The new managing director of the Danish Data Science Academy will start on November 1, 2021.
In the coming years, Denmark will be lifted into the global super league in areas such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things with the help of the newly established national Danish Data Science Academy, DDSA. With the hiring of Sofie Castella as managing director, the work can finally get started. Sofie Castella comes from a position as director at Novo Nordisk, where she has held several management positions for 12 years, all organizationally rooted in data science.
The national academy of computer science must unite and strengthen the many national actors and stakeholders in the academic environment, hospitals, and business; including establishing all kinds of collaborations and co-funding activities. At the same time, the academy must support the education and training of the new generations of data science experts to create a unique data science environment in Denmark to compete internationally and attract talent.
The academy’s new managing director’s first task will be to put together the secretariat.
“We are undergoing massive transformations driven by digitalization both in our society and in companies hereunder Industry 4.0. In other words, data science is so wide-ranging that strong networks across both industry and academia are essential. I look forward to facilitating conversations between the many different stakeholders and putting my industry perspective into this new context,” says Sofie Castella.
In the last year and a half, she has been responsible for the development of new methods for innovation and processes for clinical data management, among other things using the methodology called Design Thinking, which focuses on putting the user at the center and testing concepts quickly.
“I will use that knowledge in DDSA. I am very much looking forward to it, and I hope that we will create a secretariat that has as an ingrained part of our culture that we are innovative and experimental in our approach to working with and in the Danish data science community,” she says.
The Danish Data Science Academy will be anchored at DTU in Lyngby, and the academy’s chairman and professor at DTU Compute Lars Kai Hansen is pleased that Sofie has accepted the job.
Lars Kai Hansen emphasizes, among other things, that Sofie has extensive Danish and international experience in building organizations, just as she has represented Novo Nordisk in various large industry associations and consortia:
“Sofie Castella comes with a fantastic combination of strong leadership qualities and passion for data science. Sofie Castella’s concrete experiences with building and managing new functional units in an international environment will be extremely valuable for the establishment of the Danish Data Science Academy secretariat.”
Sofie Castella will start working as managing director on 1 November.
ABOUT DDSA
The Danish Data Science Academy DDSA, is a national academy, anchored at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and established in 2021.
Professor Lars Kai Hansen from DTU Compute has been appointed chairman of the academy, which will have a national board, a managing director (Sofie Castella), a secretariat, and two committees to assess and prioritize the applications received for activities and scholarships, which the academy regularly will support.
The Novo Nordisk Foundation grants DKK 152.5 million for the establishment and operation of the academy over the next 5.5 years, while the VILLUM FOUNDATION grants DKK 31.8 million. to the academy in the same period.
CONTACT
Lars Kai Hansen, professor at DTU and chairman of the Danish Data Science Academy, email: lkai@dtu.dk Mobile: (+45) 5180 1473
CV – Sofie Castella
Sofie Castella comes from a position as director of Data Management Process & Innovation at Novo Nordisk.
Over the past 12 years, Sofie has held several management positions at Novo Nordisk, all organizationally rooted in data science and focused on clinical data and the related processes, governance, and IT infrastructures.
Recently, she has focused on building opportunities using the methodology Design Thinking, automation, visualizations, blockchain, and machine learning.
Sofie has a master’s degree in mathematics and bioinformatics from Roskilde University (bioinformatics at the University of Copenhagen) and has taken courses at Lund and Helsinki universities. She has several leadership courses, recently a six-month course in innovation management.
DANISH:
Det nye nationale akademi for datavidenskab udnævner managing director
Sofie Castella tiltræder som managing director for Danish Data Science Academy den 1. november 2021.
I de kommende år skal Danmark løftes op i den globale superliga inden for områder som machine learning, kunstig intelligens og Internet of Things med hjælp fra det nyetablerede nationale Danish Data Science Academy, DDSA. Og med ansættelsen af Sofie Castella som managing director kan arbejdet for alvor komme i gang. Sofie Castella kommer fra en director-stilling hos Novo Nordisk, hvor hun gennem 12 år har haft flere lederstillinger, alle organisatorisk forankret i data science.
