Type | Public |
---|---|
Established | 1970[1] |
Parent institution | University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Science |
Head of Department | Professor Jakob Grue Simonsen[2] |
Location | , 55°42′08″N 12°33′41″E / 55.7022984°N 12.5613498°E |
Website | di |
The UCPH Department of Computer Science (Danish: Datalogisk Institut, DIKU) is a department in the Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH). It is the longest established department of Computer Science in Denmark and was founded in 1970 by Turing Award winner Peter Naur. As of 2021, it employs 82 academic staff, 126 research staff and 38 support staff. It is consistently ranked the top Computer Science department in the Nordic countries, and in 2017 was placed 9th worldwide by the Academic Ranking of World Universities.[3]
DIKU has its roots at the Institute for Mathematical Sciences, where in 1963, the first computer was bought.[4] In 1969, Peter Naur became the first professor in Computer Science at the University of Copenhagen, and in 1970, DIKU was officially established its own department.[5]
As of 2021, the department is home to 82 academic staff, 126 research staff and 38 support staff. Research is organised into seven research sections:[6]
The department offers programmes at BSc as well as MSc level, both in core computer science and in interdisciplinary subjects. Bachelor's programmes are 3-year programmes and mostly taught in Danish, whereas Master's programmes are 2-year programmes and taught in English. In 2020, DIKU enrolled 610 new Bachelor's students and 136 new Master's students.[12] As of 2021, DIKU offers the following study programmes:[13]
In addition, the department awards the research degree Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). PhD students are enrolled in the Faculty of Science's Doctoral School for a typical study period of between three and four years.[14]
DIKU is based at University Park in Copenhagen, part of the university's North Campus. Its building complex comprises the former Department of Anatomy. The building was completed in 1942 to design by Kaj Gottlob.[15]
The Human-Centered Computing Section is located in Sigurdsgade, close to the North Campus.
An important social event is the DIKU revue which is held each year in June. The DIKU revue is always in competition with the physics revue and never misses an opportunity to computer-animate the complete and utter destruction of the physics institute at the H. C. Ørsted Institute.
As something unique among the institutes of Copenhagen University, the DIKU cantine is entirely student driven and open 24 hours. It is the natural hub for all social events on DIKU.
The two largest social events are the DIKU revue and the Julefrokost (Christmas lunch) of the canteen.
The domain diku.dk
was registered on October 29, 1987, and was one of the first .dk domain names to be registered.[16]
The popular DikuMUD codebase was developed at DIKU in March 1990, and derives its name from the institute.[17]
In the 1994 Danish thriller Nattevagten (Nightwatch) directed by Ole Bornedal, the main entrance and stairwell of the institute was used as a main location.