Talented AAU researchers receive prestigious Sapere Aude grants

By Sofie Astrup, Student Assistant, AAU Communication and Public Affairs. Translated by LeeAnn Iovanni, AAU Communication and Public Affairs. Photo: Independent Research Fund Denmark

Independent Research Fund Denmark recently awarded Sapere Aude grants. The grants are awarded to researchers who are considered leaders in their field, and three of them went to talented researchers from Aalborg University (AAU).

They will each receive DKK 6 million for their research projects and will now become research managers in their own research groups that will continue to develop the ideas.

The three research managers from AAU are:

Ariya Sangwongwanich, AAU Energy.

He explains that:

“All the electrical technology we use today, like electric cars, solar panels, and wind turbines, relies on “power electronics” to function efficiently and safely. As society moves toward electrification, the demand for these power electronics will grow, but so will the risk of electronic waste. This project aims to design power electronics that are easier to recycle and reuse, reducing their environmental impact and ensuring future designs are both efficient and sustainable,” he says. 

Hans-Peter Y. Qvist, Department of Sociology and Social Work.

His project is about children's leisure activities.

"My project focuses on participation in associations such as football clubs, scout associations and choirs among children of immigrants in several Western European countries, including England, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark. My research team and I will investigate how participation in associations varies among children of immigrants of different social and ethnic backgrounds and how this participation affects their integration, particularly in terms of their performance in the education system, their social networks and the development of their values," he says.

Michael Ørsted, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience.

He has developed a project examining the impact of global climate change on where some insects choose to settle:

"When the temperature on the planet rises at the same time as trade between countries increases, it provides good living conditions for invasive insects in particular. In my research project, I will develop models that can predict where insects may become a particular nuisance and what time of year they are most active. The individual farmer can benefit from this knowledge, so that insect control can be done preventively and with reduced use of pesticides. We will also be able to notify authorities when, for example, new insect-borne disease outbreaks are on the way," he says.