Honorary doctors at SLU

Last changed: 11 November 2024

Honorary doctors 2024

SLU appointed six new honorary doctors in 2024 who received their honorary doctorates during the conferment ceremony in Uppsala on 5 October 2024. 

Below, you can read more about the honorary doctors appointed by the SLU faculties in 2024.

Honorary doctors at the Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences

Honorary doctors at the Faculty of Forest Sciences

Honorary doctors at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science

Honorary Doctors 2023

SLU appointed six new honorary doctors in 2023. They received their honorary doctorates during the conferment ceremony in Uppsala on 7 October 2023. Our honorary doctors held their public lectures on 6 October.

Below, you can read more about the six honorary doctors appointed by the SLU faculties in 2023.

Honorary doctors at the Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences

Honorary doctors at the Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science

Honorary doctors at the Faculty of Forest Sciences

Honorary doctors at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science

Honorary Doctors 2022 (2020)

SLU appointed eight new honorary doctors in 2020. Due to the pandemic, they had their honorary degrees conferred upon them on 8 October 2022, in Uppsala. They gave their honorary doctor's lectures in connection with the doctoral award ceremony.

The honorary doctors are presented below, including press photos.

Honorary doctors at the Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences

Honorary doctors at the Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science

Honorary doctors at the Faculty of Forest Sciences

Honorary doctors at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science

Honorary doctors 2019

Honorary doctors 2019

SLU has appointed seven honorary doctors at the doctoral award ceremony on 5 October 2019. The honorary doctors held their lectures on 4 October 2019. 

The honorary doctors are presented below, including press photos and the film from their honorary doctor's lecture.

Honorary doctors at the Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences

Honorary doctors at the Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science

Honorary doctors at the Faculty of Forest Sciences

Honorary doctors at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science

Honorary doctors 2018

SLU awarded six honorary doctors at the doctoral award ceremony on 6 October 2018. They held their lectures on 5 October 2018. 

Honorary doctor at the Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences

Honorary doctor at the Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science

  • Vera Bitsch (including film of the honorary doctor's lecture)

Honorary doctors at the Faculty of Forest Sciences

Honorary doctors at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science

  • Cathy Carlson (including film of the honorary doctor's lecture)
  • Anders Wall (including film of the honorary doctor's lecture)

Honorary doctors 2017

Honorary doctors in 2017

SLU awarded six new honorary doctors at the doctoral award ceremony on 7 October 2017. Read more about them below and in the presentation:

The honorary doctors held their lectures on 6 october 2017.

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science (VH Faculty)

Emeritus Professor Lawrence R. Schaeffer from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, has been appointed Honorary Doctor of Agricultural Science.

He is acknowledged for his efforts within statistical genetics and animal breeding for over more than 40 years. He has also collaborated with the Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics as well as the breeding organisation Interbull.

He is renowned not only for his prominent research within the field, but also for his ability to highlight other researchers' results. An example of this is BLUP (Best Linear Unbiased Prediction), a breeding model used for both livestock and companion animals that was originally developed by Schaeffer's supervisor Charles Henderson, but was spread over the world by Schaeffer.

He is also the originator of the breeding method MACE, which enables researchers to compare breeding animals from many different environments.

Professor Erik Teske, from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, has been appointed Honorary Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

He specialises in oncology, cytology and epidemiology and is an expert on cancerous diseases in dogs. He lectures frequently at SLU and has hosted several doctoral students from SLU in Utrecht. He received his degree in veterinary medicine in Utrecht in 1981 and got his doctorate in 1993 – the subject was non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in dogs.

Today, he is head of Medical Oncology at the Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals in Utrecht. He has also been given many honorary tasks and received awards from various European veterinary organisations.

The Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences (NJ Faculty)

Professor Jonathan Jones, from the Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich, England, has been appointed Honorary Doctor of Agricultural Science.

