N. Asger Mortensen from DTU Fotonik is the recipient of this year’s Electro Prize. In addition, three new MSc graduates from DTU Electrical Engineering and DTU Nanotech have also received awards.
“A highly active researcher and innovator with huge future potential.” That, extremely briefly, is the justification for awarding N. Asger Mortensen from DTU Fotonik this year’s Electro Prize (Elektroprisen), which is presented by the Danish Association of Engineers (Ingeniørforeningen i Danmark) through the Danish Electro Foundation (Danmarks Elektrofond).
N. Asger Morten received his MSc Eng from DTU, which also awarded him his Dr. Techn in 2006. He was then elevated to the position of full professor at the Department of Photonics Engineering in 2011—as one of the youngest yet to be awarded this title.
Throughout his career, N. Asger Mortensen has made considerable contributions to both fundamental and industrial research. His nomination for the prize referred, among other things, to his contribution to research into plasmonic structures, which combine the properties of electrons and photons. It is expected that these structures will be playing a key role in the creation of new components and sensors for use in a number of fields, such as telecommunications and digital electronics.
In addition to the academic recognition that the Electro Prize confers, the recipient of the prize receives the sum of DKK 30,000.
Awards for promising graduates
In connection with the presentation of the Electro Prize, a number of other ‘E-kandidatpris’ prizes are awarded to young, promising engineers. This year, three such prizes of DKK 10,000 each were presented to three DTU graduates:
Joachim Skov Johansen received his prize for his final project entitled ‘Fast-Charging Electric Vehicles using AC’. As the name suggests, Joachim Skov Johansen has investigated the option of fast-AC charging of electric vehicles. He completed his project at DTU Electrical Engineering, where he was accorded the status of ‘elite student’. Immediately after submitting his project in September 2013, Joachim Skov Johansen was taken on as a Field Support Engineer by the Dutch division of Tesla Motors, the electric vehicle manufacturer.
Henriette Koch received her prize for her thesis entitled ‘Detection of early markers for neurodegenerative diseases’, which she submitted at DTU Electrical Engineering last year. On the basis of her thesis—which is described as ‘excellent’ in the justification of her award—she is currently employed at the School of Medicine at Stanford University in the United States. As she is studying abroad at present, she was unable to accept her prize in person.
Christian Dahl-Petersen received his prize for his project entitled ‘Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers Design, Fabrication and Characterisation’, which focuses on the ultrasound scanners ofthe future. This was actually his final project from DTU Nanotech in 2013. His work on the project has led to publication in a number of internationally recognized journals.
The Electro Prize and ‘E-kandidatpris’ awards cannot be applied for—they are presented exclusively on the basis of nomination.