Anglo Danish Awards

Scholarship Recipients 2021-22

Caoimhe Dowling

MA in Fashion, Clothing, Textiles and News Landscapes for Design at The Royal Danish Academy. This is a new MA course which focuses on how sustainable design practices can be incorporated to reshape the fashion industry and make it more sustainable.

Scholarship Recipients 2021-22

Katrine Strunk

Master of Performance (Vocal) at the Royal College of Music. Katrine’s ambition is to become an opera singer. She enjoys the works of female composers (Alma Mahler, Johanna Muller-Hermann, Clara Schumann) and has produced a concert series on this topic. She became a Søholm Opera Young Artist in 2020-21. You can listen to Katrine sing via her website www.katrinedeleuran.com

Scholarship Recipients 2021-22

Tóra Djhuruus

PhD at Exeter University in “The Legacy of the Past in Brexit Britain”. A particularly topical area of research, which seeks to add to the discussion about the imperial dimension of British Euroscepticism.

Scholarship Recipients 2021-22

Mattias Horan

PhD Neuroscience at University College London, Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour. Mattias has already qualified as a doctor but is keen to work as a physician-scientist. His current area of research examines Alzheimer’s disease and the area of the brain known as the Hippocampal Formation – the seat of the brain’s navigation system.

Scholarship Recipients 2021-22

Helle Hydeskov

PhD Veterinary Medicine at Nottingham Trent. Helle is studying lead poisoning in Scandinavian brown bears and its health effects. As lead is still widely used in hunting ammunition, the lead from spent ammunition poses a global health problem. The ultimate aim is to create a lead-free environment to improve animal and human health.

Scholarship Recipients 2021-22

Magnus Plejdrup Møller

MMus Orchestral Conducting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. As it’s currently not possible to study for a Master’s degree fully dedicated to orchestral conducting in Denmark, Magnus is delighted that he has been accepted at this world-renowned institution.

Scholarship Recipients 2021-22

Helena-Céline Stevelt

MPhil Psychology at Cambridge University. Helena-Céline will be investigating how babies’ brains develop over the first months of life using brain imaging techniques. She hopes her research will contribute to a career in investigating how environments interact with the developing child to foster brain and cognitive development.

Scholarship Recipients 2021-22

Simon KOPLEV

Simon KOPLEV is Danish and is studying for a PhD in Medical Science at the University of Cambridge, Cancer Research UK, Cambridge Institute. His area of study is Tracing cell plasticity of heterogenous tumour clones in the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) microenvironment. Simon has an MScEng in Systems Biology from the Technical University of Denmark and spent one year as a research scholar at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School. His current project has the potential to provide fundamental insight into the development of metastatic cancer of the pancreas. He plans to start his own academic laboratory either in Denmark or the UK.

Scholarship Recipients 2021-22

Julie de Fønss GANDRUP

Julie de Fønss GANDRUP is Danish and studying for a PhD in Medicine (Rheumatology) at the University of Manchester. Her specific area of study is How can digital patient-reported data advance clinical care in rheumatoid arthritis? Julie’s research involves the implementation, testing and evaluation of a novel smartphone app for remote monitoring of symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Already a medical doctor and the recipient of a number of prestigious awards and fellowships, Julie has wide international experience and is seen as an academic leader of the future.

Scholarship Recipients 2021-22

Alissa MACHIN

Alissa MACHIN, who is British, has been accepted to read for a two-year Master’s degree in Comparative Literature, University of Copenhagen. Her area of study is 20th and 21st century women’s writing, specifically the exploration of women’s writing from different genres, contexts and countries. Alissa speaks five languages and is currently learning Danish. Ultimately, she wishes to contribute to a diverse and open-minded approach to the development of the humanities to encourage more independence of thought and more opportunities for freelance thinkers to contribute to the public consciousness and cultural thinking.

Scholarship Recipients 2021-22

Tinne Nissen DAMGAARD

Tinne Nissen DAMGAARD who is Danish and has a Master of Science in Molecular Science from the University of Copenhagen, has been accepted for a Master of Research at the Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine at King’s College, London. Her area of study is Neuro-Immune Interactions in Health and Disease. Tinne’s research will aim at improving therapies that better understand such conditions as Alzheimer’s disease, chronic pain and various psychiatric diseases, an area of study that combines neuroscience and immunology. She is deeply interested in how scientific discoveries are translated into value for patients and for society.

Scholarship Recipients 2021-22

Signe Marie THØGERSEN

Signe Marie THØGERSEN, who is Danish, is taking an MPhil in Textile Conservation at the University of Glasgow, the only course of its kind in the UK. She already has a BSc in Object Conservation from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Schools of Architecture Design and Conservation. Signe’s studies will contribute to the socio-cultural value of textile conservation in terms of both tangible and intangible heritage and will make an important contribution to cultural life in Denmark. Her ultimate ambition is to become a textile conservator at a major museum.

Scholarship Recipients 2021-22

Denise HANSEN

Denise HANSEN, who is Danish, is currently reading for a PhD at University College, London. Her area of study is This is not a novel: 1960’s British Art Novels and the Visual Arts. Previously a visiting Research Fellow at Yale, she Is providing new perspectives to aid understanding of mid-century British literature and wishes to forge further cultural bonds between Denmark and the UK. Denise is currently translating Ann Quin’s novel Three into Danish and is Co-Founder and Editor of Scandinavian Fiction, 2018–present. Her publishing initiative, Lolli Editions, also brings contemporary Danish art novels to British readers.

