Michael Bang Petersen becomes member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters

The political science professor strives to safeguard the concept of truth and the academic ideal.

Michael Bang Petersen
Photo: Aarhus University

The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters has admitted Professor Michael Bang Petersen from the Department of Political Science as a new member. The Academy is a joint committee for prominent researchers and works to strengthen the position of science in Denmark and to promote interdisciplinary understanding.

In his research, Bang Petersen focuses on the interface between political behaviour and human evolution. He is currently leading a large research project that seeks to combat political hatred in the public debate.

– Being a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters allows me to strengthen the communication of my research to the public and to meet other researchers who are passionate about the academic ideal. In a world with declining confidence in the concept of truth, it is now more important than ever to stand together and defend this ideal. I hope that I can help push society in that direction under the auspices of the Academy, says Bang Petersen in a statement from the Academy.

This year, the Academy is admitting six Danish and four international members. The new members will not only gain entry to the Academy’s high-ceilinged halls, according to the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters. They will enter into a year-long tradition and follow in the footsteps of famous former members such as Niels Bohr, H.C. Ørsted, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin.