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Portrait of man on space station (Marcus Wandt)
Honorary Doctor 2024

Honorary Doctors

We are proud of our honorary doctors who in various ways have made important contributions to society, research and education!

Honorary doctors 2024

Portrait of a woman (Seetha Murty)

Two champions for children become honorary doctors

Indian principal Seetha Murty has worked with children’s and young people’s learning throughout her professional life. American professor Cindy W. Christian has devoted her career to developing the care of abused children.
Portrait of man on space station (Marcus Wandt)

An astronaut and a Nobel laureate are new honorary doctors at LiU

The Swedish astronaut Marcus Wandt and the Austrian quantum physicist and Nobel laureate Anton Zeilinger have been appointed honorary doctors at the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Linköping University.

Honorary doctors 2024 - Lectures

Professor Cindy W. Christian

A Short History of Child Abuse Pediatrics: A Long and Winding Road

Cindy W. Christian

Professor of Pediatrics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)

Creating ecosystems for inspired learning. A School leader’s mission for a sustainable society.

Seetha Murty

Principal of the Silver Oaks International Schools
Picture of Anton Zeilinger and Marcus Wandt

Quantum entanglement: from foundations to applications and back, and Perspektiv – En astronauts reflektioner bortom jorden och resan dit (In swedish)

Anton Zeilinger
Professor Em at University of Vienna and Senior Scientist at IQOQI Vienna

Marcus Wandt
Astronaut ESA

The honorary doctorates are conferred at the academic celebration in May

The author Astrid Lindgren, Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden, Volvo Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg, Nobel Laureates Dr Hiroshi Amano and Dr Isamu Akasaki are some of Linköping University's honorary doctors.

The faculties award honorary doctorates annually. The degree is conferred to honour a contribution to society in general or to the faculty’s research or education. The honorary doctors are formally appointed at the Linköping University Commencement Ceremony in May.

Flera personer står utomhus.Astrid Lindgren blev hedersdoktor vid Linköpings högskola 1973. Fotograf Arkivbild: Linköping universitet

News about honorary doctors at LiU

Anton Zeilinger lectures.

10 June 2024

Honorary Doctor and Nobel Laureate lectured on quantum mechanics

Recently, Anton Zeilinger, Professor Emeritus and Nobel Laureate in Physics, was promoted to Honorary Doctor at Linköping University. In connection with the ceremony, Professor Zeilinger also offered a technical lecture.

05 June 2024

“It’s incredible to receive such an award”

Seetha Murty has committed her career to children’s and young people’s learning. She is now an honorary doctor of philosophy at LiU.“It’s amazing! When you put your heart into something and receive such an award, it feels very good,” she says.
Orchestra standing outside holding their instruments over the head

27 May 2024

Academic Celebration with space journey and Harry Potter

This year’s Academic Celebration at Linköping University will take place on 31 May and 1 June. The Celebration will feature lectures by honorary doctors, including astronaut Marcus Wandt, and an Academic Gala Concert with a children’s world theme.