Det nationale akademi for datavidenskab skal forene og styrke de mange nationale aktører og interessenter inden for det akademiske miljø, hospitalerne og erhvervslivet; herunder etablere alle former for samarbejder og co-funding-aktiviteter. Sideløbende skal akademiet støtte uddannelse og træning af de nye generationer af data science-eksperter, så Danmark får skabt et unikt data science-miljø, der kan konkurrere internationalt og tiltrække talent.
Akademiets nye managing directors første opgave bliver at sammensætte det sekretariat, der skal stå i spidsen for arbejdet.
”Vi gennemgår massive transformationer drevet af digitalisering både i vores samfund og i den måde, som virksomheder drives på her under Industry 4.0. Data science spænder med andre ord så bredt, at stærke netværk på tværs af både industrien og de akademiske samfund er afgørende. Jeg ser frem til at kunne facilitere samtaler mellem de mange forskellige interessenter og sætte mit brancheperspektiv ind i denne nye kontekst,” siger Sofie Castella.
Det seneste halvandet år har hun været ansvarlig for udviklingen af nye metoder til innovation og processer til klinisk data management blandt andet ved hjælp af den metodik, der hedder Design Thinking, som har fokus på at sætte brugeren i centrum og teste koncepter hurtigt.
”Den viden tager jeg med mig. Jeg glæder mig meget, og jeg håber, at vi får skabt et sekretariat, der har det som en indgroet del af vores kultur, at vi er innovative og eksperimenterende i vores tilgang til at arbejde med og i det danske data science-community,” siger hun.
“Jeg glæder mig meget, og jeg håber, at vi får skabt et sekretariat, der har det som en indgroet del af vores kultur, at vi er innovative og eksperimenterende i vores tilgang til at arbejde med og i det danske data science-community.”
Sofie Castella, managing director på Danish Data Science Academy
Danish Data Science Academy bliver forankret på DTU i Lyngby, og akademiets formand og professor på DTU Compute Lars Kai Hansen glæder sig over, at Sofie har sagt ja til jobbet. Han fremhæver blandt andet, at Sofie har stor dansk og international erfaring med opbygning af organisationer, ligesom hun har repræsenteret Novo Nordisk i forskellige store brancheforeninger og konsortier.
”Sofie Castella kommer med en fantastisk kombination af stærke lederegenskaber og passion for data science. Sofie Castellas konkrete erfaringer med opbygning og ledelse af nye funktionelle enheder i et internationalt miljø, vil være særdeles værdifulde for etableringen af Danish Data Science Academy-sekretariatet,” siger Lars Kai Hansen.
Sofie Castella begynder i jobbet som managing director den 1. november.
Kontakt
Lars Kai Hansen, professor på DTU og formand for Danish Data Science Academy, mail: lkai@dtu.dk Mobil: (+45) 5180 1473
CV – Sofie Castella
Sofie Castella kommer fra en stilling som director for Data Management Process & Innovation hos Novo Nordisk.
Sofie har de seneste 12 år haft flere lederstillinger hos Novo Nordisk, alle organisatorisk forankret i data science og fokuseret på kliniske data og de dertil knyttede processer, governance og IT infrastructures.
Senest har hun haft fokus på opbygning af muligheder ved hjælp af metodikken Design Thinking, automation, visualisations, blockchain og machine learning.
Sofie har en kandidatgrad i matematik og bioinformatik fra Roskilde Universitet (bioinformatik på Københavns Universitet) og har taget kurser på Lunds og Helsinki universiteter. Hun har flere lederkurser i baggagen, senest et seks måneders kursus i innovation management.
Kort om DDSA
Danish Data Science Academy er et nationalt akademi, som bliver forankret på Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU) og etableres i løbet af 2021.
Professor Lars Kai Hansen fra DTU Compute er udpeget som formand for akademiet, der vil få en national bestyrelse, en managing director (Sofie Castella), et sekretariat samt to komiteer til vurdering og prioritering af de indkomne ansøgninger til aktiviteter og stipendier, som akademiet løbende vil støtte.
Novo Nordisk Fonden bevilger 152,5 mio. kr. til etablering og drift af akademiet over de næste 5,5 år, mens VILLUM FONDEN bevilger 31,8 mio. kr. til akademiet i samme periode.