He is a world-leading researcher, specialising in how plants resist disease and a pioneer when it comes to identifying resistant genes in plants.

Together with his research group, he has done extensive work to understand the interaction between organisms that generate disease and their hosts, primarily two plant families: potato crops and Brassicaceae. His research group has also developed new techniques to more easily identify defence genes in important crops characterised by very large genomes. His pioneering research has given us essential knowledge on how plant defence systems work.

The Faculty of Forest Sciences (S Faculty)

Estate Manager Patrik Alströmer from Alingsås has been appointed Honorary Doctor of Forestry.

Until recently, he was manager of Östad Manor in western Sweden, and has been personally involved in the Faculty of Forest Science's operations, e.g. by granting the use of Östad land for both teaching and research purposes. The Manor is owned by the Östad Foundation which has given contributions to teaching activities at the property, enabling universities to hold courses there. The Manor comprises about 5,000 hectares and offers great opportunities to study forestry and how it can be integrated with other industries.

He is also interested in international issues and has been involved in the Euroforester courses. He retired last year and was succeeded by his son Thore.

The Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science (LTV Faculty)

Professor Edgar B. Cahoon, from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the United States, has been appointed Honorary Doctor of Agricultural Science.

He is a leading researcher within plant biotechnology, primarily specialising in oil plants. Among other things, he runs his own research group in Nebraska and has collaborated with SLU Alnarp for many years.

His research covers everything from genes to fields and his research is truly pioneering when it comes to extracting oils from various oil plants for industrial use as well as developing crops with higher nutritional value. He has collaborated with the industry for a long time, and owns about 30 patents.

Professor Catharine Ward Thompson, from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, has been appointed Honorary Doctor of Agricultural Science.

She is a landscape architect, focusing on what access children and elderly people have to outdoor environments, as well as what these environments mean for our health. She has worked as a landscape architect in both Canada and Britain.

Her research shows how important it is for people to have access to high-quality outdoor environments and open spaces that offer rich experiences for everyone. She is the founder and manager of Openspace, and internationally renowned research centre in Edinburgh. She has collaborated with the LTV Faculty for many years.

Honoray doctors 2016

This year's honorary doctors' lectures were held on 7 October and the doctoral award ceremony took place on 8 October. Both occasions were webcast and the films can be found below, close to the honorary doctors, respectively.

Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science

The Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science, based in Alnarp, have appointed Professor Bill S. Hansson, the first non-German vice president of the Max Planck Society, to honorary doctor. He was born in 1959 and did his doctorate in 1988, became a docent in 1992 and a professor of insect neurobiology and chemical ecology in Lund in 2000.

He was professor of chemical ecology at SLU in Alnarp from 2001–2007 before he was recruited to the Max Planck institute in Jena, Germany. During Bill Hansson's leadership at Alnarp, the chemical ecology research team grew to consist of about 50 people and its international status was one of world leader.

During his time in Germany, Professor Hansson created a new department for evolutionary neurobiology with outstanding scientific development, not least the publications in the highest-ranking international journals. He has "put and will put SLU and the subject of chemical ecology on the scientific world map, now and in the future" the motivation reads.

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science have appointed Professor Glen Broderick from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US to honorary doctor. He is one of the world's leading researchers in milk production. The faculty has also appointed veterinary surgeon Lillemor Wodmar from Vendelsö, Secretary-General of the Swedish Animal Welfare Association.

Glen Broderick, born in 1945, is a prominent American milk researcher who has collaborated with SLU for many years. He did his doctorate in 1972 and today works as a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a sought-after researcher in the field of milk production and has been a guest researcher at SLU twice.

The motivation states that "he has taken plenty of his professional time to emphasise SLU's operations and contributed to successful research in Sweden on ruminant animals' nitrogen metabolism and its significance for the environment and animal health".

