What? Just four decades ago, Danish women automatically got their husband's surname when getting married. Now, 25% of surname changes are done by men, just like it has become possible for unmarried couples to share a surname, for divorcees to pass on a former spouse's surname to a new partner, etc. So, which functions do surnames serve in family practices and identity formation today? In this project, I will examine the role of surnames as part of family practices, name choices' role in identity formation and the reasons why some surnames are chosen over others. To put the Danish development into perspective, differences in perceptions of surname use between Denmark and the United States (one of the most traditional Western countries regarding surnames) will also be examined. Why? Family forms and structures, including gender norms, have undergone a massive transformation in Denmark within the past few decades, and so have the ways in which we use surnames. Name choices in families today depend to a large extent on individual preferences and less on tradition as used to be the case. Therefore, it is likely that the choices and narratives of surnames in families contain important information about and reflect family identity formation and family practices. Surname use is an underemphasized topic in Danish research, and combined with the fact that Denmark is a leading country in surname diversity, this project is very timely. My research will provide new insights into linguistic choices, family practices, identity formation, and gender roles. How? To gain knowledge about attitudes, experiences, and opinions, I will take a qualitative approach and do semi-structured in-depth interviews with Danish couples/individuals and a smaller number of American couples/individuals. Additionally, I will make use of various historical data sources of surnames and the use thereof. The project will use sociological and sociolinguistic concepts and theories, such as doing family, doing gender, and social positioning. Employing names as a tool for studying family dynamics and identity is an innovative approach, which will allow me to draw new conclusions about today's family life and perceptions and functions of names.

What? This project is about identifying important chemical processes responsible for poor air quality in our indoor environments. The project will examine how abundant chemical pollutants directly emitted from indoor source such as building materials and furnishing may undergo chemical reactions in the indoor air and on surfaces. Such reactions are hypothesized to result in in the transformation of relatively benign indoor pollutants into ones that have adverse health outcomes: an until now understudied source of bad indoor air quality. The project will furthermore examine how indoor chemistry is affected by the intrusion of outdoor air and how rising air pollution in urban areas may change our exposure to organic pollutants in our homes, offices, schools and institutions. Why? Humans spend 90% of their time indoors: consequently, human exposure to most air pollutants is actually dominated by indoor rather than outdoor conditions. Recent research has shown that the air within our homes can be more heavily polluted by organic chemicals than the outdoor air. The suspected reactivity of these chemicals in combination with the large surface areas of the indoor environments makes for a potent chemical reactor, especially when considering the unavoidable intrusion of reactive species from rising outdoor air pollution. This project is important as it provides new insight into the sources of bad indoor air quality and thus may aid in the development of more intelligent solution to improve the quality of the air we breathe and consequentially our health and well-being. How? The research will be based on detailed chemical analysis of air and surfaces in real and laboratory-controlled indoor environments. Emissions and chemical reactions of commonly found indoor pollutants will be studied along with the impacts of changing indoor parameters, e.g. temperature, light, humidity and ventilation. The formation of airborne and surface-bound pollutants from indoor chemical processes will be investigated in environments such as class rooms, offices, and homes. In addition, indoor chemistry facilitated by increased intake of outdoor air pollution will be simulated in real indoor environments and in the laboratory to understand the risks associated with inadvertent intrusion or deliberate ventilation with polluted outdoor air.

What? This project aims to overcome current challenges of studying the genetics of California’s coast redwoods, known as the tallest trees on Earth. I will develop new methods suited for genetically complex species like the coast redwoods to accurately identify and describe genetic variation crucial to coast redwood’s climate adaptation to support reforestation and conservation efforts. Why? Coast redwoods are vulnerable to climate change due to their dependency on coastal fog. They have existed for millions of years, but the genetic drivers of their adaptation remain poorly understood. A complete reference genome is lacking, as their genome is too large and complex to correctly assemble. This stands in the way of accurately identifying genetic variation in coast redwoods. How? I will develop a variation graph-based methodology to use instead of classic reference genomes for identifying new genetic variants. I will construct a genetically representative variation graph and use it to genotype a large dataset of DNA sequences from coast redwoods. This approach will enable me to accurately identify and describe new genetic variants in Coast Redwoods.