Honorary doctors of the Faculty of Science and Engineering

The Faculty of Science and Engineering at Linköping University appoints one or several honorary doctors every year. Learn more about our recent doctors and how to nominate someone. You may also watch the honorary doctors' lectures.

Portrait of woman on bridgeCharlotta Sund, president and CEO of Tekniska Verken in Linköping. Photo credit Christian Ekstrand

Charlotta Sund, president and CEO of Tekniska Verken in Linköping, has been appointed honorary doctor of the Faculty of Science and Engineering for 2023.

Charlotta Sund will be promoted to honorary doctor for her commitment to collaboration with the university and her strong interest in establishing Linköping and Östergötland as the world’s most resource-efficient region. She is president and CEO of the municipal company Tekniska Verken in Linköping and has an MSc in Industrial Engineering and Management from Linköping University. Under Charlotta Sund’s lead, Tekniska Verken has further assimilated research results from LiU in areas such as industrial symbiosis, biogas and service development. She thereby contributes to research utilisation and to LiU contributing to important societal goals.

Honorary doctors from all faculties will be promoted at the Academic Celebration, which will be held on 27 May at Linköping Konsert & Kongress. Charlotta Sund will also give a public honorary doctor's lecture on 26 May. See details below.

Honorary doctor's lecture 2023

Honorary Doctor's Lecture - Faculty of Science and Engineering: Infrastructure for a resource-efficient society

Charlotta Sund, President and CEO of Tekniska verken in Linköping. The importance of infrastructure in enabling the global resource-efficient society. Lecture in Swedish. Coffee and cake are served från 10.30 am, the lecture starts at 11 am.

Start 26 May 2023, 10.30 am
End 26 May 2023, 12.00 pm
Location Zero, Zenit Building, Campus Valla
Contacts Margareta Johansson
+4613282398

Honorary doctors 2022

The 2022 honorary doctors of the Faculty of Science and Engineering are Lena Miranda, CEO Linköping Science Park; Åke Axelsson, Interior Architect and Furniture Designer, and Arnold Tukker, Professor, Leiden University.

Three men in suits and woman in blue dress in lecture hall2022 honorary doctors of the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Left to right: Lena Miranda, Åke Axelsson, Dean Johan Ölvander and Arnold Tukker. Photo credit Olov Planthaber 

Lena Miranda receives the honorary doctorate of science in recognition of her fierce commitment to collaboration between the university and the business world, and her consuming interest in innovation and entrepreneurship coupled to societal development. After studying media and culture sciences at LiU, she worked in several industries before being appointed CEO of Linköping Science Park in 2014. Lena Miranda has also been chair of the board for Swedish Incubators and Science Parks (SISP), and member of the Swedish National Innovation Council.

Åke Axelsson, interior designer and furniture designer, will also become an honorary doctor of science. During his professional life, he has created furniture for royal buildings, churches and Swedish cultural institutions. He is honoured for his initiatives in furniture as a field of research and education, and in design as a motivating force in sustainable societal development. Åke Axelsson has been highly significant for Malmstens Linköping University on Campus Lidingö and the study programmes it offers in furniture design, cabinet-making, and furniture upholstery.

Arnold Tukker, professor at Leiden University in the Netherlands, has also been awarded an honorary doctorate of science. He is chair of the board of the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Centre for Sustainability, where over 300 researchers focus on systems analysis, technology and design, business models and behaviour, and governance for a circular economy. Arnold Tukker has coordinated major European research projects in resource efficiency, and is being honoured for nearly 20 years of productive collaboration with LiU researchers, giving valuable knowledge and inspiring new research projects.

Honorary doctors' lectures 2022

Lena Miranda

The importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration to meet the increasing complexity of future challenges

(34 min)

Åke Axelsson

Möbler och miljöer – min resa i tid och rum (in Swedish)

(23 min)

Arnold Tukker

Towards the circular economy: the role of science, business, civil society and policy

(40 min)

Honorary doctors' lectures 2020

Cynthia H. McCollough 

Video

 

George Malliaras 

Video

 

Jeannette M. Wing

Video

 

Nominations

Anyone may nominate a person to become an honorary doctor of the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Our policy is to primarily appoint scientifically well-qualified professionals with a personal connection to the Faculty of Science and Engineering, with regard to

  • research,
  • doctoral studies or similar scientific exchange, or
  • pedagogical development.

Professionals outside of the academia having made significant contributions to the Faculty may also be appointed as honorary doctors. Generally, however, someone who is already an honorary doctor at another Swedish university or faculty may not become an honorary doctor of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Linköping University.

Nominations (stating the person's full name and preferably including a CV) can be sent to Margareta Johansson, Secretary of the Faculty Board. The deadline for 2023 nominations is 16 January 2023.

Please note that candidates should not be informed about them having been nominated.

Role models are very important. Since a majority of our past honorary doctors are men, the Faculty is actively encouraging the nomination of female candidates. We also strive for an even distribution of honorary doctors across the scope of the Faculty's research and education.

Honorary doctors 1973-2023

2023
Charlotte Sund

2022
Arnold Tukker, Lena Miranda, Åke Axelsson

2021
No honorary doctors appointed due to the covid-19 pandemic

2020
Jeanette M. Wing, George Malliaras, Cynthia H. McCollough (promoted 2022)

2019
Linda Keeling, Nashwa Eassa, Peter Wallenberg Jr

2018
Jan Carlson

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 Greene, 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

Honorary doctors at Linköping University