Scholarship Recipients 2021-22

Max-Olivier VAN BASTELAER

Max-Olivier VAN BASTELAER, who is Danish/Belgian, will start an MPhil at the University of Cambridge this year.His area of study is Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence, which focuses on state-of-the-art machine learning, speech and language processing and computer vision. Max-Olivier has a profound interest in artificial intelligence and he is keen to pursue a Research & Development focused career, specifically new models and applications for AI and machine learning.

Max-Olivier is a member of Danstar whose ambition is to participate in the Spaceport America Cup, a rocketry competition in the U.S.

The William Charnley Anglo-Danish Scholarship 2021-22

Olivia BENDIXEN

Olivia has a BSc in Economics from the University of Copenhagen and has been accepted for an MPhil at Hughes Hall, Cambridge University. She is currently a Visiting Associate at the Boston Consulting Group and spent one year as a student assistant at Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She came third in the 2019 Nordic Championships in Business & Economics and 2nd in the Polit pre case competition hosted by Denmark’s Ministry of Finance last year. Her ambition is to work in an economic consultancy focusing on public sector and macroeconomics.

The ACE Foundation Scholarship awarded for the academic year 2020-21.

The William Charnley Anglo-Danish Scholarship 2021-22

Hayley TONNER

A graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the recipient of a number of prizes, Hayley is now embarking on the second year of a Masters’ degree in Music Performance (French Horn) at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus. She began working as a professional musician prior to her graduation from the Conservatoire and has played with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Ballet, Scottish Opera and the Ulster Orchestra. Her ambition is to become a full-time professional musician.

Scholarship Recipients 2019-20

Matthew Grouse

Matthew is British and will be studying for a MMus in Composition at either the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus commencing in August 2019 until July 2021. He achieved a First Class Honours degree in Music Composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He is a composer working across media but predominantly in the field of contemporary classical music. He views Denmark as arguably the most exciting European exponent of inter-disciplinary music and studying for a Masters there will allow him to develop his practical compositional skills and craft to the highest professional standards, whilst also undertaking rigorous training in other musical areas such as history, analysis, theory and musicianship.

Scholarship Recipients 2019-20

Julie Kjær

Julie is Danish and is studying for an MA in Screenwriting in England at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, Bucks from January 2019 to January 2021. Julie did not take a first degree but did a film diploma course at the Copenhagen Film & Photo School in 2015. She has been working as a childcare assistant to save money for her education, while also babysitting 10-20 hours a week and looking after her mother. She has a dream of being able to move people with her writing: ‘to be able to bring stories to life that can heal, create positive change and hopefully make at least one person feel less alone in the world.’

Scholarship Recipients 2019-20

Kristoffer Johansen

Kristoffer is Danish and is studying for a PhD in Immunology at Cambridge University from January 2017 to January 2021. He has a MSc and BSc in Molecular Biomedicine from Copenhagen University. Through his research he aims to uncover and characterise novel mechanisms of action of T cells, the primary cells of the immune system. His work has already provided data that allows a new way of studying T cells with several potential new targets for cancer therapy and treatment of autoimmune diseases.

Scholarship Recipients 2019-20

Katrina Bromhall

Katrina is Danish but was born in England to an English father and Danish mother, so has dual nationality. She is studying for a PhD in Fisheries Ecology at the National Institute of Aquatic Resources, the Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen, where she previously did an MSC in Engineering Aquatic Science and Technology. She attained a First Class Honours BSc degree in Marine Biology and Oceanography from Plymouth University. She has a passion for the marine environment and believes that unsustainable fishing poses a threat to its health. Her research aims to measure the effect of three bottom-contacting fishing gears that are commonly used by British and Danish fishing fleets in order to understand how fisheries interact with ecosytems to inform and improve fisheries management.

Scholarship Recipients 2019-20

Mina Haghbin

Mina is Danish and will be studying for a Masters in Performance, Violin, at the Royal College of Music, London between September 2019 and July 2021. She is currently studying for a Masters degree at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Copenhagen. She has been a member of the Danish Youth Ensemble since 2013 and, among other performances, has played with the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra and been on tour this year with the Baltic Sea Philharmonic Orchestra. She feels lucky to have found two great violin professors in what she considers Europe’s best music school to help her become the musician she strives to be, with the aim of becoming a professional orchestra musician.

Scholarship Recipients 2019-20

Theodor Lundberg

Theodor is Danish and is studying for a PhD in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at Cambridge University between October 2018 to October 2021. He gained a Master of Research (MRes) from Cambridge last year and a BSc in Physics from the University of Copenhagen and University of California, Berkeley. During his first year at university in Copenhagen he joined a research project at the Centre for Quantum Devices which led to his being awarded a Visiting Undergraduate Research Fellowship at Harvard University in 2015. The work carried out there led to him winning Danish Ideas 2016 and DKK 250,000 for a technology-innovation programme with NASA and Google in California. He then moved to Berkeley to complete the final year of his first degree. He is enthralled by scientific research in applied physics and nanotechnology and intrigued how inventions in these fields have come to shape contemporary life. Whether in academia or industry, he wants to work for the realisation of silicon-based quantum computing.

