Organisation

The Centre for Sustainable Agrifood Systems (START) is a science-driven, academic and multi-disciplinary research platform that enables basic research collaboration within the field of sustainable Agrifood Systems. The platform comprises a joint effort by researchers from the united Danish universities - together STARTS represents a European research powerhouse.

START is based on a distributed governance model operated by the START Steering Committee under a rotation chair principal. The Chair position rotates on an annual basis.

The heart of START is the START Research Hubs. The Hubs are driven by several engaged Academic Hub Coordinators from various universities and disciplines with knowledge, insights and experiences within the topic of the Hub. 

The START secretariat is coordinated from Aarhus University yet, operated by a joint Administrative Support Team represented by the individual universities.

Go to the research Hubs

Meet the START Steering Committee

Jens Ejbye Schmidt

START Chair, Head of the Department for Green Technologies, SDU


Eskild Holm Nielsen

Dean, AU


Brian Vinter

Vice-dean, AU


Jesper Wengel

Associate Dean, KU


Christine Nellemann

Head of Department, DTU


Kim Lambertsen Larsen

Head of Department, AAU



Andreas Aagaard Christensen

Associate Professor, RUC


Steffen Dalsgaard

Deputy Head of Department, ITU

Meet the START Hub Supporters and the Administrative Team

Kristine Howe Kjer

START Coordinator, Special Consultant

Email: kjer@au.dk

  • Biodiversity - BIO

Hanne Vibeke Seidler

Special Consultant

Email: hsja@food.dtu.dk

Phone: +45 93 51 07 95

  • Food Post Harvest
  • Future Agrifood Systems
  • Health Aspects

Kristine Engel Arendt

Special Consultant

Email: kea@science.ku.dk

Phone: +45 35 33 28 00

Biodiversity - BIO


Mads Bennedsen

Special Consultant, Fundraiser

Email: madsb@adm.aau.dk

Phone: +45 22 48 39 09

  • Selfefficiency in Nutrients
  • Green the Blue - Bluening the Green - 2GETHER

Niels Michael Petersen

Strategic Advisor, Special Advisor

Email: nimp@tek.sdu.dk

Phone: +45 93 50 76 25

  • Green the Blue - Bluening the Green - 2GETHER
  • Digitalization and infrastructure (DIGITZATION)

Jens Riemer

Green Transformation Officer, Executive Support and Communication

Email: jr.slk@cbs.dk

Phone: +45 22 48 22 36

  • People & Practices

Robert Pederson

Research Consultant

Email: pederson@ruc.dk

Phone: +45 46 74 38 59

  • Cultivation (Land)Scapes
  • People & Practices

Bodil Hjarvard

Academic Employee

Email: bohj@agro.au.dk

Phone: +45 93 52 29 26

  • Biodiversity - BIO
  • Cultivation (Land)Scapes
  • Future Agrifood Systems
  • People & Practices