RESEARCH
My research is grounded in an interest in the interplay between individuals and organisations, and in how power, governance and professional relations shape people’s opportunities and positions in society. I have particularly worked on topics such as vulnerability, professions, gender and career, and mechanisms of power in organisations.
Currently, I am involved in two major research areas: the Danish Power Inquiry 2.0 and a qualitative study on career paths, performance metrics and gender dynamics in academia, conducted in collaboration with Professor Margaretha Järvinen. The academia study is based on approximately 200 interviews with professors and associate professors from social science faculties in Denmark. It has resulted in a Danish-language book, Køn og karriere i akademia (2024), as well as four articles published in Sociology (2025), Work, Employment & Society (2025), Current Sociology (2024) and Gender and Education (2024).
The Danish Power Inquiry 2.0
I am part of the research management of the Danish Power Inquiry 2.0, an ambitious and multi-year project aiming to investigate contemporary power structures in Denmark. In addition to my leadership role, my academic contribution centres on three subprojects:
1. Freedom of expression in academia
This project investigates the conditions for freedom of expression among staff and students at Danish universities and university colleges, primarily within the social sciences and humanities. It combines a nationwide survey with more than 100 qualitative interviews and explores how researchers and students experience freedom of expression and the inclusion of minorities today. The project also examines the role of politicians and social media in shaping the boundaries of free expression.
2. Discretion and decision-making in the public sector
This project examines how municipal caseworkers apply professional discretion in their decisions – and how the Danish Appeals Board (Ankestyrelsen) functions as a corrective body. The study is primarily based on qualitative interviews but also includes quantitative analyses of areas with high rates of overturned decisions. The aim is to shed light on the relationship between professional judgment and legal certainty in welfare state practices.
3. Rising inequality in Denmark
This project focuses on how economic and social inequality has developed in Denmark since the turn of the millennium, and what consequences this has for social cohesion, citizen power and democratic influence. Drawing on both quantitative data and qualitative interviews, the study examines shifts in the distribution of economic, cultural and social capital – and how these affect democratic participation, trust in institutions and the legitimacy of political decisions.
In addition, I have published widely on qualitative methods and am co-author of the book Qualitative Analysis: Eight Approaches for the Social Sciences (SAGE, 2020), written with Margaretha Järvinen. Finally, I chair the CBS Professors’ Association and sit on the boards of the Independent Research Fund Denmark and VIVE, The Danish Center for Social Science Research.