By Jane Grønning Johansen, AAU Kommunikation og Public Affairs. 
Translated by LeeAnn Iovanni, AAU Communication and Public Affairs. Photo: Søren Kjeldgaard

At the age of 38, Professor Mads Albertsen of Aalborg University has achieved more than most. He heads a world-leading research group developing new advanced sequencing methods to map DNA from bacteria in nature.

In addition, he became world famous during the coronavirus pandemic when he built up the world's largest centre for sequencing COVID virus genomes, thus providing data for Denmark's monitoring of various virus variants.

On Monday, 26 February, Mads Albertsen achieves another milestone in his research career when he receives the EliteForsk [Elite Research] Prize for his groundbreaking basic research on bacterial DNA. The prize comes with DKK 1 million for research activities and DKK 200,000 for personal use.

The world's best researcher and a family man

Mads Albertsen is currently working on mapping all bacteria in Denmark from 10,000 samples from fields, meadows, forests and other natural habitats in the project 'Microflora Danica'.

- I really want to be the first to map all bacteria in Denmark. Scientifically, it will be huge to make it into the history books, but it is especially important that we get an overview of the building blocks for the bio-based economy of the future so that we choose the right solutions in the green transition, explains Mads Albertsen, who is ambitious both in his research career and when it comes to family.

If you want to be successful in both places, you need balance. So, Mads Albertsen has a strong focus on work-life balance, both for himself and for his research team. He is the father of three children ages 4, 8 and 10, and it is crucial for him to prioritize time for their upbringing.

- I can see that I perform better if I work an average of 37 hours a week. I want to prioritize being with my family so I’ve arranged my workday so that I start at 7.00 and go home at 14.15 every day, says Mads Albertsen, and continues

- At times, I might work more than 37 hours, but when I am in balance, I also have the energy to step on the gas when required.

We don’t talk enough about work-life balance

The work-life balance is important to Mads Albertsen in his management role. He knows that if you want to change something, it has to come from you. So, he talks openly with his 15 staff members in the research group about how they can work in a focused, concentrated and efficient way and ensure that the hours at work count.

- We are often doing things that are really difficult, and this requires that we can work in a concentrated way for a long time. It can often be difficult because there are so many things constantly interrupting us, like emails, mobile phones, etc. As a manager, I talk very openly about how I structure my workday so that I can work in a concentrated way and undisturbed. I want to set an example and inspire my staff, says Mads Albertsen.

Being a researcher is competitive, and if you want to be among the best in the world, you must also work for it. It often takes many working hours every week, and according to Mads Albertsen, it's okay to have ambitious goals – it's all about prioritization.

Mads Albertsen strives to confine work to 37 hours a week, but during his research career he has worked 60 hours a week at times. He does this when the work is extra exciting. But even with a 60-hour work week every now and then, Mads Albertsen still prioritizes time for his family and puts work aside in the afternoon hours when his children are home from school and kindergarten.

If you google the meaning of 'work-life balance', it means to 'create well-being and surplus energy and mental resources in everyday life – in both your personal and professional life. For Mads Albertsen, it's about being aware of prioritizing the things that matter to you. If you want to perform in one place, you have to be in balance somewhere else. But when it comes to work-life balance, we could talk a little more about that in academia, if you ask Mads Albertsen.

- I think we talk too little about how we work better and more efficiently. This has been studied for many years, and there are many simple tips and tricks on how to do it, he says.

For Mads Albertsen, these tools are more than just ways of doing the work in fewer hours. He has always focused on it and talked openly about it early in his research career.

- I think it's interesting to explore different ways of working. I’ve read many books on the subject and have experimented with what works for me: how I learn to focus effectively, how to develop the habits that make me the person I want to be.

Mads Albertsen has two major research goals going forward. He is on a mission to map a genome from each species of bacteria, because it will be of fundamental importance to our society. He has started small with his colleagues in the Microflora Danica project.

In addition, Mads Albertsen will help push new DNA technology into the healthcare system. With new methods for analysing DNA, it will be possible to quickly identify disease-causing bacteria and thus ensure the right treatment promptly. It is a technology that will save lives both now and in the future.