Lillemor Wodmar, born in 1951, got her veterinary degree at SLU in 1985 and has had a long professional career. Among other things, she has practised privately, been part-owner of Årstaklinken, worked as a city veterinary officer, veterinary inspector at the National Food Agency, county veterinary officer and has been secretary-general of the Swedish Animal Welfare Association since 2011. As a child, she played the character of Teddy in the successful children's TV series We on Seacrow Island.

The faculty wishes to honour "her veterinary public health achievement in ... work for good animal protection, infectious disease control, and animal health in Swedish food production and food imports". They also want to acknowledge her work at the Swedish Animal Welfare Association.

Faculty of Forest Sciences

The Faculty of Forest Sciences, based in Umeå, has appointed Professor James Clark from the University of York in the United Kingdom to honorary doctor.

James Clark is director of the Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence (GCCE), an international pioneer in his research field with the objective to apply chemistry to biomaterials from forests and agriculture in an environmentally friendly way. He is also the founder and board member of the Biorenewables Development Centre, a link between research and industry to develop environmentally friendly processes and products. He founded the journal Green Chemistry and has produced a long list of his own research articles and books. Together with his research team, Professor Clark has collaborated with the Department of Forest Biomaterials and Technology (SBT) at SLU in Umeå for many years, both in teaching and research, and he has been a unique source of inspiration.

Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences

The Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences have appointed Danish bee expert Preben Kristiansen and the artist Roland Jonsson.

Preben Kristiansen, born in 1953, started out as a teacher but has, since the 1980s, also worked as a bee-keeping adviser. He advised the Danish Bee Breeding Association for four years and then the Norwegian Birökterlag for two years. At the end of the 1990s, he worked as a field assistant at the Department of Ecology at SLU. For the past 20 years, he has primarily been a national consultant on bee health issues for the Swedish National Beekeepers Association). He now lives in Tjällmo, Östergötland. He has collaborated with SLU's bee researchers for many years.

"Through his competence... in connection with scientific thinking, he has made an international impression and ... contributed to giving both Swedish bee-keeping and the operations at SLU a good reputation" the motivation reads.

Roland Jonsson, from Almunge, born in 1958, is one of the country's most famous nature painters, specialising in birds, fish and mammals in their natural habitat. He is represented in collections all over the world, including the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Wyoming in the US. He has also exhibited his work in European countries, the US and Japan. He painted the Nobel Diplomas for three years. He is committed to different nature conservation projects, including restoring the spawning-grounds for Uppland's province fish, the asp.

"He is ... an excellent ambassador for SLU's and the NJ Faculty's values", the motivation reads.

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The six honorary doctors will receive their doctor's degrees at SLU's doctoral conferment ceremony on 8 October in Uppsala.

Professor Detlef Weigel from the Max Planck institute in Germany will also receive his degree in 2016 as he could not attend last year. His presentation text is available under Honorary doctors 2015, below.

Honorary doctors 2015

Six prominent researchers has become honorary doctors in 2015. They held their lectures on October 2 at Ultuna, the day before the degree conferment ceremony on October 3.

Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science, honorary doctor 2015:

Picture of Charles Francis. Photo: Arvid BrelandProfessor Charles Francis has a very strong international scientific profile within sustainable farming systems research, teaching and extension. His field of competence is one of the key areas of the Department of Biosystems and Technology and of Department of Plant Protecetioan Biology.

Professor Francis has many years of experience in collaboration with SLU, especially on development of curricula with in sustainable agriculture and agroecology. It would be highly valuable for the LTV Faculty and SLU to strengthen the links with professor Francis, especially regarding the further development of the Master's -programme in agroecology. His appointment as honorary doctoar at the SLU would definitely facilitate such collaboration as well as strengthen the link to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, honorary doctors of 2015:

Picture of Gunnela StåhleGunnela Ståhle, agronomist, active in the public debate and blogger is, and has been for several decades, a leading, inspiring and driving force in the Swedish food sector. She has taken on major challenges in food supply, both at a national and global level through her work with the Federation of Swedish Farmers and as chair of the European Commission's Standing Group on Animal Welfare. She is appointed honorary doctor by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science for her work and commitment to issues such as reducing the use of antibiotics, food hygiene, improved animal protection and animal welfare for food-producing animals.

