The Ceremonial Conferment of Honorary Doctoral Degrees of 2021 will be organised as a virtual event on Friday, 8 October 2021. In the ceremony, the University of Turku will confer honorary doctoral degrees on 15 people appointed during the University’s centenary year in 2020. They will receive title of the honorary doctor for their scientific merits, collaboration with the University of Turku, or because of their impact on society.
The recipients of honorary doctoral degrees were originally appointed already in the centenary year of the University of Turku in 2020 and were supposed to be conferred honorary doctoral degrees in the Ceremonial Conferment of Doctoral Degrees of the centenary year in May 2020. The centenary year ceremony was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and as a result, the honorary doctorates will be conferred in a separately organised virtual Ceremonial Conferment of Honorary Doctoral Degrees.
In addition to the honorary doctors of each faculty, the Faculty of Humanities and Faculties of Science and Technology will confer one joint honorary doctoral degree to celebrate the centenary of 2020.
The Ceremonial Conferment of Honorary Doctoral Degrees will be organised on Friday, 8 October 2021 as a virtual event.
Welcome to follow the ceremony!
Honorary Doctors 2021
Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Science and Faculty of Technology
The Faculty of Humanities, the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Technology are conferring a joint honorary doctor in celebration of the 100-year anniversary in 2020.
Hanna Nurminen
Chair of Kone Foundation Board of Trustees Hanna Nurminen is conferred as an honorary doctor for her significant achievements in advancing multidisciplinary research and supporting new initiatives in humanities, natural sciences and engineering at the University of Turku.
Faculty of Humanities
The Faculty of Humanities confers Professor Laura A. Janda from UiT The Arctic University of Norway and Professor Rita Felski from the University of Virginia (US) and the University of Southern Denmark as honorary doctors.
Laura A. Janda
Professor Laura A. Janda is conferred as an honorary doctor for her great merits as a scholar and developer of cognitive linguistics. Professor Janda has also advanced the cognitive linguistics research at the University of Turku.
Rita Felski
Professor Felski is conferred as an honorary doctor as a recognition for her significant work in aesthetics, comparative literature, feminist theory, cultural studies, and modernity and postmodernity, as well as for her work in advancing the multidisciplinary study of reading and cultural theory research at the University of Turku.
Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Technology
Managing Director Jan Meyer (Meyer Werft) and Professor Nora Berrah from the University of Connecticut are conferred as the honorary doctors of the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Technology.
Jan Meyer
Doctor Jan Meyer receives the title of honorary doctor as a recognition for his work as a developer of expertise-driven business, a supporter of high-quality and multidisciplinary higher education, and an instigator of dialogue and collaboration between academia and business life. Doctor Meyer has supported the development of engineering education at the University of Turku as a major player in the field.
Nora Berrah
Professor Nora Berrah is conferred as an honorary doctor for her achievements in the investigation of x-ray and ultrafast interaction of molecules, and especially for her pioneering research in free electron lasers.
Faculty of Medicine
The Faculty of Medicine confers Professor Emeritus Uwe Ewald from the Uppsala University and Journalist Tiina Merikanto from the Yle national broadcasting company as honorary doctors.
Uwe Ewald
Professor Emeritus Uwe Ewald is conferred as an honorary doctor for his merits in neonatal care, especially in developing countries, as well as for his contribution to neonatal intensive care in the Nordic Countries.
Tiina Merikanto
Journalist Tiina Merikanto is conferred as an honorary doctor for her achievements in journalism, especially in covering the Finnish social welfare and health care reform. She has discussed the reform objectively and professionally in the public debate.
Turku School of Economics
Turku School of Economics confers professor Erik Brynjolfsson (Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki professor at Stanford University) and Chair of Board Panu Routila (Patria Oyj, Oriola Oyj, Fortaco Oy ja Green Industry Park Oy) as its honorary doctors.
Erik Brynjolfsson
During his extensive career, Professor Erik Brynjolfsson has studied the effects of technology, and especially that of information technology and AI, on innovations, productivity and future work in digital commerce. His research on companies, markets, and prices are based on innovative use of micro and macro economic models and substantial empirical data.
Panu Routila
Chair of Board Panu Routila is conferred as an honorary doctor as a recognition for his work in the management of significant national and global companies. He has worked as the CEO of Konecranes in 2015–2019, and before that as the CEO of Ahlström Capital, among other things.
Faculty of Law
The Faculty of Law confers Deputy Parliamentary Ombudsman Maija Sakslin and President of the Supreme Administrative Court Kari Kuusniemi as its honorary doctors.
Maija Sakslin
Deputy Parliamentary Ombudsman Maija Sakslin receives the title as a recognition for her long-term, effective work in promoting equality and realisation of social rights.
Kari Kuusiniemi
President of the Supreme Administrative Court Kari Kuusniemi is conferred as an honorary doctor as a recognition for his versatile and effective work in reshaping environmental law research and instigating dialogue about legal issues.
Faculty of Social Sciences
The Faculty of Social Sciences confers Professor Robert E. Goodin (Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Australian National University) and professor of practice Riitta Monto as its honorary doctors.
Robert E. Goodin
Professor Robert E. Goodin receives the title of honorary doctor as a recognition for his internationally renowned and pioneering work as a scholar of political theory and advocator of analytical and neutral argumentation.
Riitta Monto
Professor of practice Riitta Monto is conferred as an honorary doctor as a recognition for her actions in promoting tolerance and understanding in society and maintaining versatile public debate.
Faculty of Education
The Faculty of Education confers Professor Lisbeth Lundahl from Umeå University and Professor Emeritus Jouni Välijärvi from the University of Jyväskylä as its honorary doctors.
Lisbeth Lundahl
Professor Lisbeth Lundahl is one of the most respected professionals in international comparative educational research and has participated in several research projects that compare national education policies with those of multinational organisations. She has concentrated on studying change in education policies and management, rise of the economic ideology, and privatisation of education.
Jouni Välijärvi
Professor Emeritus Jouni Välijärvi has worked as Professor of Education, Director of Finnish Institute for Educational Research, and as the national coordinator of OECD’s PISA assessment programme. Furthermore, he has been a member and chair of several educational expert groups in the OECD, EU, Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, National Board of Education, Association of Finnish Municipalities, and Trade Union of Education in Finland.
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