Finn Kjærsdam (born 25 November 1943 in
Roskilde
Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...
) is a Danish
Land Surveyor
Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is c ...
and former
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
and professor of
Urban Planning
Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...
at
Aalborg University
Aalborg University (AAU) is a Danish public university with campuses in Aalborg, Esbjerg, and Copenhagen founded in 1974. The university awards bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and PhD degrees in a wide variety of subjects within humanitie ...
(AAU).
Finn Kjærsdam is born in
Roskilde
Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...
in 1943, but grew up most of his childhood in
Køge
Køge (, older spelling ''Kjøge'') is a seaport on the coast of Køge Bugt (''Bay of Køge'') 39 km southwest of Copenhagen. It is the principal town and seat of Køge Municipality, Region Sjælland, Denmark. In 2022, the urban area had a ...
. He graduated from Roskilde Cathedral School as a mathematical and natural science high school student in 1963. He subsequently studied at the
Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University
The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University ( da, Kongelige Veterinær- og Landbohøjskole, abbr. KVL) was a veterinary and agricultural science university in Denmark. It was founded in 1856 and operated until 2007, when it became a part of ...
(which is now part of the
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public research university in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia after Uppsala Unive ...
) and became a
Land Surveyor
Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is c ...
in 1969.
Five years later in 1974 he received a Ph.D. in Urban Planning also from the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University. Finn Kjærsdam began his career in the academic world as an Assistant Professor and later an associate professor at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University. In 1975 he became associate professor of urban planning at the newly established
Aalborg University
Aalborg University (AAU) is a Danish public university with campuses in Aalborg, Esbjerg, and Copenhagen founded in 1974. The university awards bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and PhD degrees in a wide variety of subjects within humanitie ...
.
Later he headed the Department of Social Development and Planning at Aalborg University. Finn Kjærsdam has also been a senior research fellow and completed a research program at the Nordic Institute for Urban Planning (NORDPLAN) in
Stockholm. He defended a doctoral thesis which dealt with the relationship between science and applied science at NORDPLAN/AAU and he was then awarded the title of
Doctor of Technology
The Doctor of Technology (abbreviated variously in different countries) is a degree normally conferred upon candidates after having completed a course of study in technology and a dissertation or a project of lengthy duration in a technologically r ...
.
In 1988 he was appointed as a professor at Aalborg University. Later he also became a
Dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Titles
* ...
of the Faculty of Engineering and Science at Aalborg University, a title which he held for 17 years. In 2006 he took over the title as
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
at Aalborg University from his predecessor Jørgen Østergaard and held the title until 2014, when he was replaced by his successor
Per Michael Johansen
Per Michael Johansen (born 1960) is a Denmark, Danish engineer and physicist and the current Rector (academia), rector of Aalborg University.
Johansen was born in 1960 in the small holiday and fishing village Agger in the Thy (district), Thy ...
. Finn Kjærsdam is knight and commander of the order of Dannebrog.
Sources
Aalborg University: Board of Directors''Accessed 2007-02-14''
Aalborg Universitet: Nyheder om uddannelse''(Danish) Accessed 2014-05-08''
Finn Kjærsdam''(Danish) Accessed Accessed 2019-06-24''
Energi, anarki og en sjat frækhed''(Danish) Accessed 2019-06-24''
Banjoglad rektor fylder rundt''(Danish) Accessed 2019-06-24''
Living people
University of Copenhagen alumni
1943 births
Academic staff of Aalborg University
People from Køge Municipality
People from Roskilde
{{Denmark-academic-bio-stub