Picture of Brian PerryProfessor Brian Perry is a world-leading expert in applied veterinary epidemiology who has published over 250 peer-reviewed scientific articles in his field. Through his entire working life, he has been active internationally and has made outstanding contributions to animal welfare and animal health in developing countries, thereby improving the financial conditions for animal husbandry in these countries. He is appointed honorary doctor by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science above all for his expertise in the fields of epidemiology, the financial consequences of animal diseases and the importance of animal husbandry for development and financial growth in developing countries.

Faculty of forest sciences, honorary doctors of 2015:

Picture of Juha HyyppäProfessor Juha Hyyppä has been a head of department at the Finnish Geodetic Institute, Helsinki, since 2000, as well as director of the Centre of Excellence in Laser Scanning Research. He is a world leader when it comes to the technical aspects of laser remote sensing of forests. He is very productive and ranked highly by several databases based on the number of publications in laser remote sensing. As a world-leading technical researcher in remote sensing of forests, he is an important partner to the faculty.

Pictrue of Hans EliassonHans Eliasson is a former MD of Komatsu Forest and chair of The Forestry Technology Cluster board. The Forestry Technology Cluster is, and has been, of great importance to the Faculty of Forest Sciences, in particular its activities and development work in the field of forest technology. He was one of the driving forces behind the creation of The Forestry Technology Cluster. In cooperation with researchers from the Faculty of Forest Sciences, the cluster is active in developing technical forestry processes, with a focus on how to design the forestry machinery of the future based on expected needs. His work at the cluster has also made the faculty more visible in different national and international contexts, both politically and to authorities and businesses.

Faculty of natural resources and agricultural sciences, honorary doctors of 2015:

Picture of Detlef Weigel.Detlef Weigel is the head of the Department of molecular biology at the Max Planck Institute in Tübingen, Germany.

"Detlef Weigel is a world-leading scientist in the area of plant genetics, genomics and developmental biology. He has pioneered the development of a wide range of resources to further research to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying adaptive traits. These resources have been made available to the entire scientific world through Weigelworld. Detlef Weigel is an ambassador for the implementation of new techniques, not only for use in basic research but also for plant breeding and predicting the performance of wild populations under changing environmental conditions. Detlef Weigel's scientific work is an inspiration to plant biologists everywhere."

Detlef Weigel will not be able to attend this year's degree conferment ceremony. He will be awarded in 2016.

Degree conferment ceremony and lectures of the honorary doctors

Lectures held by the honorary doctors will be held on October 2, 2015. Detlef Weigel will not be able to attend this year's degree conferment ceremony. He will be awarded in 2016.

Honorary doctorates 2014

LU's five honorary doctors appointed in 2014 will give their open lectures on October 3, 2014.
The conferment ceremony takes place on Saturday October 4, at SLU in Uppsala.


Presentation, honorary doctors 2014

Unless otherwise specified, the press photos origin from the Honorary Doctors´ respective organisations,
and are all free for use.

Isabella Lövin, journalist, writer, and since 2009 a member of the EU Parliament for the Swedish Green Party, is most engaged in issues concerning fishery and published in 2007 a book, Tyst hav (Silent seas) which had a major impact in Sweden and abroad.

She is appointed Honorary Doctor by the Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences mainly for her efforts as a journalist and writer. She has "like few others ... put a focus on fishery issues in Sweden as well as internationally", it is said in the motivation.

 

 

Guillermo "Gil" Penalosa, Head of 8-80 Cities, in Canada has by the Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production been appointed Honorary Doctor.

The motivation states a.o. that he is a leading voice on the global scene when it come to the importance of open and green spaces in order to create better urban environments.

