Denmark’s major research prize to Eva Bjørn Vedel Jensen, Mathematical Sciences
2009.01.28 |
Media release
Professor Eva Bjørn Vedel Jensen, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Aarhus University, has been awarded the Villum Kann Rasmussen Annual Award for Technical and Scientific Research. This research award amounts to DKK 2.5 million (approximately EUR 335,500).
Professor Jensen won the award in recognition of her ground-breaking research into the development of advanced mathematical and statistical methods for what, in popular terms, is known as getting a precise three-dimensional image of an object such as the brain from one or two-dimensional observations.
The prize was awarded to Professor Jensen as both an acknowledgement and an inspiration to continue her research and lecturing in mathematical and statistical methods. Her efforts and innovative work have contributed to such areas as the development of advanced mathematical and statistical methods for the quantitative characterisation of structural elements. Her research into stereology should be particularly highlighted. This includes methods for getting precise information about a three-dimensional object out of one or two-dimensional observations. Her research also covers areas such as advanced image treatment and spatial statistics. The methods developed have been used as key tools in medicine and biology, as well as in material research. These tools now play a completely central role in both medicine and biology, where the methods are used for purposes that include studying brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, alcoholism and schizophrenia. Professor Jensen has succeeded in covering the entire spectrum, ranging from extremely advanced mathematical research to the practical application of her research. Her significant research efforts have thus been an important contribution to solving a number of practical issues, and have thereby been of great benefit to society.
Professor Jensen (57) has a Master of Science degree (cand.scient.) and completed her doctorate (dr.scient.) in 1987 with a dissertation on stereology. She has worked at Aarhus University since 1979, first as an associate professor, later as a senior associate professor and research professor, and finally – since 2003 – as a professor at the Department of Mathematical Sciences. During the period 1998–2004, Professor Jensen was one of the key researchers at the MaPhySto Centre (Centre for Mathematical Physics and Stochastics), supported by the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF). In 2002–2006, she was the coordinator of the Marie Curie Training Site for Advanced Medical Imaging and Spatial Statistics (MISS). She is Scientific Director of the T.N. Thiele Centre for Applied Mathematics in Natural Science. In 1999, she was awarded the Director Ib Henriksen’s Foundation Research Prize.
The Villum Kann Rasmussen Annual Award for Technical and Scientific Research goes to two researchers in 2009. They are Professor Eva Bjørn Vedel Jensen, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Aarhus University, and Professor Jan Oskar Jeppesen, Department of Physics and Chemistry, University of Southern Denmark.
The annual award is made by the VILLUM KANN RASMUSSEN FONDEN, which was founded in 1971 by the late civil engineer Villum Kann Rasmussen (dr.techn. h.c.), who developed products including VELUX roof windows. To mark the centenary celebration of the founder’s birth, two annual awards are being made in 2009.
The presentation of the Villum Kann Rasmussen Annual Awards to the two recipients took place at the Experimentarium, Tuborg Havnevej 7, DK-2900 Hellerup, on Friday 23 January 2009 at 14.00. In their respective lectures, the prize winners accounted for the main ideas in their research to date. Guests were invited to a reception afterwards.
For more information, please contact:
- Professor Eva Bjørn Vedel Jensen (tel. office +45 8942 3518, mobile +45 2361 1424, e-mail eva@imf.au.dk)
- Professor Jan Oskar Jeppesen (tel. +45 2336 6341, e-mail joj@ifk.sdu.dk)
- VILLUM KANN RASMUSSEN FONDEN, Lennart Rasmussen (tel. +45 2941 7889, e-mail lra.fond@velux.com) .
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