DTU has appointed Professor Anne Ladegaard Skov, head of the Danish Polymer Centre (DPC), as the new Head of Department of DTU Chemical Engineering, effective 1 January 2026.
"Anne Ladegaard Skov combines deep expertise with an ability to translate research into concrete solutions. With Anne at the helm, DTU Chemical Engineering will have a well-liked and persistent leader who can further develop the department’s strong academic foundation in both education and research. Combined with her entrepreneurial approach, she can take innovation to new heights," says DTU Rector Anders Bjarklev.
Anne Ladegaard Skov has been employed at DTU Chemical Engineering since 2001. In 2015, she was appointed head of the Danish Polymer Centre and in 2018 she was appointed professor. Anne is internationally recognized for her many years of visionary research into silicone-based elastomers, for which she also received the Grundfos Prize in 2022.
Anne Ladegaard Skov brings solid experience in entrepreneurship to her new role as head of department. She is behind several patents and has translated research from the laboratory into socially relevant businesses - most recently with the startup Glysious, which stems from her research into advanced silicone-based materials and the development of artificial muscles. That was also the theme of Anne Ladegaard Skov’s inaugural lecture at DTU’s Commemoration Day 2025 . Innovation that addresses pressing societal challenges is part of DTU’s DNA, she says.
"One of our greatest strengths at DTU Chemical Engineering is that many of our research projects arise in close collaboration with companies. This gives us a good sense of what is happening and what interests the industry has. It means that we contribute with current research and socially relevant solutions within both biotechnology and the green transition."
Anne Ladegaard Skov also senses a growing curiosity about entrepreneurship among students-a development she would like to support:
"In the past, they mainly sought employment with large industrial companies, where they were more or less guaranteed good jobs. I would like to get more of our students and younger researchers interested in pursuing entrepreneurship."
Dr.techn. Anne Ladegaard Skov, professor at DTU Chemical Engineering, is one of the world’s leading researchers in silicone-based elastomers. Elastomers are rubber-elastic plastics used in industry for the development of artificial muscles, artificial skin, eye implants, and soft, human-like robots, among other things.
- Employed at DTU since 2001, where she conducted PhD research into mathematical modeling of silicone materials
- Appointed head of the Danish Polymer Center (DPC) at DTU in 2015
- Appointed Professor of Polymer Science and Engineering in 2018
- Founder and CEO of the startup Glysious in 2021
- Received the Grundfos Prize for her transformative research into silicone-based elastomers in 2022
The culture at DTU Chemical Engineering is characterized by "freedom with responsibility" - a management philosophy that Anne Ladegaard Skov has valued as a researcher and practises herself as a manager:
"Trust and freedom make research fun. It must be enjoyable if you are going to push research that extra bit further. Research must be driven by curiosity and an interest in solving a societal problem."
She therefore wants to continue the culture where researchers have freedom of action rather than being micromanaged - an approach she believes contributed to DTU being ranked No. 1 in Europe in Chemical Engineering on the EU ranking EngiRank in 2024.
"We will continue the good work and focus on what we are good at. At the same time, we will explore new opportunities-for example, in the use of artificial intelligence in both teaching and research," says Anne Ladegaard Skov.
She sees particular potential in artificial intelligence to simplify and streamline complex data analyses and processes where traditional mathematical models are often cumbersome and time-consuming. Anne Ladegaard Skov replaces Kim Dam-Johansen, who has been Head of Department at DTU Chemical Engineering since 2000.
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