Scholarship Recipients 2019-20

Lasse Voss

Lasse is Danish and will be studying for an MPhil in Basic and Transitional Neuroscience at Cambridge University between October 2019 and October 2020. He will graduate from Aarhus University this summer with a BSc in Molecular Medicine. He won First Prize in the Young Scientists Denmark science fair in 2015, as well as 2nd Place in MOSTRATEC 2015 in Brazil and 3rd Place at CASTIC 2015 in Hong Kong. He finds the human brain extremely intriguing, especially how memories are stored and recalled and how neurological diseases can change behaviour, particularly Alzheimer’s and other dementias. He hopes to continue his studies in neuroscience in the future in order to lead interdisciplinary research to help patients with neurological diseases.

Scholarship Recipients 2019-20

Ashleigh Edwards

Ashleigh is British and is studying for an MSc in Biology at the University of Copenhagen from September 2018 to June 2020. She has a BSc with First Class Honours in Genetics with Industrial Experience from the University of Manchester. As part of her first degree she gained an Erasmus traineeship at Copenhagen University working as a research assistant. She enjoyed the experience so much that she extended her traineeship by 2 months before returning to the UK to complete her studies. She was so impressed with the international community and high quality of research in Copenhagen that she applied for the MSc there. She has focused on plant science and hopes that her studies will allow a better understanding of how plants can be modified to fare better under climate change.

Scholarship Recipients 2018-19

Tammes Bernstein

Tammes Bernstein is a Danish filmmaker who has won a highly-contested place to study Directing Fiction, one of the MA programmes at the UK’s National Film and Television School. Tammes has previously studied the craft of filmmaking at the Copenhagen Film and Photo School. His graduation film, Jazz, has been featured at several international film festivals, including Be Epic! London International Film Festival 2017, where it won three awards. Tammes has also made a second short film, Rock Stars, as well as music videos for Danish bands. Previously, he has worked as an Art Director in Paris, and has had a role in programming the Copenhagen Short Film Festival.

Scholarship Recipients 2018-19

Liane Dupont

Liane Dupont is a Danish scientist undertaking a PhD in Infection, Immunity and Inflammation at the University of Cambridge, supported by the Wellcome Trust. She already holds a BSc in Molecular Biomedicine from the University of Copenhagen, during which she spent a year as an exchange student at University College London, and a Master of Research from the Cambridge Institute of Medical Research. Liane’s research focuses on one of the major global health threats: HIV. By investigating the mechanisms of a particular protein, Vpr, she hopes to understand the early stages of HIV infection and contribute to the development of novel therapeutics. As a scientist, Liane is described by her referees as “outstanding” and “a star”. Ultimately, Liane aims to return to Denmark to pursue an academic career in the field of infection research.

Scholarship Recipients 2018-19

Kristian Hoeck

Kristian Hoeck is currently undertaking a PhD in Social Anthropology with Visual Media at the University of Manchester. The focus of his research is humanoid robots: the increasing presence of robots in industry and in our collective imagination has sparked public debate on what it means to be human, and what role robots should play in society. The fast development of the field of robotics makes it very likely that these new technological beings will, as Kristian puts it, “come to influence our social lives considerably in the not so distant future”. As part of his PhD project, Kristian will be spending fourteen months in Japan, at the world-leading Intelligent Robotics Laboratory. Kristian is also an ethnographic filmmaker who has directed several documentary videos for DANIDA and for Danish research institutes.

Scholarship Recipients 2018-19

Ida Holmegaard

Ida Holmegaard is the author of two novels published in Denmark: Emma Emma (Forlaget Gladiator, 2015) and Graceland (Rosinante, 2017). The latter was shortlisted for Politiken’s Literature Prize 2017, establishing Ida as an exciting emerging talent in her home country. Educated from the Danish Academy of Creative Writing she now wishes to work internationally and develop her range to encompass writing for theatre and other forms of drama. This is the focus of the Writing for Performance MA at Goldsmiths, a college of the University of London. The programme includes modules in adaptation and translation, providing a firm foundation for Ida’s future projects. Ultimately, her ambition is to use her interdisciplinary background and international outlook to “push the limits of what theatre is today”, both in Denmark and abroad.

Scholarship Recipients 2018-19

Fintan O’Hare

Fintan O’Hare is a British musician and composer who is studying for a Master of Music (MMus) with a specialism in Composition at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. Fintan holds a First Class Honours degree from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London. Writing mainly for classical instruments and ensembles, Fintan’s compositions have been performed at Hundred Years Gallery, St David’s Hall in Cardiff, the National Portrait Gallery, and, in March this year, by the Danish Radio Vocal Ensemble at the Pulsar Festival. He won the Daryl Runwick Composition Competition in 2015. Fintan stresses the role of music in presenting opportunities for cultural interchange, in particular the strong artistic links between Britain and Denmark.

