Tue Hassenkam appointed new head of Nanoscience and Technology

From 1 October, Tue Hassenkam, Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen, will take up the role as Head of the Nanoscience and Technology Master’s programme at SDC. With decades of experience in research and teaching, he looks forward to continuing the development of a programme that connects disciplines and makes complex science engaging for students.

Building bridges across disciplines and making learning fun
‘Nanoscience is all about building bridges. Chemists should understand physics, physicists should understand biology, and biologists should gain insight into subjects like quantum mechanics. Helping students grasp each other’s languages and perspectives is at the core of what makes this opportunity so exciting,’ Tue Hassenkam says.

Equally important to him is ensuring that learning sparks curiosity. ‘I want to make the science come alive. I want it to be fun. For example, when students calculate how a spider can stick to a wall, they see nanoscale surface forces in action - that is when complex theory turns into something real and engaging. That is the kind of learning experience I want to foster,’ he explains.

This focus on making teaching lively and accessible is something Tue Hassenkam shares with his predecessor, Professor Per Hedegård, from whom he is now taking over the role. ‘Per did a great job and inspired me with his approach to making teaching interesting. I hope to build on that as I step into this role,’ he adds.

From the first meetings to the classroom
Tue Hassenkam has a long history with SDC, dating back to the very first meetings when the Sino-Danish collaboration was established in 2010. In 2019, Professor Per Hedegård invited him to teach the course Unified Concepts in Nanoscience, which introduces students to the interdisciplinary way of thinking that defines the field. Just a few days ago he returned from China after teaching the course.

Alongside his teaching, Tue Hassenkam has worked broadly within nanoscience since completing his PhD in 2001, with research spanning surfaces, physics, chemistry, biology, and molecular electronics.