Artical originally published by Rikka Skovgaard Lindhard, on the DANDRITE website: https://dandrite.au.dk/display/artikel/a-new-dandrite-aias-collaboration-expands-the-scientific-network-for-new-group-leaders

A new collaboration between DANDRITE and AIAS will bring the two research communities even closer, by offering new incoming Group Leaders a 2- year AIAS association and the opportunity to engage and integrate with a wider interdisciplinary and international research community at Aarhus University.

” AIAS is a great home for new scholars at Aarhus University where they find each other and get in contact with the very many exciting research communities that are found here. With the appointment of our new group leaders as AIAS-associated fellows, we provide them with much more than our scientific environment and facilities, but also the opportunity to engage in a much broader network and social interactions. We are very happy to have this support and also ourselves to contributing to the success of AIAS in this way” says Director at DANDRITE, Professor Poul Nissen.

AIAS offers an international and high-level scientific environment, and the fellows represent a broad scope of academic disciplines. According to former AIAS fellow Sâmia Joca, the diversity of both research fields and levels of career is what makes the community inspiring:

“The idea of bringing together researchers from different fields (STEM, Arts, Business) and different career stages (from postdocs to established professors) creates a flat structure that is often necessary to nurture a good working environment and the incubation of innovative ideas,” says Sâmia Joca, who is now Associate Professor at Department of Biomedicine.

The new DANDRITE-AIAS associates will have office space at AIAS with the opportunity to participate in academic and social activities at AIAS as a valuable supplement to the research environments at DANDRITE. Sâmia Joca encourages the new Group Leaders to not only use the AIAS association as “a place where you have an (extra) office”, but also to embrace the opportunities, interact, and contribute to the community: 

“Join the scientific activities in different areas, especially the ones that are not directly related to your own field – they can be eye-opening. Last, but not least, don’t forget to give your contribution: AIAS is made by the participation of each fellow, so make yourself available. Be present. Interact.”

The decision to offer a two-year association with AIAS is primarily based on an intention to foster both scientific and social interactions with a broader range of AU-based researchers outside of DANDRITE. But also, to give the new Group Leaders the possibility to put their own research interest into play in a multidisciplinary environment.