/Connect.Learn.Be Inspired.Meet
our Mentors
Welcome to the heart of the DDSA Mentoring Programme – our dedicated mentors. As we prepare for the third edition of our programme, we invite you to meet the inspiring individuals guiding our mentees on their data science journeys. Our mentors come from diverse backgrounds, including students, data scientists, professors, and professionals, all united by their passion for fostering growth within Denmark’s data science community.
To make the most of our mentor profiles, use the search field to find specific skills such as ‘NLP’, ‘life science’, ‘teamwork’, and more. This feature allows you to connect with mentors who have the expertise you’re interested in, making it easier to navigate through our rich spectrum of knowledge and experience. Explore, learn, and connect with the future leaders of data science through the DDSA Mentoring Programme.
Abdelhakim Amer
Background
I am a Postdoctoral Researcher at Aarhus University’s Artificial Intelligence in Robotics Lab (AiRLab). I obtained my PhD in Robotics and AI from Aarhus University. My work focuses on data-driven control of aerial vehicles, with broader expertise in optimal control, path planning, machine learning, trajectory tracking, and autonomous robotic systems.
Motivation
I would like to join the Mentoring Programme to support students and early-career researchers interested in robotics, AI, control, and research careers. Having benefited from mentors during my own academic journey, I want to share practical guidance on research development, publishing, collaboration with industry, and building confidence in an international academic environment.
Skills, expertise and interests
- Artificial Intelligence
- Data modelling
- Complex systems
- Machine learning
Abdelhakim Amer
PostDoc
Background I am a Postdoctoral Researcher at Aarhus University’s Artificial...
Agita Solzemniece
Background
Over the past years, I have developed expertise in machine learning and AI, combining industry experience with academic research. I began my career in data analytics and gradually transitioned into machine learning-focused roles, while working in startup teams as well as contributing to a variety of projects during my time in consulting. My professional interest has mainly been focused on healthcare-related projects, which ultimately led me to pursue my PhD. Now, in my current research project, I focus on applying recent technologies to improve healthcare resource planning and optimization.
Motivation
Having been a mentee in a previous DDSA mentoring program myself, I know how valuable the right support can be – my mentor was a great help in navigating my career transition at the time. Now, I simply want to give back to the community and hopefully be that person for someone going through something similar. I believe I have valuable experience to share with others facing a new professional challenge – whether that’s starting a career in Denmark, finding the right team, or shifting toward academia. I would be happy to share any tips and support for those who seek it!
Skills, expertise and interests
- Artificial Intelligence
- Statistics and mathematics
- Machine learning
Agita Solzemniece
PhD Candidate
Background Over the past years, I have developed expertise in...
Ajuna Azad
Background
After a decade in research spanning a PhD, postdoc, and bioinformatics roles in health and medical science data, I moved into data strategy at DTU Bioengineering, where I now lead data architecture, FAIR data implementation, storage and compute infrastructure, and GDPR governance. Alongside this, I serve as Programme Lead for Data Science Resources at DDSA, working across Danish universities on data infrastructure, compute access, and conditions that make good data science possible. I also teach data management, research communication, intro courses in data analysis, cloud computing and AI.
Motivation
The move from research to data strategy was one I navigated largely on my own, and it stays with me because I know how much it helps to have someone in your corner who has been through something similar. I have built experience across bioinformatics, data analysis, data organisation, governance, AI, and cloud computing, and I want to bring that into conversations with people trying to do data science more effectively building better practices, understanding governance, and creating the foundations that make data work. That is what draws me to mentoring, and why I genuinely look forward to it.
Skills, expertise and interests
- Data analytics
- Digitalisation
- Artificial Intelligence
- Data management
- Good Coding Practices
- Cloud computing
Ajuna Azad
Senior Data Strategy Officer
Background After a decade in research spanning a PhD, postdoc,...
Alexandra Diehl
Background
I am an Associate Professor at SDU with over 15 years of experience in data science with focus on data visualization, visual analytics, machine learning, and interdisciplinary data‑driven research. My work spans uncertainty visualization, geospatial analytics, weather forecasting, and AI‑supported behavioral analysis.
Motivation
As someone new to Denmark, I see this as a meaningful way to connect with the Danish scientific community. I enjoy mentoring early‑career researchers and have co‑supervised PhD students and numerous master’s projects across Europe. I also organized in the past several meet‑ups at IEEE VIS with a focus on diversity and career paths and currently run the Dive Coding Café at SDU with a focus on diversity and inclusivity.
Skills, expertise and interests
- Data analytics
- Data management
- Data modelling
- Machine learning
Alexandra Diehl
Associate Professor
Background I am an Associate Professor at SDU with over...