Scholarship Recipients 2018-19

Andreas Søgaard

Andreas Søgaard is researching Experimental Particle Physics at the University of Edinburgh, where he hopes to complete his PhD in 2019. He previously gained BSc and MSc degrees in Physics from the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen. During his PhD, Andreas has worked on the ATLAS experiment at the famous CERN laboratory in Switzerland, part of a collaboration of some 3000 scientists from around the world. He has already published research papers and acted as lead analyser on one project which aims to detect and improve our understanding of Dark Matter, the matter which is known to constitute 85% of the universe. Andreas’s research also relates to advanced machine learning techniques, and thus offers potential for knowledge exchange with the tech industry.

Frederik Sørensen

Frederik Sørensen is embarking on the second year of his DPhil in Statistics at the University of Oxford, where he specialises in Probability Theory. He previously gained a Master’s degree in Statistics from the University of Copenhagen, with an exchange semester at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Frederik’s research focuses on developing theory for a mathematical object called combinatorial Markov Chains, which is motivated by the need for precise statistical methodology in e.g. the analysis of big data in the field of Genetics. Frederik has already co-authored half a dozen research papers and also has a strong interest in teaching. After finishing his doctorate, Frederik would like to return to Denmark to pursue an academic career.

Scholarship Recipients 2018-19

Michelle Mary Turley

Michelle Mary Turley, originally from Downpatrick in Northern Ireland, will be studying for a Master’s degree in Quantum Physics at the University of Copenhagen. Michelle holds a First Class Honours degree in Physics from the University of Edinburgh, where she was ranked fourth in her cohort of 82 students. Her passion stems from studying a fundamental theory that describes our universe, and her enthusiasm is fuelled by the applicability of this relatively new science to everyday life: laptops, lasers and all handheld devices and furthermore its potential for exciting renewable technologies. As she points out, Copenhagen is home to the Niels Bohr Institute, named for the Danish scientist who explained the quantum structure of the hydrogen atom - and so there is “nowhere more inspiring to study quantum physics than the birthplace of some of its most profound ideas”. But Michelle is also driven by a desire to immerse herself in Danish culture, a first stepping stone to an international career.

Scholarship Recipients 2016-17

Bryony BISHOP

The biotech industry is key to the Danish economy, attracting global players in the industry to the Øresund Region, which has become known as Medicon Valley. This Danish-Swedish hotspot for Life Sciences is the ideal place for a new generation of biotech entrepreneurs to hone their skills and knowledge. Accordingly, the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen Business School collaborate to offer an MSc in Business Administration and Bioentrepreneurship, which has attracted Bryony Bishop, one of our British awardees this year. Bryony’s course of study in Copenhagen builds on her BSc (First Class Honours) in Biochemistry and Management from Imperial College London and Imperial College London Business School in 2014. Bryony has already been in Denmark for a year and has been gaining experience working part-time for two Danish biotech start-ups: AthGene and DEMKIP. Her scholarship from the Anglo-Danish Society will help to support her as she embarks on the second year of her demanding programme, during which she will take four bio-business modules at Copenhagen Business School, write a thesis based on an entrepreneurial project, pitch a proposal to investors in Silicon Valley, and undertake a three-month unpaid internship with a Danish biotech company.

Scholarship Recipients 2016-17

Mikkel BJØRN

“Why did everything not just turn into light, right after the Big Bang?” With this question, and the compelling and lucid explanation of his work that followed it, Mikkel Bjørn’s application for an ADS Scholarship captivated the Scholarship Committee. In autumn 2016, Mikkel will be taking up his place as a DPhil student at the University of Oxford, and will be working on experimental studies of matter/antimatter symmetry using data produced at the LHCb project at CERN, Geneva. The Large Hadron Collider at CERN produces and detects particles under extreme conditions, allowing Mikkel and his fellow scientists to investigate the “subtle asymmetries” between matter and antimatter, and ultimately working towards an answer to the fundamental question in Mikkel’s application. Mikkel has previous experience at CERN where he participated in a summer school in theoretical and experimental particle physics, and his work there was shortlisted for the Moritz Karback prize for the best LHCb summer student work. Mikkel holds a Bachelor degree in Engineering (Physics and Nanotechnology) from DTU and an MSc in Physics from University of Copenhagen.

Scholarship Recipients 2016-17

PhD Candidate - Social Anthropology

The study of consciousness remains a key challenge for science; a better understanding of consciousness would lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Researchers of consciousness share the conviction that collaboration between the natural and social sciences will lead to a new understanding of consciousness that goes beyond mapping of brain-regions to take into account culturally-specific notions and experiences of consciousness. Our recipient brings an interdisciplinary background in neuroscience, neuropsychology and anthropology to this field, and embarked on a PhD at the University of Cambridge last year. During her studies, our candidate will be spending fourteen months in Denmark, based within a leading research unit exploring the science of consciousness. She also has significant experience outside academia, working with the Red Cross, the United Nations and as a freelance researcher on projects that aimed to support communities suffering the psychological impacts of war and natural disasters.