Honorary doctors by faculty

Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Educational Sciences

2024 Seetha Murty (Lecture)
2022 Lucy Henry (Lecture)
2020 Brian Byrne, Richard Olson, Karen O'Brien
2019 Karsten Åström, Alan Prout
2018 Lorenza Mondada, Margareth Sandström, Peter de Wit
2016 Stefan Hammenbeck, Sybille Krämer
2015 Jon Elster, Per Gräslund
2014 Michael Grossberg, Ulla-Karin Hellsten
2013 Rosi Braidotti, Jörg M Winterberg
2012 Gunnar Elfström, Roger A. Pielke Jr
2011 Eva Persson, Jan Stolpe
2010 Uno Svedin
2009 Charles Goodwin, Deborah Johnson
2008 Bertil Almlöf, Paula Fass
2007 Ruth Campbell
2006 Björn Eriksson, Tomasz Szkudlarek
2005 David Goss, Thomas J Sork
2004 Stig Arlinger, Bo Berggren, Dave Boud, Louise Hoffsten, Svein Sjöberg
2003 Ann Phoenix, Lars Bergquist, Lennart Nilsson
2002 Göran Bergengren, Trygve Carlsson
2001 Mike Bury, Harvey Graff, Shirley Walters
2000 Barbro Goldinger, Elinor Ochs, Francis Sejerstad
1999 Karl Grunewald, Evert Karlsson (EWK), Jean La Fontaine
1998 Tamara K Hareven, Lech Mokrzecki, Joanna Rutkowiak, Sven-David Sandström
1997 Paul Burton Bell, Augustin Mannerheim, James V Wertsch
1996 Hazel Francis, Hans Hovenberg, Ingmar Pörn
1995 Cynthia Cockburn, Sven Hellström, Hans Thorbjörnsson
1994 Gunnar Lindqvist, Ivana Marková, Ronald L Malcolm
1993 Jean-François Battail, Christopher W Day, Martin Lönnebo
1992 No honorary doctor appointed
1991 Liucija Baskauskas, Knut Erik Tranøy
1990 Estell Jussim, Torgny Lindgren
1989 Andrew Pettigrew, RK Sivanappan
1987 Inge Johansson, Els Oksaar
1986 Thomas Luckmann, Laurie Thompson
1984 Philippe Bouqet, Gösta Vestlund
1982 Sally Johansson, Otto Oberholzer, Ragnar Rommetveit
1980 Tage Danielsson, Thomas Kuhn, Hans Löwbeer
1977 Sven Fagerberg, Christopher Freeman, Bertil Wahlin
1975 Allan Degerman, Malin Falkenmark, Bengt Feldreich, Edward W Weidner
1973 Per Eckerberg, Astrid Lindgren


Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

2024 Cindy W. Christian (Lecture)
2023 Lennart Nordenfelt (Lecture)
2022 Barbara Riegel (Lecture)
2020 Derek McKay
2019 Peter Larsson, Nick Hopwood
2018 Niklas Ekdal, Pia Minati
2017 Graham Hendry, Sara Mohammad
2016 Ingrid Asp
2015 Jan-Olof Brüer, Torbjörn Kronander, Linda Penn
2014 Paul Batalden, Curt Karlsson
2013 Joel Ernst, Jonas Gardell
2012 Simeon Mining
2011 Åke Björn
2010 Richard P Ellen
2009 David Dance, Jonas Jacobsson
2008 Gerda Antti, Christopher K. Glass
2007 Henrik Ekman, Afaf Meleis
2006 Surendra Sharma
2005 Lennart Johansson, Per Jynge, Ann-Mari Sjösvärd
2004 Philip Cohen, Jeffrey Ford Williamson
2003 Arne Johansson
2002 Ann F Bolger, Louis J Ignarro, Kazuya Taniguchi
2001 Arthur D.Craig, John W.Eaton, Haroun Karap Mengech
2000 Astrid Lindgren, Michael Rosenfeld, Carolyn Beebe Smith
1999 Enrique Cadenas, Gary Kielhofner, Elisabeth Killander
1998 Michael Benjamin, Frej Fyhrquist
1997 Åke Ask, Richard J Heald
1996 Charles Engel, John Reagan, Gregory Schultz
1995 Patrick Holt, Karin von Schilling, Norman W Thompson
1994 H.M. Queen Silvia, Yngve Karlsson, Daniel P Lew
1993 Kenneth A Jacobson, Michael Owen-Smith
1992 Michael P Hlastala, Rajindar Sohal
1991 Alvaro Macieira-Coelho, Howard Eder
1990 Lise Heding, Ron McAuley, Marcus Skogh
1989 Thomas P Stossel
1989 Tom R DeMeester, Ragnar Gustafsson;
1987 Astrid Janzon, Henrik Kehlet, Rudolf Schlaug, Roy H Steinberg
1986 Helen Caldicott, William F House, Moshe Prywes, Kristian Thomsen
1984 Milan R Dimitrijevic, Henry Larsby
1982 Myron B Laver, Alva Myrdal, Charles E Pope II, Torsten Wiesel
1980 Rune Andréasson, Per Arnander, Arnold Feinstein, William Haskell, Jyh-Fa Kuo, Lennart Sundell
1977 Hans Berlin, Arne Lundh, Samuel Spicer
1975 Frederick Crescitelli, Bo af Ekenstam, John Fredrickson
1973 Theodore W Rall, Nils Wranne
1973 Douglas P Bryce, Robert R A Coombs

