affiliated and active in the centre. Under Bernhard O. Palsson's leadership, DTU Biosustain has positioned itself internationally as a highly recognised research centre especially within metabolic engineering and advanced cell factory design.
The G. A. Hagemann Gold Medal
The G. A. Hagemann Gold Medal was awarded to Professor Kirsten Halsnæs, DTU Management. She receives the gold medal for her contribution to Danish and international climate research.
Kirsten Halsnæs is the most frequently used Danish researcher on the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and has for years been a prominent voice in the climate debate both in research and in the media.
Speech by President of Polyteknisk Forening
Speech by President of Polyteknisk Forening
The president of the student organisation Polyteknisk Forening (PF), Thor Deibert, both mentioned differential equations and new beginnings during his speech:
"Allow me to get a little nerdy for a moment, I am a physicist after all. One of the very basic tools we learn at DTU and especially in physics is how to work with differential equations. A differential equation is a tool that we can use to predict how a system will develop into the future. As an example, we can use the oblique throw. We can create a model that describes how the ball travels through the air and thus where it ends up. But what is unique about differential equations is that it is only by changing the initial condition of the ball that we can change where it ends up in the future."
He emphasised that students need to thrive in order to perform at their very best, and that it is with good starting conditions that you give yourself the best foundation to grow.
"We need to thrive in order to take the next step towards the future, to solve the problems we face, to be the change we want. Because thriving is a prerequisite for an elite university, and fortunately, excellence and thriving go hand in hand."
He ended his speech hoping that everyone in the room would reflect on the goals we set for ourselves now and how we make them come true.
"I think that H. C. Ørsted, when he created his first goals back in 1829, would be proud of what they have become and what we accomplish today. So why not set similar goals for ourselves, and for our own future? So to everyone in the room. As you leave here and look to the future, think about the present and what you are doing to achieve the goals and visions we set for not only ourselves, but for society as a whole. Because every step towards the future depends on the starting conditions. And every step towards the future starts now."
The President's reception
The academic ceremony was followed by a number of receptions. The Queen attended the President's reception, where she wrote in DTU's guestbook and greeted this year's award winners.
The Queen spoke with, among others, 27-year-old Carl Høy Sander Kruse, who is the youngest lecturer and first PhD student to receive the "Lecturer of the Year" award.
"The Queen asked me if I had always wanted to be a lecturer. I answered yes. I wanted to pass on the good education and inspiring teaching I received as a student at DTU," says Carl Høy Sander Kruse, who also brought two gifts.
“I gave Queen Mary a 3D printed copy of Rodin's sculpture ’The Thinker" and a 3D printed polar bear for HM The King. They were both made on one of the fastest 3D printers in the world, which I built during my PhD project,” says Carl Høy Sander Kruse.
Party for 4,000 guests
The reception was followed by a dinner with approximately 2,900 diners. The evening ended with a big party for around 4,000 attendees, who enjoyed concerts with Ida Laurberg and Zar Paulo, among others.
