Jakob Grue Simonsen named new prorector at IT University in Copenhagen

Jakob Grue Simonsen, who comes from a position as head of department at the Department of Computer Science, University of Copenhagen, will focus on well-being and collaboration when he takes over as prorector at ITU on 1 January 2025.

Written 22 November, 2024 08:00 by Theis Duelund Jensen

IT University of Copenhagen's coming prorector is the 49-year-old professor and head of department at the Department of Computer Science, University of Copenhagen (DIKU), Jakob Grue Simonsen. He takes up the position on 1 January 2025.

It is an experienced leader ITU has secured for the position. At the University of Copenhagen, Jakob Grue Simonsen has led an institute with strong growth in research funds, and in his management style he has emphasised inclusion, dialogue, and motivation as a means of achieving strong results.

"I look forward to welcoming Jakob Grue Simonsen to ITU. We are getting a prorector at the university with a great leadership ballast who will be able to create the best imaginable framework for the research and education environment at ITU," says ITU's rector, Per Bruun Brockhoff.

The framework surrounding research at IT University will be one of the major focus areas for the future prorector. An ongoing reorganisation of the scientific department and the creation of new research units will mark the agenda in the new year.

"I approach the work with great humility towards the expertise and the different points of view at ITU. If the organisation is to remain world-class, it must be so in both research and well-being. I want to help ensure an ITU where collaboration across disciplines is paramount and where people are happy to work," says Jakob Grue Simonsen.

Shaped by industry experience

Jakob Grue Simonsen has obtained his master's degree (2001), his Ph.D. (2005) and his doctorate (2012) in computer science at the University of Copenhagen. In 2008 he received his MBA from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. In 2015, he was appointed professor at the University of Copenhagen, and in April 2021 he took over the position as head of department at DIKU.

As a student, it was computer science at the heavy theoretical end that interested Jakob Grue Simonsen, but during his research career he has been around the nooks and crannies of the field and worked with everything from information retrieval and algorithms to human-computer interaction. However, it was a year between studies in the industry, where Jakob Grue Simonsen programmed database applications for a large American company, which was to be decisive for his further career:

“I knew I wanted to return to academia, but in the private sector I learned how to navigate an organisation with many different types of people. It was incredibly healthy for me professionally as well as personally. My approach as a leader in a university setting is informed both by the experiences, I gained in the business world and by many years of association with scientific colleagues in the university world. I am interested in finding out what motivates individual employees and creating the best conditions for collaboration and success.”

ITU's ongoing reorganisation of the scientific department means that when Jakob Grue Simonsen takes up the position of prorector in January, he will be in charge of a newly established institute with nine sections and a completely new management structure.

"I am looking forward to helping shape the future of the university," he says. "I will do my part to ensure that ITU remains a world-class university and a workplace where well-being is paramount."