Quintet becomes new honorary doctors at Mid Sweden University
Mid Sweden University's five new honorary doctors will be the international researchers Frances Lucy, Hanspeter Kriesi and Walter Lorenz, as well as picture book creator Pija Lindenbaum and noted DNA genealogist Peter Sjölund.
The honorary doctors will be recognized at the Academic Ceremony in October.
− We have recently completed our first academic ceremony after just over two years of pandemic and now we can look forward to a new festivity in October where we will have the opportunity to celebrate five more honorary doctorates, says Hans-Erik Nilsson, Dean of the Faculty of Science, Technology and Media.
The honorary doctorate means that the appointed persons can call themselves as doctors.
− Since the honorary doctors are appointed as an appreciation for outstanding achievements in any of our fields or for our region, the 2022 honorary doctors can be said to represent an excellent mix of just that. We hope to tie them even closer to Mid Sweden University in the future," says Anna Olofsson, Dean of the Faculty of Human Sciences.
Frances Lucy works at Atlantic Technological University, Sligo (ATU Sligo) in Ireland and is an internationally recognized researcher in the field of invasive species. She has been one of the driving forces for developing extensive collaboration with Mid Sweden University, including through annual teacher and student exchanges. With an extensive international research network, she has also reviewed grants to both the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. She is also a member of the advisory committee of the Irish Environmental Protection Agency.
Hanspeter Kriesi, professor of political science at the European University Institute in Florence, conducts research relevant to many sectors at Mid Sweden University and also interacts with the university today. He has previously taught at the universities of Amsterdam, Geneva and Zurich as well as led a Swiss national research program on "Challenges to Democracy in the 21st Century". His extensive research interests include the study of direct democracy, social movements, political parties and interest groups, public opinion, the public sphere, and political communication.
Peter Sjölund from Gudmundrå, Västernorrland County, has through DNA genealogy contributed to the solved of one of Sweden's most high-profile murders, the double murder in Linköping. DNA genealogy means that modern forensic techniques, together with traditional archival science, can create new forms of evidence, a development that is in its beginning. Peter's work and involvement in the field has not only increased the understanding of our own history, it has also increased interest in archives and the information that archives can offer.
Pija Lindenbaum, born and raised in Sundsvall, is one of Sweden's foremost picture book creators. With an insufferable children's perspective, combined with humor and a unique sharpness in expression, she has in a long series of picture books since her debut in 1990 defended the child's right to be itself, and also raised issues of democracy and human rights. She has also sat on chair no. 14 in the Swedish Academy of Children's Books 1999-2007. Lindenbaum has won the August Prize for Gittan and the Grey Wolves (2000) and the Snowball Picture Book Prize for her latest book Vitvivan och Gullsippan (2021). Her work has contributed to the development of both the art of picture books and the art of literature education in preschool.
Walter Lorenz is a professor of social work and is one of the leading figures in Europe regarding global and critical perspectives on social work. Until 2016, Lorenz was vice-chancellor of the University of Bozen, Italy, and since 2017 he is a visiting professor at Charles University in Prague. He belongs to Mid Sweden University's first generation of international partners. Through the involvement in the European Center Community Education (ECCE), contact with the subject of social work was established more than 30 years ago, initially through the then School of Social Work and later Mid Sweden University. Lorenz's scientific production is of central importance for the development of the global and intercultural profile of Mid Sweden University's social work education.
Contact persons for the honorary doctorates:
Anna Olofsson, Dean, Faculty of Human Sciences, 070-680 30 32, anna.olofsson@miun.se
Hans-Erik Nilsson, Dean, Faculty of Science, Technology and Media, +46 (0)10-142 87 39, hans-erik.nilsson@miun.se