Primary fields of research

• Christianity in Africa
• Religion, culture and social change
• Lived religion and displacement 

Current research

• Multiple Waterscapes in Urban Ghana (Danida Research funding), 2024-2029. 
• Old Parks, New Futures: Documenting the Uses of Open Space in an African City (British Academy grant)
• The spiritual history and topography of urban space
• Institutional trust in Africa (Research grant from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology)
• Wealth and charismatic Christianity in Africa

Teaching

I teach the core courses 'Introduction to African Studies', 'Religion, Culture and Society' and 'Advanced Research Methods' as well as thematic courses on 'Religion, Popular Culture and the Media' and 'Religion and Development'. In the past I have taught courses on 'NGOs, civil society and development in Africa', 'African mobilities', and 'Elite and Power'.  

I supervise masters theses on religion, migration, culture and identity, representations of Africa, NGOs and development.

Supervision experience:

• Supervisor of more than 75 MA theses in African Studies.
• Supervisor of six PhD theses (four as co-supervisor and two as main supervisor).
• Supervisor of one Marie Curie postdoctoral fellow, Centre of African Studies, UCPH.
• Supervisor of three postdoctoral fellows at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana.
• Mentoring of early career scholars.  

CV

I received my MA in International Development Studies and Geography from Roskilde University in 2000. I have taken part of my studies at Manchester Metropolitan University and Université Paris Sorbonne-Paris IV. As a graduate student I interned with UNESCO (Dakar, Senegal). I have worked with a Danish NGO (DanChurchAid) responsible for development and relief work in Ethiopia and Burkina Faso.

Education

2000: Master degree in International Development Studies and Geography, Roskilde University

2009: Ph.D. degree in International Development Studies, Roskilde University

Professional background

2020-present: Director, Centre of African Studies, UCPH

2015-present: Associate Professor, Centre of African Studies, UCPH

2014-2015: Postdoctoral fellow, Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University

2011-2014: Assistant Professor, Centre of African Studies, University of Copenhagen

2008-2011: Head of Section, Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation

2004-2008: Ph.D. fellow, Roskilde University

2000-2004: Programme officer, DanChurchAid, Africa section

Academic service

2024-present: Member of Academic Council, Faculty of Theology, UCPH

2024-present: Faculty Board, Faculty of Theology, UCPH

2023-present: Collaboration committe, Faculty of Theology, UCPH

2021-present: Board of Nordic Africa Research Network, chair from 2022

2021-present: Board of Global Development Network, UCPH, chair 2023-2024

2020-present: PhD coordinator, Centre of African Studies, UCPH

2020-present: Research committee, Faculty of Theology, UCPH

2020-2024: Library committee, Faculty of Theology, UCPH

2020-2021: Flagship Coordinator (Urban Health and Demographic Change) for the 4EU+ University Alliance for UCPH

2015-2020: Member and chair (2017-2020) of Study Board of African Studies, University of Copenhagen

2012-present:    Member of editorial board of Religion and Theology - Journal of Contemporary Religious Discourse

Research grants

'Refugees and Religious Institutions - Emergent Sites of Governance and Ordering in Africa', Postdoctoral grant, Danish Council for Independent Research | Social Sciences (2011-14)

'Looking for Wholeness in an Enchanted World: Healing, Prosperity and Ritual Action in African Charismatic/Pentecostal Churches', collaborative research project based at Lund University of funded by the Swedish Research Council and Lund Mission Society, post-doc (2012-17)

Knowledge of languages

Danish (mother tongue), English (fluent), French (fluent), German (working knowledge), Twi (beginner).