The Grundfos Prize for Female Professor

The Grundfos Prize consists of DKK 1m (130,000 Euro), of which DKK 250,000 (33,000 Euro) is a personal token of respect whereas the rest is earmarked for Professor Strunge Meyer’s research field.

Anne Strunge Meyer’s work includes research in the processing of biomass for the design of functional ingredients for food and other bioactive substances. Her research is not only concerned with finding the scientific basis of the processing, but it is also oriented towards users.

Ms Strunge Meyer, 45, graduated from The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University,DK, and from the University of Reading, UK. In addition she has a PhD from the Technical University of Denmark. She has been visiting researcher on several occasions at the University of California, Dais, USA. Since 1998 she has been employed by DTU, at first as associate professor and later as professor.

Through a relatively brief career so far, Anne Strunge Meyer has managed to demonstrate her professional quality and productivity. More than 100 articles in recognised magazines and some 20 chapters in books and conference documents make her one of the world’s 20 most frequently quoted writer in the field of ”Food and Agriculture Science”.

In addition to her extensive writings, ms Strunge Meyer is head of a number of large research projects, national as well as international.These projects include research in the development of fruit juice with improved health potential as well as encymatic opening of diferulate cross-links in plant cell walls, and many others. She is a member of editorial committees, juries for research projects and ministarial committees. In addition she is assistant general manager at the Food Denmark research school, with about 120 PhD students.

Guest speaker at the prize ceremony was Kasper Rørsted, CEO at Henkel International, who spoke about how changes influence the way of doing business, e.g. demografic changes, new patterns in mobility and communication, climate changes and new comsumption patterns. Mr Rørsted explained how innovation is necessary for maintaining a company’s competitive edge.

The Prize was presented by Grundfos Group Chairman, Niels Due Jensen, who, among other things, said: ”I hope the Grundfos Prize will strengthen the awareness that, in a small country like Denmark, it is imperative public and private research is performed in close harmony and that everybody contributes with more value and in several ways to our welfare and we alth.”

The jury of the Grundofs Prize consists of:

Vice-Rector Nina Smith, Aarhus University

Professor Preben Terndrup Pedersen, The Technical University of Denmark

Former Rector ofr Aalborg University, Sven Caspersen

Lars Kolind, Chairman of the Poul Due Jensen Foundation

Niels Due Jensen, Chairman of the Grundfos Group.

Former recipients of the Grundfos Prize:

2002: Professor, Dr. techn. Sc. Ole Sigmund, DTU

2003: Professor, Svend Erik Hougaard Jensen, Research Manager, Nikolaj Malchow-Møller, Professor, Jan Rose Skaksen, Professor, Anders Sørensen and Professor Ulrich Kaiser (sharing the prize earned for a de fem delte prisen for a social prize paper)

2004: Professor Frede Blåbjerg, Aalborg University.

2006: DSc. Flemming Besenbacher, Head of the iNANO Centre, Aarhus University.

2007: Professor Jens Kehlet Nørskov, DTU