Doctoral award ceremony 2025: celebrating SLU’s new doctors and award winners

The doctoral award ceremony is SLU’s largest annual celebration. As always, the day was a magnificent white tie occasion, accompanied by processions and majestic music.

In her welcome speech, Vice-Chancellor Maria Knutson Wedel reflected on the new knowledge that the new doctors represent and on what it means to be a university in the present age. She pointed out that the benefits of new knowledge are sometimes clear and sometimes impossible to imagine, but that all new science-based knowledge gives humanity opportunities and choices. Her conclusion was as follows: The theses we celebrate may lead to innovation, entrepreneurship, greater competitiveness, important decisions, or spark curiosity. What we know is that our new doctors personify scientific thinking and the core values of academia. They possess a crucial skill that could be SLU’s most significant contribution today to a sustainable and democratic society.

This year’s honorary lecture, “The promise and challenges of science in extreme conflict situations” was given by Senior Lecturer Brian Kuns. He presented preliminary research findings on how the war in Ukraine has affected the performance of the country’s agriculture and on opportunities to restore areas that have suffered extensive environmental degradation. He also described the conditions that apply to his Ukrainian research colleagues, and how the themes that have become important in his own research are also important for us outside of Ukraine.

The doctoral degrees were conferred by faculty. The SLU medals for distinguished service, and the Arvid Lindman Medal were also presented.

Photos from the occation are available in a news article on the public web site.

Further reading

• The doctoral award ceremony and the honorary doctors
• The SLU medals for distinguished service