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DTU researchers receive grants from the Villum Foundation

11 researchers from DTU have just received Villum Synergy grants from the Villum Foundation for interdisciplinary research projects that combine data science and AI with other fields.

Monday 19 October 2026

Patrick Kirk Langschwager

The Villum Foundation has just awarded DKK 63 million to 12 research projects through the Villum Synergy programme. The initiative stems from the great potential that arises when computer science and data-driven methods are combined with other scientific fields.

The rise in digitalization and artificial intelligence creates a growing need for interdisciplinary collaboration. By uniting computer science expertise with disciplines such as technical science, natural science, and the humanities and social sciences, a foundation is created for solving complex problems that extend beyond the boundaries of any single field.

Among the recipients are 11 researchers from DTU participating in interdisciplinary projects alongside co-applicants from both DTU and other universities. The projects each receive around DKK 4.5 million:

Emmanouil Vasilomanolakis, DTU Compute, in collaboration with Ingo Zettler, Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, on the project 'PSYFIND: Psychological Fingerprints for Cyber-Deception with Typological Attacker Classification & Adaptive Defense'.

Henrik Madsen, DTU Compute, and Jesper Hattel, DTU Construct, on the project 'Physics-Driven Digital Twins for Two-Phase Cooling in AI Data Centers (SmartCool)'.

Michael Riis Andersen, DTU Compute, in collaboration with Kristine Kabel, DPU, Aarhus University, on the project 'Writing Representation and Probabilistic Trajectory Estimation: Modelling Students' Writing Development'.

Anders Stockmarr, DTU Compute, and Peter Steen Mikkelsen, DTU Sustain, on the project 'STEM NEXT: Spatio Temporal Extreme Rainfall Modelling for Next Generation Hazard Assessment'.

Allan Engsig-Karup, DTU Compute, and Ulrik Dam Nielsen, DTU Construct, on the project 'A Fleet-Scale Data-driven Framework for Global Wave Sensing (Fleet-GLOWS)'.

Mikkel Schmidt, DTU Compute, and Stela Canulescu, DTU Electro, on the project 'Data-driven design of tunable chalcogenide thin films for next-generation indoor and tandem photovoltaics'.

Thomas Jespersen, DTU Energy, in collaboration with Oswin Krause, Department of Computer Science (DIKU), University of Copenhagen, on the project 'Automized handling of massively multiplexed quantum circuits (HAMMOQ)'.

Read more about the programme and the individual projects at the Villum Foundation.

Contact

Emmanouil Vasilomanolakis Professor Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science Phone: +45 45255335 emmva@dtu.dk

Henrik Madsen Professor Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science Phone: +45 45253408 Mobile: +45 20834304 hmad@dtu.dk

Jesper Henri Hattel Head of Section, Professor Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering Phone: +45 45254710 Mobile: +45 51801499 jhat@dtu.dk

Michael Riis Andersen Associate Professor Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science Phone: +45 45253409 miri@dtu.dk

Anders Stockmarr Associate Professor Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science Phone: +45 45253332 anst@dtu.dk

Peter Steen Mikkelsen Professor Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering Phone: +45 45251605 Mobile: +45 21798835 psmi@dtu.dk

Allan Peter Engsig-Karup Associate professor Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science Phone: +45 45253073 apek@dtu.dk

Ulrik Dam Nielsen Professor Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering Phone: +45 45251970 udni@dtu.dk

Mikkel N. Schmidt Associate Professor Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science Phone: +45 45255270 mnsc@dtu.dk

Stela Canulescu Group Leader, Senior Researcher Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering Mobile: +45 40353531 stec@dtu.dk

Thomas Sand Jespersen Professor Department of Energy Conversion and Storage Mobile: +45 28570164 tsaje@dtu.dk