Our new Scientific Director
As Scientific Director at BPH, Thomas Neergaard will collaborate with industry partners and researchers and graduate students. His primary task will be to ensure scientific and technical expertise and quality in all BPH activities and projects, as well as to develop a scientific project pipeline based on industry strengths and needs for digitization, automation and sustainable production.
"I am honored to have this exciting opportunity, and I am excited about becoming part of BPH. I am looking forward to use my knowledge of the bioindustry and the research world to support the development of the industry in Kalundborg through a closer collaboration with the universities. - and I also look forward to helping the future thesis students who choose to do their thesis here in Kalundborg. The goal is that they should have a really good experience in the collaboration with the local industries - and vice versa " Thomas Neergaard says.
20 years of Experience in the Industry and City
Thomas has a master's degree and a PhD. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Southern Denmark and thus a strong scientific foundation. The employment of Thomas is a unique opportunity to further strengthen the collaboration between education, industry and students.
The future Scientific Director comes from a position as Director of a production facility at Novo Nordisk in Kalundborg, where he has been responsible for the production of the starting material for a large number of Novo Nordisk's diabetes products and products for the treatment of obesity. With his 20 years of experience from Novo Nordisk's production in Kalundborg, of which the last 14 years as Director with responsibility for factories and management teams of various sizes, Thomas has gained extensive experience with many different production processes, techniques, technology and equipment.
Today, Thomas has a large network of managers and employees both across Novo Nordisk and the production facility in Kalundborg. In recent years, Thomas himself has had both bachelor's and thesis students in the fermentation factory at Novo Nordisk and has naturally become interested in identifying the good projects and matching these to talented students.
Thomas Neergaard is a member of the customer panel for the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy at the University of Southern Denmark, Odense, as well as an Advisory Board for Aalborg University's campus in Esbjerg. In addition, he is part of an internal board for strategic educational relations, established at Novo Nordisk in Kalundborg.
Anette Birck, Director of Biomanufacturing Project House, looks forward to working with the new Scientific Director:
"I am proud that we have been able to attract a capacity like Thomas to BPH. With his professional background and many years of experience in bioproduction from Novo Nordisk, he has a solid foundation and network to create and develop collaborative projects with BPH's partners. I look forward to working side by side with Thomas on developing BPH ".
Facts:
- Biomanufacturing Project House is financed by the Novo Nordisk Foundation
- Novo Nordisk A/S sponsors the rent of the building as a supplement to the grant from the fund
- Novozymes finances the Scientific Director position at BPH
- Absalon University College is responsible for the operation of Biomanufacturing Project House