David Dreyer Lassen assumed the rectorship on 1 March 2025, becoming the 260th Rector of Denmark’s oldest university.

He holds an MSc in Economics (1998) and a PhD (2002) from the University of Copenhagen.

Before taking the top position as Rector, he served as Prorector for Research and Innovation (2021‑2025) and held leadership roles such as Director of the Centre for Social Data Science (SODAS, 2016‑2020) and Deputy Director of the Danish National Research Foundation’s Center for Economic Behavior and Inequality (2017‑2020).

His career also includes a stint as Chair of the Independent Research Fund Denmark (2019‑2020) and memberships on several national advisory boards.

With a strong academic background in governance and public policy, he is responsible for the university’s overall strategic direction.

David will deliver the welcome speech for attendees at the Grand reception on November 17, at The Ceremonial Hall, University of Copenhagen.