21 September 2023

Leif Nixon has worked in IT security for many years, hacking and defending almost everything you can think of. Amanda Borneke inspires the construction industry to step up its sustainability efforts. These two are the 2023 Alumni of the Year at Linköping University.

Photo montage: Woman in construction site, man in front of supercomputer
The 2023 Alumni of the Year are Amanda Borneke and Leif Nixon. Photographer: Thor Balkhed/Magnus Johansson

Leif Nixon is a known profile in IT security. With a LiU degree in computer science, he has worked at the National Supercomputer Centre and Sectra Communications, been tasked with hacking CERN in Switzerland and supported police in several countries in their criminal investigations. He is currently a security expert with Combitech in Linköping. ‘In an uncertain world, it is important to reduce the gap between rapid digitalisation and inadequate security measures. Leif Nixon contributes to increasing awareness and knowledge about IT security, and to making the world a safer place’, reads the motivation for his Alumni of the Year award.

Amanda Borneke studied the Environmental Science programme and her career as sustainability expert in the construction industry has rocketed. Since 2021, she has been working at Sweco as a circular economy expert, and she is also a board member of Byggcheferna (an organisation representing construction managers in Sweden). ‘Having a significant climate impact, the construction industry is facing a number of sustainability challenges. Through communication and innovation, Amanda Borneke highlights circular economy and re-use, showing that climate change in this industry is both necessary and possible,’ is part of the motivation for her award.

Honoured on 6 October

Each year, Linköping University chooses two Alumni of the Year to recognise the work and commitment of previous students. (The word “alumni” is Latin and means simply “previous students”.) Amanda Borneke and Leif Nixon will receive the award on Friday 6 October in a ceremony on Campus Valla in Linköping.

Translation: Anneli Mosell

Read more about the Alumni of the Year and the award

Latest news from LiU

Pregnant women in a room.

Body weight important in pregnancy – regardless of country of birth

Overweight is a major contributor to complications during pregnancy and childbirth – this applies to both women born in Sweden and women who have moved here, something that has not been well researched so far.

Two pipettes poring liquids on to a disk.

Research for a sustainable future in ten new projects

Photosynthetic materials, two-dimensional noble metals and sustainable semiconductors are some of the projects at LiU that have been granted funding from the research programme Wallenberg initiative materials Science for sustainability – WISE.

Cheerleaders in a row.

Cheerleaders tell of psychological abuse

Of current and former cheerleading athletes, 29 per cent reported being subjected to psychological abuse in the sport, according to a new study from Linköping University.