The inauguration of professors is a ceremony to welcome those who have become professors during the year. This year, the Vice-Chancellor will inaugurate nearly 30 new professors in many different fields. Some examples of their research include ways to prevent skin cancer, the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence at school, and how thin layers of material can alter the properties of an object and even multiply its lifespan many times over.
The ceremony, to be held at Kårhuset Kollektivet in Linköping, will also honour two award winners. One of the awards will be presented for the first time – the Ingemar Ingemarsson Interdisciplinarity Prize. Boel Berner, professor emerita at LiU, is the first recipient of this award. The second award – the Uncle Adam Prize for outstanding research at the Faculty of Medicine – has been awarded since 2020. This year, it goes to Colm Nestor, senior associate professor of medical genetics.
Alumni of the Year, a new feature
A new feature of the Academic Ceremony is that the Alumni of the Year will be celebrated and receive their diplomas in connection with it. The Alumni of the Year 2025 are Mattias Philipsson,who has made major contributions towards strengthening Sweden’s position in plastic recycling, and Lisa Lundström, who is involved in the development of innovative heating solutions for industry. As in previous years, they also each give a lunch lecture on the same day in Studenthuset on Campus Valla. Alumni of the Year is an annual award that is given to two former LiU students to highlight their efforts and commitment
In recent years, the Academic Celebrations have grown ever bigger, with the increasing number of new doctors and professors. This is one reason why it is now being split into two. As of 2026, the honorary doctors’ lectures and conferment ceremony will also be moved from spring to autumn, whereas the conferment ceremony for new doctors will be held in the spring, just as before.
After the ceremony, the participants will take part in a torchlight procession to Frimurarehotellet, where a banquet rounds off the evening.
Translation: Anneli Mosell