Two AU researchers receive Eliteforsk awards for their work on the brain and batteries

AU researchers have just won two of the Ministry of Higher Education and Science’s five prestigious Eliteforsk awards: Dorthe B. Ravnsbæk, professor of materials chemistry, and Per Borghammer, professor of neuroscience.

[Translate to English:] Årets EliteForsk-prismodtagere med uddannnelses- og forskningsminister Christina Egelund og H.K.H Kronprinsesse Mary ved uddelingen d. 20. februar. Photo: Søren Kjeldgaard

This article is based on a press release from the Ministry of Higher Education and Science.

On Monday 20 February, Eliteforsk awards from the Ministry of Higher Education and Science were conferred on two AU researchers by HRH Crown Princess Mary and Minister for Higher Education and Science Christina Egelund.

The two AU researchers who received awards were Professor Dorthe B. Ravnsbæk from the Department of Chemistry and Professor Per Borghammer from the Department of Clinical Medicine, who is also a consultant at Aarhus University Hospital.

Dorthe B. Ravnsbæk, age 39, heads a research group that is exploring what goes on inside lithium batteries at the atomic level, and how these changes affect battery performance and properties. The group’s research, which is based on groundbreaking techniques developed by Ravnsbæk at MIT, is helping to expand the palette of materials that can be used in batteries, which will contribute to the development of more sustainable alternatives to lithium batteries. Find out more about Dorthe B. Ravnsbæk’s research

Per Borghammer, age 47, is internationally recognised for his groundbreaking work on Parkinson’s disease, and he and his research group have had a decisive influence on our understanding of the origins and pathophysiology of the disease. For example, Borghammer’s research group discovered that Lewy bodies, abnormal protein deposits in nerve cells that are involved in Parkinson’s, can be detected in the gut up to 20 years before the disease is diagnosed. Read more about Per Borghammer’s research

In addition to the Eliteforsk awards, 20 Eliteforsk travel grants were awarded. Five PhD student from AU received travel grants. Read more about the Eliteforsk travel grant recipients 

Read the press release from the Ministry of Higher Education and Science (in Danish)