Gil Penalosa, originally from Colombia, is head of the organisation 8-80 Cities in Toronto, Canada which works to develop urban environments suitable for all ages ("from 8 to 80").

 

 

Ottoline Leyser, professor at the University of Cambridge, is by the Faculty of Forestry awarded an honorary doctorate, a.o.for her importance in developing plant physiological research at faculty.

She earned her PhD in 1990 at Cambridge in plant genetics. She built up her own research programme at the University of York 1994-2010 before returning to Cambridge, where she now manages the Sainsbury lab. Her research focuses largely on plant genetics and various plant hormones´ interaction with the environment.

 

 

Sandra Edwards, professor at the University of Newcastle is by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science awarded an honorary doctorate. She earned her PhD in 1980 in Reading and became a professor in Newcastle in 2000.
She has in her research focused on pigs´ rearing, feeding, reproduction, welfare and care in extensive and organic production systems.
"Those who met her and listened to her ... are stricken by her high educational ability", it is said in the motivation.

 

 

Ingmar Börjesson, civil engineer and former head of research at Cerealia and later at Lantmännen, is by the Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences awarded an honorary doctorate.
The motivation says a.o. that he "in a very concrete way, helped to increase cooperation between the faculty and the industry in many areas." He has also been involved in faculty training programs in many different ways.

 

Honorary doctorates 2013

The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) has now awarded this year’s honorary doctorates, four in number. The fifth was awarded last year, but the recipient was not able to attend the doctoral conferment ceremony at that time. Perhaps the best known of the honorary doctors is Helena Jonsson, President of the Federation of Swedish Farmers.

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science

Helena Jonsson, an organic farmer and President of the Federation of Swedish Farmers (LRF) since 2011, has been awarded an honorary doctorate in Agriculture by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science. She has a degree in Agriculture and Rural Management from SLU and a herd of some 150 beef cattle on her farm near the town of Tranås. She has been honoured for her work of great importance to Swedish animal production, and for her commitment to national issues concerning the environment, water and ownership, as well as development of the green sectors, along with her commitment to global food supply and energy transition challenges.

Licensed veterinary surgeon Pekka Olson has been awarded an honorary doctorate in Veterinary Medicine by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science. He qualified as a vet in 1975. He is currently Head of Veterinary Strategies at Agria Djurförsäkringar AB, an insurance company specialising in animal insurance. From 1976 to 1996 he worked at SLU as a practising vet, lecturer and researcher in canine and feline internal medicine. Over the years he has published some 40 scientific articles. He is being honoured for his work in supporting research in the field of veterinary medicine to increase our knowledge of diseases in dogs and cats and how they can best be treated, as well as his work on reducing the occurrence of diseases related to extreme in-breeding and for his commitment to animal welfare and the general importance of pets to people and society at large.

Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences

Dr Susan L Senecah of the US has been awarded an honorary doctorate in Agriculture by the Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences. She works at the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry. She specialises in environmental communication, including issues such as popular participation in decision-making processes, conflict management, environmental campaigns and the legislative processes. She is being honoured for her pioneering work in the field of environmental communication, with a unique combination of science and practice, and for her support in the development of the subject of environmental communication at SLU.

 

Photo: Jenny Svennås-Gillner, SLU
(The photo may be used freely in conjunction with articles about SLU’s new honorary doctors; the photographer should be credited)

Faculty of Forest Sciences

Professor Andrés Weintraub Pohorille of the University of Chile has been awarded an honorary doctorate in Forestry by the Faculty of Forest Sciences. The award was announced last year, but he was unable to attend the doctoral conferment ceremony, so he will receive his honorary degree this year instead. Professor Weintraub has been a driving force in applications of forest production research since the 1980s. His projects have often focused on efficiency in cultivation, felling, transport and sawmill production, with the aim of increasing production of renewable forest resources from limited areas of forest. His recent work has also involved planning theory and forest management models. He is also a highly active member of many networks in the field of forestry research.

