Sine Larsen moves to the ESRF

Sine Larsen of the University of Copenhagen joined the ESRF at the beginning of June as one of the two Directors of Research. She is well known to the crystallographic community through her scientific work as well as through her International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) activities. She is the current General Secretary and Treasurer of the IUCr. Her scientific work encompasses both structural biology and structural chemistry. She is Professor of Structural Chemistry and the Director of the Centre for Crystallographic Studies at the University of Copenhagen. During the last five years she has deposited 36 structures in the Protein Data Bank. In her previous job she has demonstrated a capacity for combining scientific management and an active research programme. She succeeds Professor Peter Lindley who retired in the Spring of 2002. The ESRF is now a well established synchrotron radiation users facility and is increasingly putting efforts towards establishing itself as a strong science centre. The appointment of Dr Francesco Sette, as the Director of Research for Physical Sciences, last year from the ESRF rank was seen as unusual but was welcomed by the community in view of the high scientific credibility of Dr Sette.