Svend Christensen is a Professor at the Department of Plant and Environmental Science at the University of Copenhagen. His extensive academic carreer began with a PhD in Weed Science, leading to significant contributions to understanding crop-weed competition and developing weed sensing and site-specific weed management technologies.

Professor Christensen has held prominent positions at the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences (now Aarhus University), the University of Southern Denmark, and the University of Copenhagen. For 16 years, he served as a professor and head of the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences with more than 500 employees. Currently, he is a full professor in Crop Science and Technologies at the same department. His work has been recognized through numerous grants and collaborative projects, such as the MATRIX project funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Nordic Public Private Partnership Plant Phenotyping Project.

Svend Christensen is prominent figure in international scientific environment in weed science and precision agriculture, and he has contributed to over 62 peer-reviewed articles and numerous conference proceedings. He collaborates extensively with private companies and leads several key networks and projects aimed at fostering innovation in sustainable agriculture.

His research is dedicated to establishing the scientific foundation needed to transform agricultural systems to address the dual challenges of feeding a growing global population and preserving the planet's ecological balance. His research explores the interactions between crops and their environment, utilizing advanced technologies such as biologicals, breeding, remote sensing, AI, and robotics to promote sustainable farming practices.

Professor Christensen is actively involved in several high-impact collaboration platforms, including Crop Innovation Denmark, which involves four breeding companies and two universities, the Nordic-Baltic Plant Phenotyping Network, which includes more than 15 breeding companies, universities, and research organizations, and the Plant Biologicals Network, which comprises more than 20 members from industries and universities in Denmark and Sweden.

His innovative approaches and commitment to sustainable agriculture have earned him a reputation as a leading expert in his field, ensuring a sustainable future for global food security through enhanced agricultural resilience and biodiversity.

Education

• Ph.D., The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University 1993
• M.Sc. Agr., The Royal Veterinary- and Agricultural University 1988

Positions

• Professor, Head of Department of Plant and Environmental Science, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen (UCPH) 2012-
• Professor, Head of Department of Agriculture and Ecology, Faculty of Life Sciences, UCPH 2008-2012
• Acting Head of Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences, UCPH 2011-2012
• Professor, Head of Dept., Inst. of Chemical Eng., Biotechnology and Environmental Tech, Faculty of Engineering, University of Southern Denmark (SDU) 2007-2008
• Research Director, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences (DIAS) 2001-2007
• Deputy director, Department of Agricultural Engineering, DIAS 2000-2001 Head of Research Unit, Department of Crop Protection, DIAS 1998-2000
• Senior Scientist, Department of Crop Protection, DIAS 1995-2000
• Guest researcher at the University of Wageningen, Department of Theoretical Production Ecology, The Netherlands 1990-1991
• Researcher, Department of Crop Protection, DIAS 1988-1995

Professional Activities

• Member of the Danish Research Council for Technology and Production 2007-2013
• Member of the board of directors, Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences 2002-2007
• Coordinator on the Collaborative Working Group on ‘ICT and Robotics in Agriculture and related Industries’ under the European Commission’s Standing Committee for Agricultural Research (SCAR) 2005-2008
• Member of the Expert group ‘ICT from farm to fork’, Ministry of Science and Technology 2004-2007
• Member of the inter-ministerial expert group ‘Agro-environmental technology’, Ministry of Science and Technology, 2004-2007
• Chairman of the Danish agricultural Network in engineering and technology 2002-2007
• Member of the board of the Centre for Agro-technology at Aalborg University, Denmark 2002-2007
• Member of the board of Testing, The National Committee for Pig Production 2002-2007
• Member of the development board of Vitus Bering Denmark 2002-2007
• Member of the Advisory board of Agricon Vally Advisory Board, Denmark 2004-2007
• National representative of ENGAGE – European Network of Engineering for Agricultural and Environment 2001-2007
• Member of the board of editors of Journal of Precision Agriculture
• Member of the scientific committee of the European Weed Research Society Chairing the Master Subject Area group 'Site Specific Weed Management' of the European Weed Research Society
• Technical and scientific co-organiser of the 2nd European Conference on Precision Agriculture, Odense, July 1999