The UCPH Teacher of the Year Award goes to Elisenda Feliu
Every year at the annual commemoration (Årsfest), the University of Copenhagen presents the Teacher of the Year Award for excellent and inspirational teaching. The 2025 award was presented to Professor Elisenda Feliu.
Elisenda is a professor of mathematics and head of the Applied Algebra research group at the Department of Mathematical Sciences.
The course that earned her the award is the introductory course Mathematics/Statistics, where she introduces future biologists to mathematical models and methods.
"I was shocked. I thought it must be a mistake. I know the students are happy, but I haven't invented anything special. I'm just doing ordinary teaching," she says. However, the ordinary teaching seems to be working well. Elisenda explains why:
"It is probably a combination of several aspects. I try to be very structured, so the students always know what's going on, what's expected from them, and what will happen during each week. I also think a lot about pedagogical aspects in the lectures and exercise classes. Finally, especially for the course "Mathematics for Biologists", having moved traditional lectures to short, focused videos has worked very well.
The collaboration with colleagues at MATH is very important to Elisenda:
"I have enjoyed many conversations about teaching with my colleagues at the department, especially during our lunches on the 4th floor. These exchanges of experiences and thoughts have contributed significantly to my reflections on my own teaching. I've also greatly benefited from discussions with our deputy head of teaching, Tinne, who is always open to new ideas".
Harald of the Year
The teaching award is called “Harald of the Year”, established in 1988 and named after the mathematician Harald Bohr, who combined outstanding research with exceptional teaching.
The UCPH Academic Board on Education Strategy appoints the winner of the award based on the submitted nominations from students and employees. The winner receives a decorated porcelain owl from Royal Copenhagen and DKK 25,000.
Read more:
Teacher of the Year Award (not updated)
Recorded maths lectures on video — now she's lecturer of the year, long portrait from The University Post.