Lauritz B. Holm-Nielsen is the Rector of Aarhus University (AU). He is Vice-Chairman of Universities Denmark, Board Member of the European University Association (EUA), and a member of the Danish Prime Minister's Growth Forum. He has been Member of OECD expert review team on higher education, Chairman of the Nordic University Association, a member of the Africa Commission, Board Member of the Danish National Research Foundation, Rector of the Danish Research Academy, Vice-Chairman of the Danish Research Commission, Chairman of the Danish Natural Science Research Council and the Danish Council for Development Research. He has a degree in botany from AU (1971) and was Dean of the Faculty of Science at AU (1976-79) before he became professor at P. Universidad Católica, Quito, Ecuador (1979-81). He has spent 18 years working abroad, 12 of these at the World Bank in Washington D.C. (1993-2005).