Almut Bohnhoff
Background
I am currently an ML Engineer at DFDS, and have worked in various roles within Data Science and MLOps in the Transportation and Logistics Industry and Consulting. By education, I have a bachelor in Statistics and Economics, and later have completed a masters in Business and Data Science at CBS. My expertise lies currently within building Data Science- or AI-enabled products in a corporate environment, including how can we build and scale those products in a safe and automated manner (MLOps, AI Security, and AI Governance).
Motivation
My main motivation for joining this program as a mentor is that I have been a mentee in this program, but also in other programs and I have always valued the time and interest other people took to guide me through these challenging times when I was trying to find my feet in the world. I owe my journey to my mentors and colleagues, and want to pass this forward as best as I can. Moreover, I enjoy the exchange with people from different backgrounds and with different experiences, which helps me to keep evolving.
Skills, expertise and interests
- Data analytics
- MLOps
- Data management
- Good Coding Practices
- Natural Language Processing
- Statistics and mathematics
- Cloud computing
- Data modelling
- Deep learning
- Machine learning
Almut Bohnhoff
ML Engineer
Background I am currently an ML Engineer at DFDS, and...
Andreas Ellegaard Andersen
Background
I am a master’s student in Digital Business Management at Aarhus BSS with a bachelor’s degree in Finance. I have worked as a tutor at Djøf, teaching Excel, VBA, and GenAI for productivity. I also work at Arla Foods within Enterprise Architecture, Strategy, and Solution Architecture for LLM-based solutions, including LangChain, UI/UX, business requirements, and demos. My academic interests include AI adoption, AI solution development, digital transformation, organisational capabilities, innovation, and strategy. My favourite thing is learning something new.
Motivation
I know how important it can be to have a guiding star, since I have found it very helpful in my own career, personal development, and friendships. I want to give back by supporting students and early-career data science profiles in reflecting on direction, priorities, networking, and the bridge between technical interests and organisational impact. I love discussing both old and new ideas.
Skills, expertise and interests
- Academic writing
- Digitalisation
- Artificial Intelligence
Andreas Ellegaard Andersen
Master student
Background I am a master’s student in Digital Business Management...
Andreas Lau Hansen
Background
Academically, I come from DTU where I have completed a BSc in AI & Data and a MSc in Human centered AI. In university, I was mainly interested in computer vision applications (and still am). I have a broad set of interests within ML, from representation learning, to NLP etc. I have done research and attended conferences through DTU. I have worked in a startup on eCommerce and currently work in a larger mobility company working with data and intelligence. I am a member of many networking groups related to data science, and frequent events. I was a mentee some years ago.
Motivation
My main motivation for joining the mentoring program is to give back advice on some of the experience that i have obtained when transitioning from being a student. I remember having a lot of doubts and uncertainties that anyone might have about the transition from uni to working life. I bring a unique perspective because I recently went through that process. I would like to discuss topics like: whether to choose academia vs. corporate, what kind of courses to focus on while in uni that will be the most helpful later on, what are the things that I have benefitted the most from, etc.
Skills, expertise and interests
- MLOps
- High-performance computing
- Deep learning
- Image processing
- Computer vision
- Machine learning
Andreas Lau Hansen
Data engineer & Business intelligence developer
Background Academically, I come from DTU where I have completed...
Andreas Trier Poulsen
Background
Andreas has 15+ years experience researching and working with AI & data in academia, as a specialist in the biomedical industry and as a consultant. Andreas has a MSc in biomedical engineering and holds a PhD in machine learning and cognitive neuroscience. Currently, Andreas works in Novo Nordisk R&D with clinical trial development.
Motivation
I’ve been fortunate to have been given some great advice and support from competent people in my career within AI and data. I see the DDSA mentorship program as a good opportunity for me to pay some of it forward. Working with AI & data is a fast-changing field that is both transforming the society around us, but also the potential career paths. I hope to help navigating the questions, challenges and opportunities that arise in this space.
Skills, expertise and interests
- Data analytics
- MLOps
- Artificial Intelligence
- Good Coding Practices
- Statistics and mathematics
- Data modelling
- Image analysis
- Machine learning
Andreas Trier Poulsen
Lead Data Scientist
Background Andreas has 15+ years experience researching and working with...
Anthony Ebert
Background
I am an assistant professor in statistics at the National Center of Excellence for Molecular Prediction of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (PREDICT), Aalborg University, Copenhagen. I completed my PhD in statistics at the Australian Research Council Center of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS) at the Queensland University of Technology. I am Australian and I live here with my Danish wife and my son.
Motivation
I would like to give back to the community of statisticians and data scientists who helped me through mentoring when I was at an earlier stage of my career. Furthermore, I enjoy working through problems together and I will inevitably learn new things myself. I also think talking through big decisions and career progression together is a good idea, and we should all do it more. There’s a lot I don’t know but I enjoy talking through a tricky question.
Skills, expertise and interests
- Academic writing
- Good Coding Practices
- Statistics and mathematics
- Data modelling
Anthony Ebert
Assistant professor
Background I am an assistant professor in statistics at the...