Scholarship Recipients 2016-17

Serena HEBSGAARD

In 2016, Serena Hebsgaard will be embarking on an MA in Migration and Diaspora Studies with Arabic Language at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London). The programme includes intensive Arabic language study, allowing Serena to consolidate what has characterised her studies so far: combining social sciences with languages and a creative dimension. Serena holds a BA in International Development Studies and French, earned as a combined degree at Roskilde University and at the University of Copenhagen. She has also studied in Ireland and Vietnam. Serena has experience of volunteer work in the Middle East teaching English and French in refugee camps, as well as in Copenhagen as a Danish teacher for Arabic-speaking refugees and for the Red Cross. She is a co-founder of the Danish NGO Børnebørn for Asyl (Grandchildren for Asylum) and has also worked as a translator. Ultimately, she aims to use her academic studies and extensive volunteering experience to work for the UNHCR, the branch of the UN concerned with refugee and migration-related issues, or another organisation specialising in migration, conflict resolution, human rights and development.

Scholarship Recipients 2016-17

Agnes Tulstrup HENRIKSEN

The ancient Sumerian city-state of Ur, located in present-day Southern Iraq, was the site of extensive excavations in the 1920s and 1930s. From 1922 to the outbreak of the second World War, this archaeological project was reported in the British Press, shaping the public’s knowledge of the history and culture of Iraq. Objects from Ur were also important to the creation of the Baghdad Museum. This crucial era in British-Iraqi relations is the topic of Agnes Tulstrup Henriksen’s PhD in History at UCL, which has the working title ’Domesticating the Sumerians in Mandate Iraq (1922-1934)’. Her PhD studentship is a Collaborative Doctoral Award funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and involves working with the British Museum on the research, under the supervision of Professor Eleanor Robson at UCL and Assistant Keeper Jon Taylor at the British Museum. Agnes earned her BA and Cand. Mag degrees in Near Eastern Archaeology from the University of Copenhagen and has also worked at the Ny Carlsberg Glytotek. She hopes to return to Denmark to pursue a career in museum work or academia.

Scholarship Recipients 2016-17

Sigurd KØLSTER

Over the last decade or two, Denmark has produced far more than its fair share of talented film and television directors and screenwriters. We are thus very fortunate that aspiring Danish director Sigurd Kølster has decided to come to the UK to hone his skills. As one of only eight successful applicants, he has been accepted onto the MA Directing Fiction programme at London’s world-leading National Film and Television School, at the Royal College of Art. Sigurd Kølster’s short film In the Sea, which he wrote and directed, has featured at more than half a dozen film festivals worldwide. He also has extensive professional experience working as a Runner, Assistant Director, Director of Photography, and in other roles, including on Danish television drama familiar to British audiences: Forbrydelsen (The Killing), Borgen, and Arvingerne (The Legacy). His work on Broen/Bron (The Bridge) has been described by director Charlotte Sieling as “amazing…Sigurd really has an eye for framing, for atmosphere and for colour”. In London, Sigurd hopes to find his “personal voice as a filmmaker and to develop the hard nosed skills needed for the industry as a whole”.

Scholarship Recipients 2016-17

Ciaran MCLAVERTY

Ciaran recently embarked on a PhD in Marine Fisheries Ecology at DTU (Danish Technical University), at Denmark’s National Institute of Aquatic Resources. His research will encompass a number of case studies of Danish fisheries in order to investigate the impact of commercial fishing in seafloor ecosystems. The Anglo-Danish Society Scholarship will facilitate Ciaran’s participation in a number of specialist taught courses such as programming and statistical analysis, and also at conferences where his work-in-progress can be discussed and disseminated. His research project aims to inform fisheries managers and scientists, and is also highly relevant to current reforms in EU Fisheries Policy and the adoption of an 'ecosystem approach to fisheries management'. Ciaran has extensive experience as a consultant marine ecologist, having worked on a broad range of infrastructure and development projects designed to reduce and monitor environmental impacts. His first degree was from Wales and his MSc in Marine Resource Development and Protection was completed at Heriott Watt University, Edinburgh where he gained a distinction. He hopes to return to consultancy after his PhD, or, alternatively, to pursue a career in marine fisheries science and management in Denmark or the UK.

Scholarship Recipients 2016-17

Helene Holm OLSEN

In many liberal and democratic societies, there is an assumption that only the state has a mandate to use violence. However, recent history suggests that the use of violence by private military and security companies as well as terrorist organisations is an urgent issue for our time. This is the subject of Helene Holm Olsen’s PhD research, based at the world-renowned Department of War Studies at King’s College London. Helene has already experienced student life on both sides of the North Sea, having completed a BSc in Global Studies and EU Studies at the University of Roskilde in 2014, followed by an MA in War Studies at King’s in 2015. Helene’s interest in states and the organisation of violence ranges beyond her academic career. She has volunteered with the Danish Model United Nations (DanMUN), where she was involved in organising a week-long conference which enabled forty-five students to simulate the work of the UN Security Council. After her PhD, Helene plans to return to Denmark to teach and research her specialist subject.

Scholarship Recipients 2015-16

JAMES IAN BLACK

James is a musical scholar. He is currently in Copenhagen at the Royal Danish Academy of Music where he will complete a Master’s in musical composition this summer. His ambition however is to stay on at the Academy in Denmark on an Advanced Postgraduate Diploma course.

He is fascinated by the work of Per Noergaard and is working on taking forward, in his own way, Noergaard’s system of “infinity series”.

His early academic career took place at Oxford where he achieved a first in music at BA level and then went on to take a Master’s in composition - for which he was awarded a distinction.

