On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, Rita Rosendahl was honored with the Royal Medal of Merit, recognizing her more than four decades of dedicated service at Aarhus University. The medal was presented by Head of the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics (MBG), Claus Oxvig, in a ceremony attended by colleagues, friends, and family.

Rita celebrated her 40th anniversary back in 2021 but had to wait until this year where she finally received this prestigious award in 2025. The Royal Medal of Merit is the oldest existing award medal in Denmark, established by King Christian VII in 1792 and re-instituted by Christian VIII in 1845. It is awarded to public servants with at least 40 years of uninterrupted civil or military service who do not qualify for a knight’s cross.

Rita’s career at Aarhus University began in 1979, when she started as a laboratory technician apprentice at MBG. Over the years, she has held various positions and collaborated with several researchers such as: Associate Professor Karsten Herskind (Department of Physics and Astronomy), Professor Staffan Magnusson (MBG), Associate Professor Torsten Kristensen (MBG), Professor Lars Sottrup (MBG), and Professor Just Justesen (MBG), and finally Professor Jørgen Kjems (iNANO/MBG) with whom she has been employed since 1994.

Congratulations to Rita on receiving the Royal Medal of Merit!