Organization

New Head of Department for DTU Aqua

Professor Anna Rindorf will back innovation in the department as well as society as the new Head of DTU Aqua: ”We need to evolve in spite of an uncertain world.”

Anna Rindorf comes from a position as Professor and Head of Section for Ecosystem based Marine Management at DTU Aqua. Photo: Bax Lindhardt

Thursday 08 May 2025

Simon Koefoed Toft

DTU has appointed Professor and Head of Section Anna Rindorf as the new Head of Department for DTU Aqua, effective 1 July.

She has both the broad subject knowledge and managerial experience needed to drive the further development of the department, says DTU President Anders Bjarklev:

"In Anna Rindorf, DTU Aqua is gaining a leader with very high ambitions for the institute's research, consulting and innovation. Anna Rindorf also has the skills to realise these ambitions, and I look forward to working with her in her new role."

Anna Rindorf joined DTU Aqua as a researcher in 2007 and has since been appointed Head of Section and Professor.

Freedom first and foremost

Anna Rindorf sees it as her main task to give employees the space to develop their full potential, she says. And this must be supported in two ways, says Anna Rindorf:

"It is important that our people have the freedom to do what they do best. Freedom to come up with new and innovative ideas and the freedom to implement them. It is no use keeping people in a box, because then there is nowhere for them to grow." 

But the best ideas don't come from behind closed doors. That's why Anna Rindorf's other big focus is on making sure there's cooperation and dialogue both within the institute and with the rest of the university and external partners.

"We come up with many more ideas when we bring different people together—both at DTU Aqua and across DTU's departments. It sounds simple, but I really believe it's important that we talk to each other," she says.

FACTS

CV – Anna Rindorf

  • PhD from the University of Copenhagen in 2004
  • Researcher at the Danish Institute for Fisheries Research 2004-2007
  • Employed at DTU Aqua since 2007
  • Degree in Organisation and Management from CBS in 2013
  • Head of Section for Ecosystem-based Management since 2013
  • Appointed Professor of Ecosystem Approach to Marine Management in 2020

Global and local

Anna Rindorf is stepping into the role of Head of Department for DTU Aqua at a time when the department's research areas are attracting considerable attention. And that comes with responsibilities, she says.

"Right now, there is a lot of public attention around how we can achieve the greatest possible biodiversity, the strongest possible restoration of nature, and the best possible industry in our waters. These are big and important questions that we must help answer."

And the issues close to home are particularly pressing right now, when the world outside Denmark's borders is characterised by uncertainty, says Anna Rindorf:

"It will be important for us to support local food production and local innovation so that we can continue to grow despite the very uncertain world we currently find ourselves in."

Contact

Anna Rindorf

Anna Rindorf Professor, Head of Section National Institute of Aquatic Resources Phone: +45 35883378

Anders Overgaard Bjarklev

Anders Overgaard Bjarklev President Rektoratet Phone: +45 45251000