LTH marks jubilee year with five new honorary doctorates

The Faculty of Engineering (LTH) at Lund University has decided to appoint Charlotte Falvin, Lena Ek, Giancarlo Spinelli, Federico Capasso and Örjan Larsson as honorary doctors. Usually only very few honorary doctorates are awarded each year, but because LTH is celebrating its 50th anniversary as a school of engineering this year, five awards are being made – one for each decade.

“With these five honorary doctors we want to demonstrate LTH’s breadth and diversity. The individuals’ work reflects LTH’s important role in influencing regional development, interacting with Europe for a sustainable society, cutting-edge research, internationalisation and innovative enterprise”, says Anders Axelsson, dean of LTH.

Charlotta Falvin, born 1966, is senior director of Research in Motion (RIM) in Malmö. Until earlier this year she was managing director of TAT. Charlotta Falvin has made great achievements as a business developer, business leader and pioneer in establishing new forms of cooperation between academia and industry. Her work has also been of decisive importance for LTH’s innovation activities and industry cooperation, both directly and through her contacts and the companies she has headed.

Lena Ek, born 1958, is a specialist in international public law, a Member of the European Parliament (Centerpartiet) and a firm advocate of environmentally friendly chemical engineering and biotechnology. She sits on the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and has a strong interest in issues that are important to LTH, in particular within environmental technology development. Her work has also led to the modernization of Europe’s chemicals policy and the implementation of Europe’s chemicals legislation.

Giancarlo Spinelli, born 1946, is a professor of theoretical mechanics and since 1981 has worked at Politecnico di Milano. His research areas have been continuum mechanics and relativistic mechanics, but he has also been a key figure in the internationalization of higher education for several decades. With his personal leadership he has fostered cooperation between Europe’s leading technical universities, always with a focus on the common good and with great understanding of the cultural differences between countries. Professor Spinelli has played a particularly important part in promoting the role of LTH in international networks and internationalization projects.

Federico Capasso, born 1949, is a professor of applied physics at Harvard University and one of the world’s foremost researchers in the design of hetero- and nanostructures. He is behind a host of unique concepts for electronic and optoelectronic applications. Federico Capasso has influenced the research carried out in Lund in various ways, both within basic experimental and theoretical semiconductor physics and for applications focused on high-speed electronics and nanophotonics. He visits Lund several times a year and also acts as an adviser to several companies at Ideon Science Park.

Örjan Larsson, born 1946, is a civil engineer and an LTH alumnus. From 2001 to 2010 he was project manager for Citytunneln in Malmö, which was an extremely successful construction project from an engineering, environmental, financial and time perspective. He is a pioneer in establishing active cooperation between customers and entrepreneurs. He has sound experience of major construction projects, such as Citytunneln and the Öresund Bridge, and is a role model for engineers working in the public sector.

The 2010 honorary doctorates will be awarded at the University’s doctoral degree ceremony in Lund Cathedral on 27 May 2011.

Questions about the appointments and requests for images should be addressed to Beatrice Nordlöf, faculty coordinator, tel.: +46 46 222 71 90 or +46 705 25 09 78, beatrice.nordlof@kansli.lth.se.

Footnote: An honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Engineering (LTH), Lund University, is a sign of great appreciation for outstanding contributions to LTH’s areas of activity.