Finn Kjærsdam (born 25 November 1943) 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. These points are usually on the ...

and former rector and professor of

Urban Planning Urban planning (also called city planning in some contexts) is the process of developing and designing land use and the built environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportatio ...

Aalborg University Aalborg University (AAU) is an international public university with campuses in Aalborg, Esbjerg, and Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1974, the university awards bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and PhD degrees in a wide variety of subje ...

(AAU). Finn Kjærsdam is born in

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 53,354 (), 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 Danish 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 (Zealand), Denmark. In 2025, the ...

. 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 (, abbr. KVL, , abbr. RVA) was a veterinary and agricultural science university in Denmark. It was founded in 1856 and operated until 2007, when it became a part of the University of Copenhagen. It ...

(which is now part of the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

) and became a

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

. 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 Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

. 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. In 1988 he was appointed as a professor at Aalborg University. Later he also became a Dean 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 at Aalborg University from his predecessor Jørgen Østergaard and held the title until 2014, when he was replaced by his successor Per Michael Johansen. 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