Mogens Flensted-Jensen - an applied mathematician

When Mogens Flensted-Jensen 1 June 1979 became professor of mathematics at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (KVL - Kgl. Veterinær- og Landbohøjskole), he had almost finished his doctoral thesis, which fall within the harmonic analysis on symmetric spaces. It was defended the following year. The main result of the thesis, an explanation for the existence of a so-called point spectrum, opened new avenues in the field and has since been followed up by other Danish and international researchers.

For many years Mogens headed the mathematics and computer science section at KVL.

"He understood the importance of on the one hand to open for applications of mathematics and computer science in the Life Sciences and on the other hand to make room for basic research in the section," says Henrik Laurberg Pedersen, who was employed at KVL 2002, first as associate professor and employee of the mathematics and computer science research group - with Mogens as a leader - and later as a professor and head of the research group.

"By his participative management style and gracious personality, Mogens helps to build commitment and enthusiasm," says Henrik Pedersen Laurberg.

Mogens Flensted-Jensen was a member of KVL Senate and vice chairman of the Senate Research and PhD Committee for several years. Since KVL in 2007 became the Faculty of Life Sciences, Mogens was member of the faculty leadership group until 2009. He was for many years chairman of the Danish Agricultural and Veterinary Research Council and also engaged in the work of establishing the European Research Council.

In 2007-09, Mogens helped start and lead the University's Research Training Council. In the period 2009-12 he was Chairman of the Working Environment Council at KU.

"I consider myself an 'applied mathematician', though I have hardly done any applied mathematics. My research has been in the 'pure mathematics', but a lot of my energy has been used for general university activities: university management, organization of PhD programmes, informatics in agriculture, research, etc. As a mathematician at an 'applied university' I have applied myself to try to contribute to the development of the university and the national and European research policy. Whether this was a successful project is for others to decide," says Mogens Flensted-Jensen.

The retirement lecture (in English) will take place on 3 May 2012 at. 2:15 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Auditorium 4. The lecture will focus on three themes:

1. Mathematics: Analysis of symmetric spaces, spherical functions and the discrete spectrum.
2. Research councils: From the National Research Council to the creation of the European Research Council.
3. My journey from University of Copenhagen to "Landbohøjskolen" and "infusion" back again.

The lecture will be followed by a reception on the 4th floor in the E-building.