Faculty of Science and Engineering

2024 Marcus Wandt, Anton Zeilinger (Lecture)
2023 Charlotta Sund (Lecture)
2022 Lena Miranda (Lecture),
Åke Axelsson (Lecture),
Arnold Tukker (Lecture)
2020 Jeanette M. Wing, George Malliaras, Cynthia H. McCollough
2019 Linda Keeling, Nashwa Eassa, Peter Wallenberg Jr.
2018 Jan Carlsson
2017 Hiroshi Amano, Marie Rådbo
2016 Drew Berry, Johan Söderström, Jill Trewhella
2015 Thomas L Marzetta, Mathias Schubert
2014 Natalia Dubrovinskaia, Leonid Dubrovinsky, Heli Jantunen
2013 Henry Etzkowitz, Charles W Tu
2012 Göran Lundin
2011 Anders Wijkman, Christer Öjdemark
2010 Michel Gevers, Marie Westrin
2009 Ivan Petrov
2008 Bengt Åke Bengtsson, Malik Ghallab
2007 Li-Chyong Chen, Åke Svensson
2006 Carter Emmart, Neil B Ingels, Carl-Henric Svanberg, Lu Yongxiang
2005 Mireille Bousquet-Mélou, Håkan Eriksson, Fredrik Lundberg, Torsten Sylvén
2004 Sören Gyll, John Woolam
2003 Uno Alfredéen, David L. Allara, Gunnar Björklund, Shulamith Schlick
2002 Luigia Carlucci Aiello, David T. Clark
2001 Isamu Akasaki, Thomas J. Allen, Almas F. Sadreev
2000 Jean-Luc Brédas, Michael Florian, Richard H. Friend
1999 John U Farley, Bengt Halse, Cleve Moler
1998 Maurice C Bonney, Wolfgang Göpel, Shoogo Ueno, Wolfgang Wahlster
1997 Olli Martio, Michael Pepper, Masaru Shiotani
1996 Germund Dahlquist, A. J. Heeger, Mark S Pinsker, Rolf Wirtén
1995 Robert Glass, Thomas Magnanti, Huang Tuy
1994 Arne Bennborn; Palle Pagsberg, Tatsuo Tagawa
1993 Wolfgang Backé, Bjarne Däcker, Viktor P Havin, James L Merz
1992 Joseph E Green, Gunnar Hoppe
1991 Jerome B Cohen
1990 Thomas Kailath, Alan G MacDiarmid, Homer Warner
1989 Percy Barnevik, Gabor Herman, Ira Horowitz
1987 Stig Hagström, Ingvar Lindqvist, Sigvard Tomner
1986 John H Argyris, John McCarthy, Alfred Fettweis, Tryggve Holm
1984 Erik Bratt, Gene Golub, Ivar Waller
1982 Per-Erik Danielsson, Gösta Luthman
1980 Hans Ahlmann, Grace Murray Hopper, Azriel Rosenfeld
1977 Robert F Rushmer, J C Tanner
1975 Georg B Dantzig, Erik Johnsson, Neville Mott, William Spicer, Maurice V Wilkes
1973 Frid Wänström

First jubilee doctors was honoured at LiU 2023

A woman puts a doctor's hat on the head of a man

LiU’s first jubilee doctors will be honoured at the Academic Celebration

This year’s annual Academic Celebration, on 26–27 May 2023, will have a new feature. As the very first Academic Ceremony in Linköping took place in 1973, LiU will now, for the first time, be able to award the title of jubilee doctor.