Lisbeth Verstraete-Hansen to continue as Head of Department at Engerom

The extension makes it possible to continue the department’s strategic development in a period marked by change and new opportunities.

Since taking up the position in 2021, Lisbeth Verstraete-Hansen has led Engerom through significant changes in the educational and research landscape. A key focus has been to strengthen the department’s academic profile and ensure that its degree programmes equip Engerom’s graduates to meet labour market needs in the many contexts where mediation between different linguistic and cultural perspectives is required – whether in upper secondary education, ministries, Danish companies or European institutions.

Together with the academic environments at Engerom, she has been an active voice in the debate on the importance of foreign languages for Denmark’s knowledge preparedness, European cooperation and the continued visibility of language disciplines throughout the educational pipeline.

- I am pleased by the support for the department’s development that this extension represents. Together with everyone at Engerom, I look forward to continuing the work of developing the department’s core activities and sharpening its profile. Even in a time when large language models can generate very good texts and translations, meaning is still something that is negotiated between people, in a particular language and from a particular place – not only geographically, but also culturally, historically and socially,” says Head of Department Lisbeth Verstraete-Hansen, and continues:

- The current geopolitical situation also raises new research questions concerning perspectives on the world and intercultural understanding, which Engerom is well positioned to address.

In recent years, Engerom has, among other things, developed new BA curricula and strengthened the social and academic study environment through new channels for dialogue between students and teachers. On the research side, the Centre for the Study of Global Nationalisms (CSGN) has recently been established. From an interdisciplinary and comparative perspective, the centre combines theoretical knowledge with regional expertise and historical and linguistic insight to study nationalism in its specific contexts and global entanglements.

Lisbeth has led Engerom in a period where language disciplines have once again demonstrated their importance, not least in light of current geopolitical developments. She is well prepared and thoughtful in her approach, with a strong sense of how educational programmes and research environments can develop and collaborate across disciplines. This makes her a highly valued Head of Department at Engerom and an important collaborator in the faculty’s leadership team, says Dean Kirsten Busch Nielsen.

Lisbeth Verstraete-Hansen’s appointment has been extended until 2029.