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Strategy 2016-2020

The Department of Computer Sciences conducts research, education and innovation of the highest international caliber. Through research-based education our highly skilled and acknowledged staff educates and mentors our extremely demanded bachelor’s, master’s and PhD students to be leaders of the next generation. Computer science is very important for the development of all sectors of society.

Indeed, the use of IT is a key factor for increasing productivity in Denmark, and the importance is reflected in the fact that our graduates enter into a, otherwise challenged, job market with no unemployment for them. The department will continue and improve our current work in order to be recognized as one of Europe’s leading departments in computer science.

World-class research

The department has several high-profile research groups and high-profile individual researchers, as evidenced by the impact of our research, as well as the awards, grants and funding received. In the coming period, we will continue to strengthen and support the development of all our core research areas and continue to conduct and publish research at highest international level, and to maintain impact and leadership in national and international research.

To address societal challenges and build on the department's current strengths, the department has identified two important “flagship areas”, which combine research competences across several research groups, and whose development will be prioritized.

Flagships
The flagship areas are “Big Data and Data Analytics” and “Cyber-Security” as the research and the results completed within these areas are of great importance and relevance for the department, national and international companies, and society in general.

Intensify business collaboration

The department has a long and solid tradition for interaction with private companies and public institutions. The Department of Computer Science is engaged in a large number of projects with industry partners, and some of these projects have led to new companies.

To further the interaction with private companies and public institutions, the Department will setup a business club and initiate alumni activities.

Top education in computer science

The department offers research-based degrees at bachelor, master and PhD level that can compete internationally. Our two education programmes Computer Science and IT Product Development are central to Science and Technology at Aarhus University, as the department enrolled 14% of the entire faculty’s new bachelor students in 2015.

After graduating, our graduate students are guaranteed a job as the unemployment rate is zero. Many of our graduate students are employed in private companies. Graduate students from Department of Computer Science will all be able to contribute to solving some of society’s grand challenges in both private companies and public institutions, and some will be leading within academia.

The department has in 2016 chosen to limit the student intake, and will further introduce a grade average in 2017. Furthermore the two programmes have been thoroughly revised during 2016. These initiatives aim to better match the students with the academic requirements during the study.

Culture

The department is characterized by a shared responsibility and solidarity in solving the tasks of the department. The management style is appreciative and delegating.

Moving forward, the department will continue to benefit from a more diverse group of employees coming with different backgrounds from all over the world. In particular, the department will work wholeheartedly on getting a more gender balanced employee profile.

It is important for the department to improve the student culture and the students’ sense of belonging to the department. Thus, the department continuously seeks to develop attractive student facilities. Furthermore, students are frequently encouraged to seek influence in relevant committees at the department and their participation is highly acknowledged.

We strive to recruit the best

In order to fulfill our vision of being ranked as one of Europe’s 10 leading computer science departments, it is crucial to attract and retain the most qualified people at both student and faculty level.

Presently, we see Denmark as our base for recruitment for our bachelor and master’s degrees, however, in the future, we seek to attract a larger number of international students.

For PhDs, Postdocs and scientific faculty we also aim to recruit worldwide to achieve a great mix of cultures and knowledge, but we face a great challenge from the international competition in recruiting top faculty members, which must be addressed.

We let our researchers concentrate on their research and teaching

The department is known for having a high administrative service level - making sure that our academic staff can spend their time actually doing teaching and research. The department prioritizes a highly educated and diverse administrative team to ensure expert knowledge is available for all administrative matters.

Our administrative staff is placed within the research environments. Research group coordinators are the single point of contact for the researchers – both PhD students, postdocs and the permanent academic staff.

When we reach out…

The department is involved in a variety of PR and outreach activities covering initiatives such as student recruitment, career services and media coverage. Our main goals are to attract the best qualified students – specifically female students will be targeted to affect the gender-imbalance  - and to raise the general awareness about computer science.

Revised 17.04.2023
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Sofia Hedegaard Rasmussen