– These have been exciting years. The job has been varied and challenging and I have learned a great many new things. Just to give a few extreme examples: the operation of an advanced and modern animal housing unit, teaching dissection and the demanding HSE work related to it, or the management of the 8,000 remains belonging to the Biological Anthropology Collection at UiO, says Lene Frost Andersen.
In December, she will be leaving her post as Head of the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences after eight years at the helm. In September, academic and administrative staff and students on the master’s programme of Clinical Nutrition and on module 1 and 2 in Medicine will elect a new leader.
The new Head of Institute will be coached
If you are considering standing as a candidate, Andersen has a number of tips to give you and she emphasises that the new leader will not stand alone in the role.
– There are many new administrative matters and systems to familiarise yourself with. I was a little nervous about this when I took over as Head of Institute in 2018. But I managed the job due to the skilful and professional administrative staff at IMB and the support I have received from our capable management team, says IMB’s leader.
In addition, Andersen has been part of a team that has initiated a new course for incoming institute heads. The course is organised centrally at UiO.
When asked what her thoughts were when she decided to stand as a candidate, she replies:
– Academic staff often remain in the same place throughout their career from associate professor and so on, to professor. When I ran for office, I thought that it could be exciting to try something different for a while, something new and challenging, says Frost Andersen.
Having a research project on the side is doable
IMB’s current leader will soon be returning to her research at the Department of Nutrition. She has ten years to go before reaching the age limit of 70. How has she kept her research career going during her post as Head of Institute?
– Being a researcher means going in depth, while the post of Head of Institute often involves a broad approach. It has been important for me to continue some research work alongside my job as the Head of Institute. And this has been possible for me to do, explains Andersen.
After being voted in as IMB’s leader, she received a large NFR grant in connection with the NOR-Eden project. In addition, the professor has carried out an extensive national dietary survey, as well as having a partner role in several other projects.
– You never know when a funding application will be successful, so in my case, it was all a bit much at once. There is a lot to get used to when you start as Head of Institute. But it is perfectly possible to have research projects on the side, if you have efficient people supporting you. If, like me, you hold the post of institute leader for eight years, this would be a long time to absent yourself from your career as a researcher, says Andersen.
Symposium with all the group leaders was a highlight
One of the Institute leader’s priorities has been to further develop the link between research and teaching and to promote teaching as the important task it is.
– My focus has been to give equal weight to research and teaching - not putting all the emphasis on research, but making sure we also deliver good-quality teaching. This is the path we have taken, with teaching skills becoming a more important factor in the recruitment of associate professors and professors than it was previously.
In addition, one of her goals was to encourage younger researchers, whom she stresses represent the future. Andersen also wanted to strengthen interdepartmental links across the institute as a whole.
– At IMB, the institute as a whole can sometimes be neglected as a level of cooperation. One of the highlights of my time as leader was the two-day symposium we held for the first time for all our group leaders, around 50 in number, at the Soria Moria conference centre. One of the group leaders said then that “this is the first time that I have felt part of an institute”.
Candidates can talk to her about the role
In a few months’ time, Lene Frost Andersen will begin moving out of her office.
– Being Head of the institute is a big responsibility and it will be good to have less responsibility and to be able to concentrate on research again. I believe I will now approach my research with new perspectives and with greatly increased opportunities for collaboration, having got to know the breadth of all the research activities at my own institute, she says.
The outgoing leader has an invitation to those of you who are considering whether to stand as a candidate for the post:
– You are welcome to come and talk to me about how I have found the role.