Professor Kim Ryholt elected as new member of the Carlsberg Foundation’s board of directors

Kim Ryholt was elected by the members of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters at a meeting on 11 May 2023. His term will run up to and including 2028, after which he will be eligible for re-election. Professor Majken Schultz, Chair of the Carlsberg Foundation’s board of directors, says:

“I’m delighted to be able to warmly welcome Kim Ryholt as a new member of the Carlsberg Foundation’s board of directors. With his election, the board is gaining a genuine expert with an in-depth understanding of the humanities. Not only does Kim Ryholt have many years’ experience as a researcher and research leader in Denmark; he will also bring to the Carlsberg Foundation a broad appreciation of what is happening internationally in humanities research environments. I’m sure that Kim Ryholt will be a huge asset to the Carlsberg Foundation at a time when we need to be especially aware of the challenges facing the humanities.”

About Kim Ryholt

Kim Ryholt has worked for 30 years in the University of Copenhagen’s Faculty of Humanities, where he is now a professor of Egyptology in the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies. As head of the Papyrus Carlsberg Collection since 1999, he has conducted extensive research into ancient manuscripts and their cultural and historical context. He has also led or co-led international interdisciplinary research projects encompassing everything from philological studies of ancient scientific literature to chemical ink analyses of papyri from ancient Egypt.

Over the years, Kim Ryholt has also been involved with philological text publications, materiality studies, social and political history, literature studies, ancient library history, science history, ancient historiography and identity formation, religion, and antiquities trade and museology. He is the author and co-author of seven books and around 100 scientific articles.

In his time at the University of Copenhagen, Kim Ryholt has also been a director of studies and member of numerous committees. Currently, he is a member of the University of Copenhagen’s Senate and of the Academic Council, where most recently he has worked to promote academic freedom in teaching and research.

“I’m thrilled to have been elected to the board of the Carlsberg Foundation,” says Kim Ryholt, who has been a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters since 2011. “It’s also clear to me that this declaration of trust brings with it considerable responsibility. For generations, the Carlsberg Foundation has contributed broadly and significantly to outstanding research and is a pillar of the Danish research landscape. I also feel a personal sense of duty because the Foundation has played an invaluable role in my own career. I therefore look forward to being able to contribute to the board’s ongoing work to support innovation, diversity and talent in Danish basic research for the benefit of both society and the environment.”