His professors in Denmark stress the fruitful connection which now exists between Danish and British musical life to which they see James Black contributing through his compositions. He has composed works for, among others, the South Denmark Philharmonic. This in addition to having had his works performed in London, Bristol and Oxford.

Scholarship Recipients 2015-16

LILITH LOUISE LYSGAARD HASBECK

We are all used to the concept of product design. Whether it be a motor car or a sofa that we are about to buy design will consciously enter our decision process and influence our longer term experience with what we have bought.

But today our lives are more and more to do with services rather than products. In the UK 75% of the economy is now derived from services and yet it is only recently that the discipline of design has been seriously applied to how services can be presented to be as rewarding as possible to both users and providers.

The Royal College of Art - in association with Imperial College - recognizes this need with an MA in Service Design (not available in Denmark though there has been formal endorsement of the importance of service design) for which Lilith was selected through an intensely competitive process.

She is in the first year of a two year course. Her work to date (among other projects there was one for Camden Council, received enthusiastically by their executive team, to develop awareness of food waste in a domestic context) has been highly commended. The Head of Service Design at the RCA considers her to be an outstanding student who is fulfilling his very high expectations.

Scholarship Recipients 2015-16

NICOLAS HUBBARD

This candidate represents an unusual academic situation but one which is symbolic of what our scholarship programme is about namely interchange and cooperation between Denmark and the UK. In this case Nicholas is engaged in research which will lead to a joint PhD to be awarded by York and Aarhus Universities.

His subject is nuclear astrophysics, specifically how the nuclear processes power the stars and how the chemical elements originated. What happens in the dying phases of a star to the rate of the carbon generated from helium has multiple implications ranging from supernova explosions to the production of the chemical elements of which we are made. But this rate has so far eluded accurate measurement. This is what his research aims to remedy.

He took his Master’s degree in Physics with Astrophysics at York where he received the (suitably named) Oliver Heavens prize for the best overall performance. His new academic supervisors in Aarhus, where he is engaged in experiments with their accelerator, are enthusiastic about the collaboration.

Scholarship Recipients 2015-16

LONE DIANA HØRLYCK

With a background in medical studies (BSc Aarhus) and then psychology (BSc Aarhus and MSc Copenhagen) Lone has established herself as a Neuroscientist of great distinction. Her Master’s in Clinical Neuroscience was achieved with the highest marks of the year for ongoing work as well as for the thesis component. And this was achieved at University College London which is reputed to be the leading academic centre for neuroscience in Europe and second in the world.

She is now well advanced with her PhD, also at UCL. This focuses on how memory works and how negative emotions can affect it. This greater understanding can create opportunities for new treatments of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It can also have broader implications for how Alzheimer’s dementia is treated.

The subject is of great interest to researchers in Denmark where this work is less developed. One of the ways in which our award will support Lone is to allow her to intensify her dialogue with her counterparts there in this the final year of her PhD.

Scholarship Recipients 2015-16

JULIUS BIER KIRKEGAARD

Another physicist but one whose work is in a very different area namely biological physics. This is about applying the laws of physics to biology specifically in Julius’s case to the origin of multi-cellularity. Why, his PhD will ask, did organisms evolve from single cells to complex beings with trillions of cells? And what was the evolutionary advantage?

He will be studying an organism, choanoflagellate, which is our closest uni-cellular relative. This will involve the application, amongst other disciplines, of microhydrodynamics which is where his knowledge of physics will play a key role.

This research will be taking place at Cambridge University where a unique combination of theoretical resources and experimental laboratory facilities will be available to him in the shape of the Goldstein lab.

His earlier studies were at the Niels Bohr Institute including a stint at the California Institute of Technology. Consistently he was amongst the top students if not the top student of his peer group. Indeed he is the only student from the Niels Bohr Institute to have achieved, at every stage of his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, the top marks possible.

Scholarship Recipients 2015-16

SIGNE REHLING LARSEN

The issue of the democratic legitimacy of the EU’s political structure is a topic that has been increasingly voiced especially since the financial crisis of 2008.

Signe sees real threats to the project of European integration unless we can come to a better understanding of the causes of this perceived democracy deficit. Her PhD project is concerned with this challenge. She started her work at the London School of Economics last autumn. Our scholarship will help support her in her second year.

She points out that studies of the EU can never be contained within one discipline; inescapably they involve law, economics, politics, sociology and history. Hence the importance to her of being able to do her work at the LSE which provides, at the highest level, the interdisciplinary framework vital to her subject.

The breadth of her interests is reflected in her earlier studies: a BA in philosophy from Copenhagen and an MA in politics from The New School for Social Research in New York. This prestigious school awarded her the absolute maximum grade for her work there.

Her thesis supervisor in the Department of Law at the LSE sees adding a third discipline, law, as very much to her credit. He believes she has the qualities to more than justify this ambitious path and that it will lead to a freshness, vitality and originality in her work.

Scholarship Recipients 2015-16

PIA PERNILLE SØGAARD

Pernille is in the second year of her DPhil at Oxford. Her earlier degrees (Bachelor’s and Master’s) were from Copenhagen University in Molecular Biomedicine.