Faculty of Landscape Planning, Horticulture and Agricultural Sciences

Dr Martine Dorais, Canada, has been awarded an honorary doctorate in Agriculture by the Faculty of Landscape Planning, Horticultural and Agricultural Sciences. She works at Université Laval in Quebec, the emphasis being on development of sustainable horticultural production in a controlled climate (greenhouses and the like). She is a pre-eminent figure in horticultural research in Canada, and her research is highly relevant to the production of vegetables, berries, medicinal, ornamental and nursery plants. She has also collaborated with SLU Alnarp in many ways.

 

Honorary doctorates 2012

All continents of the world are represented among SLU's nine honorary doctors appointed in 2012. They cover scientific areas such as horse feed, livestock production, entomology, plant genetics, cereal and vegetable cultivation, forest science and statistics.

 The lectures of the honorary doctors will be held on October 5, between 9.00 a.m. and 15.00 p.m. The lectures will also be sent live on SLU's web. 

Faculty of Landscape Planning, Horticulture and Agricultural Science


Dr Mark Peoples, CSIRO Plant Industry, Canberra, Australien

Dr Mark Peoples got his PhD at The University of Melbourne. He is Deputy Chief at CSIRO Plant Industry. He is a highly esteemed scientist in agricultural systems. Dr Mark Peoples contributions to science are high within the cereal and legume cultivation in Asia and Australia and he often works closely to the farmers.

Dr Mahmoud Solh, Aleppo, Syria 

Dr Mahmoud Solh is Director General of the ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas) in Aleppo. His honorary doctorate is a way to draw attention to his great efforts to bring research results to farmers in dry areas, primarily in North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia. ICARDA is a CGIAR  center with which SLU has a longstanding partnership.

Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences

Field entomologist Bengt Ehnström, Nås, Sweden

Bengt Ehnström is one of Scandinavia’s leading entomologists and as retired still very active. He has devoted his entire life to insects, from 1977 at SLU in Uppsala and in the early 1980’s he was one of the founders of The Swedish Species Information Centre. Bengt Ehnström books on fauna management in forestry are pioneering works with a tremendous impact in practical forestry.

Doctor Catherine Bastien, Orleans, Frankrike

Dr Catherine Bastien is an internationally well-respected researcher in quantitative genetics. She has developed forest tree refining by combining traditional and molecular selection methods to refine especially poplar. Her work has been of great importance for the refining of woody plants in Europe. Dr Catherine Bastien is also involved in the so called SAMBA  project at SLU.

Faculty of Forest Sciences

Professor Godwin Kowero, African Forest Forum, Nairobi, Kenya

ProfessorGodwin Kowero has played an important role for the development of African forestry. Professor Kowero is Secretary-General at the African Forest Forum where he has shown his great ability to bring out important knowledge in forestry, at regional as well at global level.

Professor Sreenivasa Rao Jammalamadaka, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA

Professor Sreenivasa Rao Jammalamadaka’s research covers a broad spectrum of both theoretic and applied statistics. He is a highly ranked statistician worldwide and is often quoted and has published articles in the most prestigious publications.

Professor Andrés Weintraub Pohorille, University of Chile

Professor Andrés Weintraub Pohorille is nominated as an honorary doctor at the Faculty of Forest Science at SLU. He is unfortunately prevented from attending at the promotion ceremony and will be promoted in 2013.

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science


Agronom Christina Planck, Tidaholm

It is with great commitment that the agronomist Christina Planck has increased the knowledge for the formerly rather unexplored area about nutrition needs and feeding for horses. Planck has worked as a lecturer at SLU. She investigated the precondition to start courses about horses in 1993 and when the government decided to start the education Planck played a very prominent role. Planck has also worked as an adviser and presenter at many workshops and has been an inspiration for many colleagues and for those who have had the opportunity to take part of Christina Planck’s great knowledge.

