Doctoral award ceremony 2025: celebrating SLU’s new doctors and award winners
News published:
08/10/2025
On Saturday 4 October, it was time for the Doctoral award ceremony at SLU. During the ceremony 60 new doctors, 20 jubilee doctors and 7 honorary doctors received their degrees. The Arvid Lindman Medal and the SLU Medals for Distinguished Service were also presented.
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.
As per tradition, the procession is led by the Head Marshal, agronomy student Alfred Tingström, along with the student flag procession. Alfred Tingström also serves as the toastmaster at the banquet following the ceremony. Photo: Jenny Svennås-Gillner
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.
SLU’s Vice-chancellor Marie Knutson Wedel gives the opening speech during the ceremony. Photo: Jenny Svennås-Gillner
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.
Senior lecturer Brian Kuns delivers the honorary lecture on the subject "The promise and challenges of science during extreme conflict situations". Photo: Jenny Svennås-Gillner
The doctoral degrees were conferred by faculty. The SLU medals for distinguished service, and the Arvid Lindman Medal were also presented.
This year, we honour 20 jubilee doctors in the doctoral ceremony. 12 of them attend the ceremony. Photo: Jenny Svennås-Gillner
The new honorary doctors of SLU in 2025 together with Maria Knutson Wedel. Front row: Josef Nygren, Torbjörn Lundström, Maria Knutson Wedel and Maggie Roe. Back row: Michael Wingfield, Per Modig, Erik Bengtsson and Olli Peltoniemi. Photo: Jenny Svennås-Gillner
Three of the new doctors at the Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, Shan Zhang, Alberto Zannella and Nathan Zivi. Photo: Jenny Svennås-Gillner
Tova Franzén, Chair of the joint student unions at SLU, delivers the speech on behalf of the student unions. Photo: Jenny Svennås-Gillner
Kerstin Thoren Tolling, Jubilee Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, delivers the Jubilee doctors' speech. Photo: Jenny Svennås-Gillner
Associate professor Mariana Pires Braga, professor and Rector Emeritus Mårten Carlsson and professor Göran Sandberg, This year’s recipents of the SLU Awards for Distinguished Service. Photo: Jenny Svennås-Gillner
Professor Peter Högberg is the recipient of this year's Arvid Lindman medal. Next to him on stage is Joakim Stymne, Chair of the SLU board.
Happy new doctors during the exit of the procession. Photo: Jenny Svennås-Gillner
Mårten Carlsson and Lisa Sennerby Forsse, both of them former Vice-Chancellors of SLU, were two of the guests at the Doctoral Award Ceremony. Mårten Carlsson is one of the recipients of the SLU Awards for Distinguished Service this year. Photo: Jenny Svennås-Gillner
At the banquet in the Hall of State at Uppsala Castle, the menu included poached artichoke, thyme-roasted elk sirloin, and coconut cake with poached pears. Photo: Jenny Svennås-Gillner
Göran Ericsson, professor of wildlife ecology and dean of the Faculty of Forest Sciences, speaks about the characteristics of the moose and it’s behavioral similarities with northerners. Photo: Jenny Svennås-Gillner
Georgos Prokopiou och Farshid Dalir entertained the guests at the banquet with music played on different traditional drums, bouzouki and oud (a kind of lute). Photo: Jenny Svennås-Gillner