Her thesis focuses on the process of “cellular invasion”, a phenomenon which characterises such important diseases as arthritis and cancer. If the tendency of cells to degrade either the surrounding tissue or in the case of rheumatoid arthritis to eat into the bones can be inhibited this could lead to a plausible therapeutic strategy. However more work is required to understand the basic molecular biology behind the process. One of the key enzymes that drives the invasion has been identified but more needs to be known about how it is regulated.

The potential importance of her research is evidenced by invitations to present her findings to date at two international conferences this spring.

The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology combines frontline science with close collaboration with the biotech industry making it an excellent example of how basic research can be translated into applied therapy. It has given special recognition to Pernille’s work by awarding her the Kennedy Trust Prize studentship.

Scholarship Recipients 2014-15

ANNI DJURHUUS

Anni is a native of the Faroe Islands where she developed her interest in the life of our seas and oceans. In addition to her BSc in biology from the University of the Faroes she also has qualifications in bioinformatics and statistics.

In parallel with her studies she was employed part-time as a research assistant working with samples of zooplankton, seawater and oysters. This later led to participating in expeditions led by Professor Rogers to the Indian and Southern Oceans.

She now divides her time between the University of the Faroes and Oxford where the same Professor Rogers is supervising her D.Phil., the subject of which is the amount and geographical distribution of micro-organisms present on oceanic seamounts. These microorganisms are the basis of our marine ecosystems providing carbon source for the elements present at higher trophic levels. Not surprisingly it is where they are abundant that overfishing takes place and there is a danger that this could destroy vital ecosystems before we have even properly understood them.

Her work, which is thus both critical and urgent, represents an important collaboration between Oxford and the University of the Faroes

Scholarship Recipients 2014-15

MORTEN HANSEN

Morten will commence an MSc in Comparative and International Education at Oxford University in October 2014. The course can either be a freestanding degree or the first year of a Doctorate.

His Bachelor's degree from Aarhus University was in Education Science. As part of this degree he spent a semester at Madison University in the US where the topics studied included the "Internationalisation of Education". Consistent with this interest Morten is currently an intern at the European Commission's Directorate General for Education and Culture in Brussels. This is providing him with insights into how the EU develops its Education policies and governs within the Community.

His academic results and in particular his Bachelor dissertation (which analysed EU's promotion of indicators for teachers' professional development) contributed to his selection for the highly selective course at Oxford.

Morten intends to take his academic work to the level of a Doctorate and then to engage as an education policy leader in teacher development. He is concerned that quality indicators for teachers should be developed at the European level, thus broadening the debate to more than supply of teachers.

Scholarship Recipients 2014-15

EMMA CHRISTINE JAPPE

Emma will be participating in an MSc course in Drug Design at the Wolfson Institute at University College London (UCL) as part of her Masters in Advanced and Applied Chemistry from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) where she took her first degree culminating in a top grade thesis.

Her studies to date have involved biochemistry, physiology, cell biology, organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry as well as pharmaceutical engineering. At the same time she has become increasingly aware of a slowing down in the rate of new drugs coming to market. The Wolfson Institute offers a unique opportunity to study the development of drugs using computational techniques involving bio- and chemo-informatics, an area which has become of special interest to her and which would not be available elsewhere.

While at DTU she has worked as head of communications for the Biotech Academy, a non-profit organisation which develops innovative course material for Danish secondary and High Schools.

Scholarship Recipients 2014-15

SARAH KATHINKA GEORG JENSEN

Sarah has two Masters degrees: one from Copenhagen University in Psychology and the second from UCL in Neuroscience. She has obtained both these degrees with either the highest available mark or distinction.

The complementary nature of these two disciplines qualifies her to make a unique contribution to her chosen field which is the understanding of the impact of stressful experiences (such as early trauma, neglect, poverty and parental psychopathology) on how a child develops. Her PhD thesis which she is undertaking at the Institute of Psychiatry (King’s College London) draws on clinical assessments, genetic data and neurological data to look not only at how these experiences may lead to psychiatric problems later in life but also at how they may even predict changes in the morphology of the brain.

Sarah has already published in “Depression and Anxiety” and is about to have a further paper appear in the “Journal of Abnormal Psychology”.

Scholarship Recipients 2014-15

ANDERS MELDGAARD KJEMTRUP

Anders is a top ranked BSc and MSc student from the Copenhagen Business School where he also found time to be president of the student body and undertake various internships including one at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington. This was important in developing his interest in what will be the subject of an MPhil degree at Cambridge, namely the role of public actor initiatives and public-private partnerships in development work.

The contribution they can make to sustainable development is a topic high on the agenda of governments not least of all in Denmark and the UK. However it is still an area which needs more scientific research on the barriers and opportunities.

Cambridge will offer Anders the opportunity to work alongside students from around the globe not least of all from developing countries. When he has completed this degree he plans to spend time in Africa gaining further field experience.

Scholarship Recipients 2014-15

RUAIRIDH TARVET

Ruairidh, a Scot from Dundee, is about to graduate from Edinburgh University with an MA in Scandinavian Studies (specialising in Danish) with German and EU studies. His skills in Danish have twice won him the Class Medal.

His proposed PhD subject is “Southern Jutland: the Linguistics of a borderland”. He plans an interdisciplinary approach involving multiple theories: linguistic, culture contact and transnational historiography. This will allow him to analyse how regional, national and transnational dimensions influence dialect, culture and the sense of nationhood.

