Life in Research
A life shaped by inquiry—
and by questions that do not resolve easily.
Selected Research Initiatives
I conceived and led interdisciplinary research initiatives, including the Carlsberg Foundation’s Semper Ardens Advance project Tales of Bronze Age People, and founded and directed the international Sr-Mobility Research Group at the National Museum of Denmark.
I developed and integrated scientific methods and perspectives to advance the study of mobility, identity, and social life in ancient societies.
It unfolded within sustained intellectual and organizational complexity—over time.
Tales of Bronze Age People
Supported by the Carlsberg Foundation. Director, PI
I conceived and led this Semper Ardens Advance project to explore mobility, identity, and social roles in Bronze Age Europe, with a particular focus on present-day Denmark.
By combining multiple scientific approaches—including strontium isotope analysis—the work identified patterns of mobility in ancient individuals at an unprecedented level of detail.
It revealed significant mobility among women and contributed to modelling broader patterns of movement across the European Bronze Age.
The project contributed to a shift in how mobility is understood—particularly in relation to female mobility in the European Bronze Age.
It also marked a moment where long-held assumptions began to be reconsidered.
This work unfolded within large-scale international collaboration, where coordination, precision, and sustained focus were essential—and where responsibility extended beyond the research itself.
Sr-Mobility Research Group
National Museum of Denmark, Director
I founded and led this research group to develop and apply strontium isotope methodologies—establishing a new framework for studying human and animal mobility in ancient contexts.
The work brought together scientific precision and archaeological inquiry, opening new ways of tracing movement and connection across time.
It contributed to advancing how mobility can be reconstructed—at a level where individual life histories begin to emerge from the material record.
At the same time, it required sustained coordination across disciplines, institutions, and expectations—where clarity of direction and continuity of focus were essential.
Rise -II: Towards a new European Prehistory
Supported by the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond. Co-PI.
In this project, I was Co-PI and led the work package on strontium isotope analysis.
By combining aDNA, isotopes, language studies, and archaeology, the project reinterpreted key processes in European prehistory.
The work identified distinct patterns of individual mobility across the Mediterranean, revealing shifts in movement and connection that had not previously been visible.
It contributed to a broader reconfiguration of how mobility and interaction are understood in prehistoric Europe.
This work unfolded within large-scale international collaboration, where coordination, precision, and sustained focus were essential.
Awards and Recognitions
My work has been shaped within international research environments at the intersection of science and the humanities.
As Denmark’s first Professor of Archaeometry—and the first permanently appointed Professor at the National Museum of Denmark—I have led cross-disciplinary research initiatives exploring new ways of understanding the past.
This work has been supported by major European research foundations and recognized internationally.
It reflects a way of working grounded in inquiry, collaboration, and sustained attention over time.
2024
Recieved in: July 2024
International
2022
Awarded by:
Mrs. Ida Emilie Grandjean, born Attrups Foundation
National
2019
Recieved in: July 2021
International
2017
Awarded by: Shanghai Archaeology Forum (SAF)
International
2017
Dansk Magisterforenings forskningspris
National
Since 2017
Denmark’s leading reference on notable Danes. Gad Editorial
National
Since 2017
Type: Elected life-membership
National
2016
Received in 2016
International
2015
Ranked by: Archaeology Magazine
International
2015
Awarded by: Scientific Newspaper “Ingeniøren”
National
2013
Eilschou Holms Award
National
2011
Awarded by: L’Oréal Denmark, UNESCO, and The Danish Royal Academy of Sciences and Letters
National
2011
Awarded by: GMPCA for the best PhD thesis in Archaeometry
International
2010
Award by; The Faculty of Humanities, Copenhagen University for PhD thesis
National
Publications
My research was published in leading scientific journals, contributing to new understandings of mobility, identity, and innovation in ancient societies.
Over 100 peer-reviewed articles
I have published over 100 peer-reviewed articles that have made significant contributions to the fields of archaeometry, archaeology, mobility, migration, trade, identity, and geoscience.
Contributed chapters in various books
I have contributed chapters to numerous academic books, sharing my expertise and research findings with a broader audience.
National bestselling author of “The Journey of the Egtved Girl”
The Journey of the Egtved Girl” became a national bestseller. In it, I share my personal journey of building a cross-disciplinary career, detailing how I developed and applied innovative scientific techniques to investigate the mobility and life of the iconic Bronze Age woman, The Egtved Girl.