Fredrik Björkling: 36 years in the Danish pharmaceutical industry and academia
Professor Fredrik Björkling was celebrated at the Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology on his retirement last week.
Here, colleagues, partners and family gathered for a festive reception, where many participants had a lot to tell about their time with the main character of the day. Today's speakers were: Head of Department Helle Waagepetersen, Deputy Chairman of LSU Dorte Brix, Professor Sven Frøkjær, Professor Lennart Bunch, Associate Professor Henrik Franzyk and of course Fredrik Björkling himself.
Head of Department Helle Waagepetersen said in her speech: “We have greatly benefited from your brilliant academic and innovative abilities, and your extensive network in the industry. Your excellent skills and your broad knowledge have brought the pharmaceutical sciences forward within all three pillars: education, research and innovation, and for that, we owe you a big thank you. You are pragmatic, positive and constructive, you are a likable person, and you find solutions no matter what it is about: funding, teaching or personnel issues. And as a leader, it's a great gift - thank you.”
As a researcher, Fredrik Björkling has been involved in a large number of research projects in various areas of therapy, diabetes, infectious- and inflammatory diseases and cancer.
In his own speech, Fredrik Björkling gave a warm “thank you” to both colleagues and the department: “Thank you to the department for being a great workplace with a focus on all the good contacts and discussions with all employees, about everything from science to much more practical things in everyday life. The contact with the individuals and some good managers has made it worthwhile to come all the way from Sweden to work every single day”.
Fredrik Björkling ended by saying that he looks forward to following the department's development and participating, sitting on the sidelines, in some of the projects he is still very interested in, within cancer and antibiotic research. He is also looking forward to spending more time on both tennis and golf and of course grandchildren and family as well.
Fredrik Björkling's expertise remains available to the department as he continues as professor emeritus.
