Appointment

The appointment of Mads Gram Henriksen as Professor of Clinical and Theoretical Phenomenology strengthens collaboration between the humanities and psychiatry.

Mads Gram Henriksen has been appointed Professor of Clinical and Theoretical Phenomenology. The professorship is anchored in the Center for Subjectivity Research at the Department of Communication and established in close collaboration with Region Zealand, Psychiatry East, Mid and West Zealand Hospital.

The position combines philosophy and psychiatry. Theoretical phenomenology examines human experience, embodiment and social relations, while clinical phenomenology explores how these may be altered in mental disorders.

“Linking clinical and theoretical phenomenology will provide a better understanding of mental disorders. The position will help strengthen the theoretical foundations of psychiatry and generate new knowledge about human consciousness and its fragility,” says Mads Gram Henriksen.

Mads Gram Henriksen has previously worked as a senior researcher in psychiatry in Region Zealand and is involved in several major research projects. These include an international study of diagnostic agreement among psychiatrists as well as a study of phenomenologically informed psychotherapy targeting self-disorders in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

A current project at the Department of Communication examines presence in human experience, including how the sense of presence may be disturbed, for example in hallucinations. In the coming years, his research will also focus on phenomena such as psychosis and dissociation, where greater conceptual clarity may have implications for diagnosis and treatment.

According to Head of Department Esben Nedenskov Petersen, the professorship is both academically and strategically important for the Department of Communication:

“The professorship in clinical and theoretical phenomenology creates new opportunities for excellent research in collaboration with Region Zealand and highlights how we at the Department of Communication work in close interaction with society. It contributes to a stronger link between humanistic perspectives and health and is a good example of how humanities knowledge enters into external collaborations,” says Head of Department Esben Nedenskov Petersen.

Mads Gram Henriksen will give his inaugural lecture on 30 April 2026 at 14:00. The lecture will take place at Motionshallen in Smedegade 16, 4000 Roskilde, Psychiatry East, Mid and West Zealand Hospital in Roskilde.