He will locate himself at Roenshoved Hoejskole where he will also be teaching. This will enrich his access to regional linguistic resources in the form of both written and living examples. He will also have access to Syddansk University in Soenderborg.

The topic is both timely and relevant. Language variation and linguistic loyalty have seen much increased political interest recently especially in the EU.

Scholarship Recipients 2014-15

EMMA OEMANN

Emma is a young soprano whose voice and stage presence has already attracted admiration in Denmark. She has succeeded in gaining a place for a Masters degree in Vocal Studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. Here she will broaden her training and experience with exposure to such outstanding teachers as Ann Murray, Felicity Lott and Barbara Bonney.

From winning the competition in Denmark for Young Classical Singers in 2012 and sharing opera stages at the Funen Opera with some of Denmark’s leading talent and now her time in Glasgow she will aspire to a career as an international opera singer.

The Artistic leader of Funen Opera suggests that this is not an empty ambition when he says this about her: “Every time I hear her I am struck by the beauty of her voice, and how easily she takes the stage or the concert hall. She has an almost second to none stage bearing, and she leaves the audience full of emotions”.

Scholarship Recipients 2013-14

GUNVOR JONSSON

Gunvor is an anthropologist. She has her Masters Degree from Copenhagen University and is currently engaged in research at PhD level at SOAS. Female migration in West Africa is a growing phenomenon but little understood in detail. Analyses to date have tended to focus on economic and data at the macro level and little attention has been paid to the social aspects and to the migratory journey itself. Her findings based on fieldwork in Senegal with Malian women will redress this balance. She is uniquely qualified. She operates in three languages, English, French and Bamanankan and has already carried out a four country research project in Africa for the Oxford University based International Migration Institute. SOAS have recognised her exceptional qualities with a doctoral scholarship but her fieldwork requires further support which our grant will supply.

Scholarship Recipients 2013-14

CHRISTIAN O. LUND

Christian has recently received his MSc in Mathematics from Copenhagen University. As part of this qualification he wrote his Masters thesis in the US at MIT. He has now been offered a PhD research position at St John’s College Cambridge. His work is in a branch of mathematics dealing with the properties of abstract geometric objects. The application of calculus to these objects has proved to be a powerful tool for learning about geometric objects in new and exciting ways. The implications of his research concern not only mathematicians but also physicists. He is strongly recommended by his professor at Copenhagen University who rates him as consistently one of the very best students in his department over a five year period.

Scholarship Recipients 2013-14

RALITSA MADSEN

Bulgarian at birth Ralitsa is now also a Danish national who has recently completed her bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biomedicine at Copenhagen with top marks. She was already a competitor at High School taking part in the finals of the nationwide Danish Chemistry Olympics. Her interest is exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying obesity and diabetes. More specifically her research will focus on insulin signalling and epigenetics. Epigenetics recognises that inheritable changes in gene expression are not exclusively a function of DNA mutations. For example early nutrition may contribute to the programming of cells such that the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes and obesity later in life is increased. Fighting metabolic diseases, of obvious importance in today’s world, is Ralitsa’s ambition. She has been offered an MPhil position in Medical Science at Cambridge but needs to secure more finance to be able to go ahead.

Scholarship Recipients 2013-14

IAIN McCLARTY

Iain has studied Music at Edinburgh University where his supervisor referred to him as “one of the most talented and promising musicians to have emerged from the University in recent years”. He was organ scholar at St Giles Cathedral and at the same time established himself both as a conductor of many of the University’s orchestras and choirs and as the founder of both choral and instrumental groups. He is now at the Royal Danish Academy of Music where he is in the first year of a three year Advanced Postgraduate Diploma course in conducting under Giordano Bellincampi. The UK music world acknowledges that the programme in Copenhagen offers unrivalled opportunities for a combination of study, coaching and practice.

Scholarship Recipients 2013-14

ALEXANDRA MESSERLI

With a first degree in Geography from Edinburgh and then a Masters from Cambridge, Alexandra is now working on a PhD at the Centre for Ice and Climate at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen. Her subject, how meltwater influences ice flow, is essential to a better understanding of water availability and sea level rise. Her work is based on data she is collecting at Norway’s Svartisen Subglacial Laboratory, which is one of the only places in the world where there is a tunnel under the glacier with access to the glacier bed. Our scholarship will allow Alexandra to undertake a controlled experiment where a large quantity of water is suddenly forced into a subglacial system. Her work forms part of a wider Nordic collaboration (SVALI) in the field of glaciology.

Scholarship Recipients 2013-14

STEPHANIE OERUM

Stephanie is in her first year of Doctoral Studies at Oxford after having completed her earlier studies in Copenhagen as well as having worked as a full time teacher and scientist in a pharmaceutical company. Her project focuses on understanding the molecular cause of HDS10-Deficiency, an inherited neurodegenerative disease characterised by progressive loss of motor and mental skills. The protein behind HDS10-deficiency is also postulated to play a role in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, MS and Down’s Syndrome. New therapeutic approaches are urgently required to replace largely ineffective diet-based treatments. The Structural Genomics Consortium where Stephanie is working is at the forefront of research into understanding the linkage between genetic defects and diseases caused by inborn errors of metabolism.