By Jakob Elkjær, AAU Communication and Public Affairs
Photo: AAU

Starting on 1 March, Rasmus Antoft, the current dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) at Aalborg University, will be rector of Roskilde University.

This marks the end of a career of more than 25 years at Aalborg University. Not only did Rasmus Antoft study at Aalborg University to become a sociologist. He was also a PhD student, associate professor, head of department at the Department of Sociology and Social Work and dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences before taking the lead in 2021 in merging the Faculty of Social Sciences with the Faculty of Humanities. Thus, as of the beginning of 2022, AAU gained a large, high-powered SSH faculty with 800 researchers and more than 10,000 students, with Rasmus Antoft as dean.

Among the significant achievements during Rasmus Antoft's time as dean are the establishment of a Business School in Aalborg in 2020 and the establishment of a degree programme in political science in 2024.

"Congratulations to Rasmus and Roskilde University. With Rasmus, Roskilde University will have a skilled leader who, as dean, has moved Aalborg University's faculties of humanities and social sciences to a stronger and more focused place where we can deliver important knowledge to society," says Per Michael Johansen, Rector of AAU.

In 2025, Rasmus Antoft was in charge of a demanding process where SSH was slimmed down from 6 to 4 departments, and a number of degree programmes were closed as a result of the Master's degree reform.

During his time as dean, Rasmus Antoft worked hard to defend basic research while also being a standard-bearer for the special PBL learning model where both students and researchers help solve societal problems.

Typical of Rasmus Antoft's work at AAU, he wrote the following on his LinkedIn profile just a week before Christmas:

"It's a little into Christmas vacation, and really good news has just landed on my desk. The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at Aalborg University has entered into a five-year agreement with Randers Municipality, which means that we will have the opportunity to link science with practice.
The faculty possesses socially relevant knowledge about welfare, the labour market, tourism, social work, democracy and citizen involvement, which will now make a real difference in people’s everyday lives."

The rector appointed acting vice-dean for research at SSH, Søren Kristiansen, as dean, and will soon initiate the process of finding a new dean for SSH. 

Translated by LeeAnn Iovanni, AAU Communication and Public Affairs