The first Computer Science course activites started at Aarhus University in 1968 as a part of the Department of Mathematical Sciences. In 1971, Datalogisk Afdeling under Matematisk Institut (DAIMI) was formed and the first master in Computer Science graduated in 1972. In the period 1993–1998, Computer Science went through a rapid growth increasing the total number of staff from 80 to 160 people – primarily due to a dramatic increase in external funding. An independent Department of Computer Science, as we know it today, was established in January 1998. Over the next 5–6 years, the department gradually moved to new buildings as a part of the university’s plan to concentrate the IT activities in the IT City Katrinebjerg. The department still has a close and fruitful collaboration with many organisations at Katrinebjerg. 

The department is strong in both theoretical and experimental computer science. In recent years, we have seen close cooperation between different research groups – even those which have traditionally been perceived as being far from each other (with respect to scientific goals/methods). Partly as a result of this, many projects at the department have targeted research themes and application areas that are interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary in nature