“I can listen, and I can also hear what people are saying”

This is where it all began: the Department of Physics and Astronomy (or the Department of Physics as it was known in 1977, when a 20-year-old Brian Bech Nielsen from West Jutland arrived at the university for the very first time). 36 years later he opens the back door leading into the department as if it was his second home, and explains what he was like before he became dean and started coming to work in freshly ironed light-blue shirts.

“I was a hard-working and ambitious student, I can’t deny it. I concentrated a great deal on my studies,” says Bech Nielsen.

But occasionally he did manage to close his physics books and leave his humble student accommodation to take part in the more amusing aspects of student life.

“I remember some very intense and entertaining parties at my hall of residence. They were great fun, and I think I can say that my behavioural pattern was slightly livelier in those days than it is now.” 

Although he worked hard, he did also manage to meet a few girls.

“I wasn’t exactly Casanova, but I did manage to get chosen by the woman I’ve now been married to for over 25 years,” he smiles.

We take the lift up to the cafeteria on the seventh floor. On the way Bech Nielsen has a chat with a student, and we haven’t been in the cafeteria for many minutes when a cleaner bursts in and calls out his name.

“Great to see you,” she says, and gives the dean a proper bear hug. She congratulates him on his new appointment.

“You’ve reached the top of the tree now, matey!”

“Yes, it’s getting pretty hard to climb any higher – we’re on the seventh floor, after all,” smiles the downbeat West Jutlander once he has been released from her arms.

Bech Nielsen heads for the balcony, which he thinks has one of the best views in the whole of Aarhus.

“This is where I used to sit and eat my packed lunch.”

He looks out over the city and the bay with the spring sunshine in his eyes, recalling his first encounter with the city as a young man.

“Moving away from home to a new city a long way from my parents was a highly intoxicating form of freedom. I really enjoyed it.”

Misses teaching

After gaining his PhD, Bech Nielsen was appointed as an associate professor at the university, where he built up a research career in solid state physics. The force that drove him was his inquiring mind, but the application options of research were also a central factor.

“That’s always been important to me, and I think this is where my sensible West Jutland nature comes into the picture,” he explains.

Subsequently he became the Vice Director of iNANO, then the Head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and finally and most recently Dean of Science and Technology. Each rung of the career ladder took him one step further away from the world of research.

“I do miss my research, but I miss teaching even more. It’s a wonderful thing to have the chance to help the students understand your subject and enjoy the learning process, and I do like meeting the young people.”

Major task ahead

At the moment Bech Nielsen is preparing himself for the challenging task of leading a university like AU. He has just started a series of meetings at various locations around the university, but he is also preparing himself for an even busier working life – something which will have an impact on the home front.

“To be perfectly honest with you, when I was told I’d got the job I sat down to talk it over with my wonderful wife. It’s not going to be any less demanding than my current job as dean. It’s a new challenge, it’s a huge challenge, but it’s also very exciting. It’s my job to lead the whole university, and it’s a job I know I can do.”

As a dean and a member of the senior management team at the university, Bech Nielsen has helped to guide AU through the greatest process of change in its history. And the future rector acknowledges that the process has not been entirely painless.

“We haven’t yet managed to persuade the university that the changes were necessary. Not everyone has agreed with the decisions that have been taken. Personally I fully support the process, but of course there are some things that still need to be adjusted a bit. I’m completely open to this idea, but new changes must only be made when all the facts are on the table. The workplace assessment last year revealed that our staff are hugely dedicated, but there’s also a good deal of insecurity and frustration throughout the university, and this is not tenable in the long run.”

He is not yet prepared to provide specific ideas for changes because the solutions should not only come from above, he says.

“We have to solve the problems step by step, and I only know one way to do this: identify the problems with absolute clarity, then draw up a realistic plan for how to solve them. That’s the task facing us, and we need to carry it out together.”

A manager who trusts people and is ready to listen

But what sort of rector is he going to be?

“I like open dialogue. I can listen, and I can also hear what people are saying. I’m a believer in the power of argument, and good arguments will make me change my mind. I’m not stubborn. I hope the university will see me as a rector who can unite the university under a single banner, someone who has deep respect for the core values of our university – but someone who also knows we have to live up to the expectations of the society on whose financial support we depend. That’s my ambition.”

Bech Nielsen also aims to be at the university as much as possible, and is happy to promise that people will still be able to meet him on campus. But he is also forced to be realistic. There are only 24 hours in a day. So his management style will include delegating tasks and trusting people to do them well.

“I approach everything from a basis of trust, and that’s how I approach people as well. In the vast majority of cases, people don’t let you down if you trust them. And if they do let you down, I believe in talking things over in a civilised and respectful manner. I’m not the kind of man who slams doors and shouts a lot. I’m the kind who says ‘can’t we do things a bit better next time?’”

Bech Nielsen surveys the yellow brick facades in the University Park and tries to encapsulate why he loves Aarhus University so much.

“This is where I’ve experienced the wonderful combination of being young and happy in Aarhus with all the other students, and then gaining greater insight into the subject I love so much at the highest possible level. I think this has been a great place to work and I’ve enjoyed every single year. The students generate a huge amount of energy. How could anyone possibly NOT like Aarhus University?”

7 facts about Brian

The last time I was furious was because:
"I very rarely get angry, but if I’ve got something to do and something gets in the way which I don’t fancy doing but feel obliged to do, I do get a bit irritated."

I always wear light-blue shirts because:
"It’s so easy and quick to put a jacket and tie on if I need to dress a bit more formally. But I can easily take them off again when I’d like to be a bit more casual. I also like the colour. But in fact I don’t ALWAYS wear a light-blue shirt!"

My favourite app is:
"Planet. It means I can look at the stars wherever I am in the world. I once thought I’d like to be an astronomer, and I still have this need to know where all the planets are."

My favourite constellation is:
"Orion."

This year’s summer holiday:
"The plan is to go to South Africa on safari, and we’ll probably finish off with a beach holiday – I’m pretty sure my wife would like that!"

Hardly anyone knows that I:
"Once played the electric guitar with a colleague at a Christmas party before I became head of department. We played Johnny B. Goode."

The best moments of my life are:
"When I’m on holiday with my wonderful wife."