New head of department at Political Science

"In many ways, the department is in a really good place at the moment with its incredibly strong research environment, also internationally, so it’s paramount that we hold on to that position. This is not the time to be complacent. We have to stay focused on delivering high quality and providing a strong environment where people help each other with their research. It’s one of the core values that has ensured our department's great success. We can’t lose sight of that. We’ve experienced so much progress, growth and success, and maintaining our strong international brand in both research and education won’t be an easy task," says Christoffer Green-Pedersen about his vision for the Department of Political Science, which he will now be heading.

A unanimous appointment committee pointed to Christoffer Green-Pedersen as the new head of department following a thorough recruitment process. The appointment committee comprised the Head of the Department of Economics and Business Economics Thomas Quistgaard Pedersen, Professor of Political Science Helene Helboe Pedersen, Administration Centre Manager Anne Bækby Johansen, HR Manager Lene Hauschildt, and Dean Thomas Pallesen from Aarhus BSS. An advisory group at the department and an external consultant were also involved in the recruitment process.

"Christoffer knows the department very well, and he is both very qualified and very popular at the department. I have no doubt he’ll be a significant asset as head of department and as a member of the faculty leadership team for the next six years," says Dean Thomas Pallesen.

An old acquaintance

Christoffer Green-Pedersen knows the department well. He completed his education here, and has spent his research career here. He has been acting head of department since the beginning of 2024 and prior to that he was deputy head of department. He also held the position of PhD coordinator at the department. He has both a PhD and a higher doctoral degree in political science (dr.scient.pol.) and became a professor at the department in 2009.

"I see it as a great advantage that I know the department and the people who work here. Being a leader of this many people requires having a good knowledge of them beforehand. If you walked in from the street and didn't know a single person, it would be really difficult for you to figure out what’s what at the department," says Christoffer Green-Pedersen and continues:

"We’ve grown a lot in the last 5-10 years. That’s great, but it also means that we need to pay greater attention to our culture and the way we function as a department. We have reached a size where not everyone automatically knows everyone else. It’s important that we maintain a strong department culture and sense of cohesion, where people are willing to do things for the department and feel that they are part of a community. Now that we’ve grown in size, this could all disappear if we don’t nurture it. We have to remember that it’s not a given."

The challenges awaiting the new head of department

Christoffer Green-Pedersen has long had a particular focus on the many young employees in temporary positions who have joined the department:

"They’re a huge asset, and we must ensure they have good conditions. Not everyone who joins the department can end up in a permanent position. We therefore have to ensure that the department remains an attractive place for people to work, even if it’s not on a permanent contract."

He also highlights the department’s challenge with diversity – especially gender diversity.

"We’ve started a process and are working on it, but we still have some way to go. It’s a long-term effort and we have to keep up the discussions and the initiatives; there’s no quick-fix solution."

However, teaching and the Master's degree reform are the two major challenges facing the department at the moment.

"We’ll have to put in more effort into resolving these challenges than we’ve done so far, so we can be sure to have strong degree programmes in the future, including our Master’s degree programme, which we are in the process of reforming. But it’s not only challenging; it’s also exciting. My role will be to support the work of directors and boards of studies, and others, and to ensure the proper framework conditions. And it’s also my role to push us to where we can maintain our strong brand and continue to offer sought-after degree programmes to young people."

Teaching and the contact with students are what Christoffer will miss the most now that he will be head of department and can no longer commit himself to teaching at fixed times every week. However, he does expect to squeeze in some research here and there. Research can more easily be rescheduled to the following week, as he says.

• Read more about Christoffer Green-Pedersen and his research