Professor of Computer Science, Lund University

Professor, IT University of Copenhagen

Ph.D. in Computer Science (Aarhus, 1997)
Docent (Lund, 2007)

Member of the advisory board of the TheoretiCS journal and the Scientific Council of lex.dk.

Research

My research is in theoretical computer science, namely algorithms. I began in data structures, but in the last few years the focus has been on combinatorial optimisation (“algorithms for hard problems”, if you want). Most of my recent results are in exponential time algorithms.

• I am the chair of the Swedish Research Council’s review panel for Computer Science (NT-2).
• Projects: Basic Algorithms Research Copenhagen (BARC), Villum Foundation. Algebraic graph algorithms (2017–, Swedish Research Council), Exact exponential time algorithms (2013-2015, Swedish Research Council). Earlier: Exact algorithms (2008-2010)
• I am a member of the Algorithms group at ITU
• PC member: SODA 2019, IPEC 2015 (co-chair), COCOON 2012, IPEC 2011, FCT 2011, SODA 2010, IWPEC 2009, ICALP 2009, SOFSEM 2009, SWAT 2008
• Organiser: Satisfiability Lower Bounds and Tight Results for Parameterized and Exponential-Time Algorithms (Berkeley, CA, Nov 2-6 2015), 20th ARCO (Copenhagen, DK, 29 May 2015). Earlier: Dagstuhl seminar 13331: Exponential Algorithms: Algorithms and Complexity Beyond Polynomial Time, ICALP 2014, Dagstuhl seminar Exact Complexity of NP-hard problems, ALGO 2009, summer school on algorithms for advanced processor architectures (AFAPA).
• Steering committees: Council of the European Association of Theoretical Computer Science (EATCS), 𝛼Haf – Algorithmic Fairness Copenhagen, PACE, ARCO. Earlier: International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation (IPEC)
• Invited speaker: Journées Nationales du GDR Informatique Mathématique 2012, China Theory Week 2011 (Aarhus, China), ICALP 2011 (Zürich), Agape Spring School on Fixed Parameter and Exact Algorithms 2009 (Corsica)

I enjoy telling people about my research and theoretical computer science in general and am happy to give general audience talks, in Danish, English, German, or Swedish. Contact me if you’re interested.

• Cast IT, popular science podcast (audio and video format) about foundational questions of IT.
• Popular science talks

Teaching

I teach Computer Science courses at all levels, with a bit of maths
thrown in.

• BADS – Algorithms and data structures (ITU, Spring)
• SAD1 – Algorithm Design (ITU, Fall)

2017, also:

• Overcoming Bias and Calling Bullshit in the Age of Big Data (ITU, PhD course)
• EDAN55 – Advanced Algorithms (LU, Fall)
• EDAF05 – Algoritmer, Datastrukturer och komplexitet (LU, Spring)

I am a member of the Lund Science faculty’s Pedagogical Academy and have received a number of recognitions I’m very proud of:

Departmental level

• Datalogernas utbildningsråd’s pedagogical prize 2000.
• Computer engineering students at Lund University (D-Sektionen) Golden Pointer 2010
• Excellence in Teaching, IT University of Copenhagen 2018.

Faculty level

• Lunds Naturvetarekår’s pedagogical prize 2007,
• Excellent teaching practitioner 2006.

University level

• Lunds Universitets Studentkårer’s pedagogical prize 2007