“The best course at DTU so far.”
“Definitely one of the best courses I’ve had at DTU.”
These are some of the positive comments from students about the bachelor’s course Design-Build in Life Science, where students on the Biotechnology and Technical Biomedicine programmes are inspired to try their hand at translating biological theory into practical solutions by building devices to measure antibiotic resistance.
The course, which has just been honoured with the Novo Nordisk Foundation Prize For Technical Science Teachers at Universities 2026, has been developed and is taught by Associate Professors Pernille Rose Jensen (DTU Health Technology), Marie Sofie Møller (DTU Bioengineering) and Saria Otani (DTU National Food Institute).
Building on DTU’s rich teaching tradition
“We are proud to receive this award. But it is also important to emphasise that we are standing on the shoulders of a rich teaching tradition at DTU, where we have drawn great inspiration from the Design Build courses, which have been running in the bachelor’s programme in General Engineering for several years. And we receive help from a whole host of talented lecturers and experts throughout the course, who assist us with everything from data processing and analysis to 3D printing and soldering,” says Pernille Rose Jensen.
Lars D. Christoffersen, Dean of Education and Student Environment, is delighted that DTU’s innovative lecturers are being honoured.
“It makes me proud and happy when DTU’s dedicated and talented lecturers receive a well-deserved pat on the back. Good teaching and skilled lecturers are, after all, the very foundation that enables us as a university to educate the most competent engineers in Europe,” he says and continues:
“An interdisciplinary course that brings together students with different academic backgrounds and skills in a shared learning space and asks them to work with theory and practical application is precisely the innovative approach to learning and teaching that we strive for at DTU. So, huge congratulations and thanks to the team behind the course.”
Project work puts theory into practice
Develop a simple, lightweight device that can measure bacteria’s response to antibiotics. That is the task the students are being asked to perform, and there is no protocol telling the them how to achieve it.
“Most students find this difficult at first,” says Marie Sofie Møller and elaborates:
“They’re used to learning in a way where there’s a protocol for how to do things. Here, you must work with your team to try things out – find the relevant literature, decide on a method and test it. And it’s OK to make mistakes – that’s part of it. There’s a lot to be learnt from that.”
Pernille Rose Jensen agrees:
“And once the prototype has been built, they start to realise that this can be really exciting. Then they get a taste for experimenting. And by the time we reach the exam, they’ve solved the task in ways that always positively surprise us. And in different ways from year to year.”
The course introduces students to the CDIO model – Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate. CDIO is an international educational concept for engineers that combines theory, design, and experimental practice through iterative, cyclical design processes and emphasises equipping engineers with the hands-on skills sought after in industry.
CDIO is often used in multidisciplinary project work, where students work in small groups on real-world problems. Collaboration is therefore also a central part of the learning process in the course:
“The students must act as a team, just as they would in a company. They must commit to the group and draw up a contract – what do we want to achieve? What is our level of ambition? And then they must figure out how to make the best possible use of each other’s skills. This requires a certain degree of openness, and we help them, of course; we brainstorm with them and follow their projects closely. But they must take responsibility for their own process,” explain Pernille and Marie.
DTU Skylab’s workshops foster an innovative mindset
When students build their prototypes, teaching takes place in DTU Skylab’s facilities and workshops. Here, they have access to both the relevant tools and expert workshop support when they need to solder electronic components, 3D print and do whatever else is required to build – and modify – their prototypes.
“The students have access to the laboratory at all times. That’s unique. They can go to the lab whenever they’re ready,” says Pernille Rose Jensen and adds:
“It’s a pleasant surprise for most of them. Because it’s just really cool to be at DTU Skylab – the groups gather over there, have a cup of coffee and can use the facility’s resources whenever they want. And they can get ongoing feedback from us or Skylab’s skilled employees if they wish.”
Marie Sofie Møller adds:
“And of course, we hope that being at Skylab will strengthen their awareness of and desire to work with innovation in the long term. Perhaps a little later in their studies, when they start coming up with their own ideas. In any case, this course also gives them an insight into what it means to work with innovation.”
