Niels Vestergaard, Center leader
Campus Esbjerg Department of Sociology, Environmental and Business Economics, University of Southern Denmark
I’m a resource economist and in my whole academic carrier (since mid-90ties) I have studied natural resources and environmental issues using economic theory mostly related to marine resources. I have studied both theoretical and empirical issues using among other things bio-economic dynamic modelling and regulation theory. Lately I have investigated how technical progress can change the way we think about sustainable exploitation in renewable resource industries. I do work on Arctic marine resource governance focusing on how to manage the marine resources under climate changes. I’m also interested in sustainable energy systems, biogas, and economics of energy storage. My research is often co-financed by companies, public agencies and funds.
Professional Organizations and networks:
European Association of Environmental and Resource Economist (EAERE), International Association for Energy Economics, International Institute for Fisheries Economics and Trade (IIFET), Natural Resource Modelling Association, Nationaløkonomisk Forening, Danish Society of Energy Economists and Center for Environmental Economics at UCSD.
Internal university boards etc.:
Member of the Faculty Leader and Management Group 2014-2019
Course coordinator of the Master of Science in Environmental and Resource Management 2007-2019.
Member of the Academic Board of Environmental and Resource Management 2005-2017.
Member of the Academic Council (Faculty of Social Science) 2008-2012.
Member of the Ph.D. internal assessment committee in Economics 2005-2014.
Teaching:
Past and currently responsible for the following courses at bachelor and master level:
Economics, Project week, Green Economic Growth and Applied operation research and management – courses at the BSc in Environmental and Resource Management.
Research Forum – course at the MSc in Environmental and Resource Management
Advance Environmental and Resource Economics - course at the MSc in Environmental and Resource Management.
Green Business – course at the MSc in Business Administration and Economics.
I have supervised a numerous number of Master and Bachelor Thesis. External examiner at Faculty of Life Science at University of Copenhagen.
PhD – Courses, Workshops and Supervision:
As leader of FAME, numerous Ph.D. courses (more than 15) as well as workshops (more than 20) has been developed and arranged in various themes within resource economics and related fields. I have been teaching at several of these courses and workshop. I developed and taught “Economics of Asymmetric information”, PhD. course at University of the Basque, June 2010. In 2018 I did a training session ‘Cost-benefit analysis of renewable resources’ at University of Battambang, Cambodia. I have supervised and completed 9 Ph.D. students. In our research group we have had 6 post docs the last 6 years.
Assessment committees:
I have been member of 8 Ph.D. assessment committees, 4 as chairman. Member of assessment committees for different scientific positions at University of Tromsø, University of Aarhus, University of Copenhagen, Technical University of Denmark, Bowdoin College Brunswick, and Danish Institute of Government Research. Member and chairman of several SDU assessment committees regarding positions as Ph.D., Post.doc., Assistant professor, Associate Professor and Professor.