Doctor of Agronomy Henning Steinfeld, FAO, Rome, Italy

Dr Steinfeld is the chief at Livestock Information at the Agricultural Department at FAO in Rome, Italy. He is originally from Germany but has worked several years at different departments at FAO. Steinfeld is the most influential person regarding livestock effects on the environment. After publishing the book Livestock’s Long Shadow in 2006 where he was the lead author, dr Steinfeld has been frequently engaged by governments, universities and organizations to develop his thoughts about environment sustainability in the livestock area combined with social and economic development.

Honorary doctorates 2011

The honorary doctors from the four faculties at SLU gave their lectures on October 7, 2011. The conferment ceremony took place on October 8, 2011, at SLU in Uppsala.

SLU’s 2011 honorary doctors at the four faculties are:

Child safety and horticulture

Faculty of Landscape Planning, Horticulture and Agricultural Sciences

Barbara Lee works at the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, Wisconsin, US, and is being recognized for her work in preventing injuries among children and adolescents in the agricultural sector.

Kornelia Smalla is scientific director of the Julius Kühn Institute and a professor at the University of Braunschweig in Germany. She is one of the leading figures in ecological microbiology. Her research brings together environmental, medical, and plant-production issues.

Outdoor educator, Nicaraguan professor, and water pioneer

Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences

Susan Humphries has developed a pedagogy based on landscape architecture, cultivation, and culture. As a teacher and headmaster at Coombes School in England her commitment to environmental issues has made both her and the school world famous. Her pedagogy combines traditional teaching with creative work, in the form of both cultivation/planting and drama/theatre. Her work is largely focused on children’s need for good outdoor environments.

Francisco Telémaco Talavera Siles is a professor at Universidad Nacional Agraria (UNA) in Nicaragua. Collaboration with SLU has led to 22 UNA teachers completing master’s degrees at SLU, eleven taking doctorates, and seven more working towards their doctorates. It has also made it possible for students and researchers/teachers from SLU to study tropical agriculture on site in Nicaragua.

Andrew Sharpley was born in England but works today at the University of Arkansas in the US, as professor of soil and water quality. During his thirty-year research career he has been deeply committed to enhancing our understanding of the impact of agriculture on surface and groundwater.

Two members of Swedish Academies

Faculty of Forest Sciences

Maria Norrfalk, governor of Dalecarlia County, holds a master of science in forestry and during her career has served as director general of both the Swedish Forest Agency and Sida (the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency). During the period 1993–2001 she was a member of the SLU Board. Now, among other assignments, she is a member of the board at Swedfund International AB and the council of trustees at the World Wide Fund for Nature. As of 1993 Maria Norrfalk is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry.

Karl-Gustaf Löfgren, senior professor of economics at Umeå University, completed his doctorate in 1977 at Umeå University, where he continues to be active. In the late 1970s he was appointed professor of forest economics at SLU and helped make the Department of Forest Economics one of the world’s leading research environments in the subject. Karl-Gustaf is a member of both the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Dedicated work to benefit animals

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science

Honorary doctor of agronomy Paul B. Siegel, the grand old man of global fowl breeding, works as a professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the US. Following his doctorate from Kansas State University he came to the then Virginia Polytechnic Institute as early as 1957. There his research and teaching has long focused on the impact of breeding on growth, reproduction, and immunology.

Mats Törnquist is a leading figure in Swedish veterinary health for cattle. He has been involved in Swedish preventive animal healthcare specializing in cattle. He built up and is responsible for cattle healthcare at Swedish Animal Healthcare (SvDHV) where he also served as deputy CEO from 2001 to 2010. He actively took part in establishing measures to combat and monitor BVD, blackleg, bluetongue, and PRRS as well as expanding our knowledge of EHEC/VTEC in Swedish cattle.