SLU appoints seven new honorary doctors

SLU will award the seven honorary doctors at the doctoral award ceremony on 5 October 2019. The honorary doctors will hold their broadcast lectures on 4 October.

Here are short presentations of the honorary doctors that SLU's four faculties have appointed. Click on the name for a more detailed presentation and press photos.

Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Crop Production Science

Landscape architect Helena Bjarnegård has been appointed Honorary Doctor in Agricultural Science. In autumn 2018, Bjarnegård was appointed Sweden's first state architect, at the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, which is tasked to coordinate architecture and designed living environments.

Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences

Professor Irena Creed, University of Saskatchewan, Canada, has been appointed Honorary Doctor of Agricultural Science. She is one of the world's pre­eminent leaders in the field of water resources, and leads several major research projects with topics ranging from wetland carbon and nutrient sequestration to "algal bloom assessment through science, technology and education".

Professor Pamela Ronald, University of California, Davis, USA, has been appointed Honorary Doctor of Agricultural Science. She studies genes that control resistance to disease and tolerance to stress in rice, with the goal of improving food security for poor farmers.

Faculty of Forest Sciences

Professor Emerita Natasha Raikhel, University of California, Riverside, USA, has been appointed Honorary Doctor of Forest Sciences. She is one of the most highly cited researchers in plant science, and has made important contributions to the knowledge of molecular processes in plants' cell walls and in intracellular membrane trafficking. She is also a pioneer when it comes to using chemical biology in plant research.

Professor Jason Shogren, University of Wyoming, USA, has been appointed Honorary Doctor of Forest Sciences. His research and teaching in the subject of natural resource economics largely falls within the field of behavioural economics, which helps explain and encourage environmentally desirable behaviour in individuals and companies. He has studied climate policy and biodiversity conservation, focusing on how financial incentives can improve both the economy and the environment.

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science

Professor Kerstin Lindbladh-Toh Uppsala University and Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, USA, has been appointed Honorary Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. She is a world-leading researcher in comparative genomics, especially mammalian genetics. She has led mappings of the genomes of more than 30 different vertebrates, including important domestic animals such as horses and dogs. By mapping genes and mutations of relevance to diseases such as autoimmune diseases, neurological diseases and cancer, she increases the possibility of finding new ways to slow down and cure these diseases in both domestic animals and humans.

Director Thomas Randolph, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya, has been appointed Honorary Doctor of Agricultural Science. He has published a large number of high-quality scientific articles on the theme of animal disease in low-income countries. His contributions have often concerned the social and economic effects of these diseases. He currently leads a research program for food-producing animals (CRP Livestock) within ILRI.