University of Turku Confers 12 Honorary Doctors

​The Ceremonial Conferment of Doctoral Degrees of all the faculties of the University of Turku is organised on 25–26 May 2017. In addition to the doctors who have graduated during the last two years, 12 honorary doctors will also be conferred at the event. The honorary doctors were chosen by each of the seven faculties of the University of Turku. Doctors can register to the Ceremonial Conferment of Doctoral Degrees by 28 February 2017.

>> Registration and more information on the Ceremonial Conferment

Faculty of Humanities Confers Head of Centre for Research on Bilingualism

As their honorary doctor, the Faculty of Humanities confers Professor Emeritus Kenneth Hyltenstam, who has been the Head of the Centre for Research on Bilingualism at the Stockholm University. Among other things, he has researched the linguistic characteristics of seniors, both those in good health and those suffering from dementia, and the significance of the age when a foreign language is acquired. Professor Hyltenstam's recent interests have included the special characteristics of polyglots and the phenomena related to high-level proficiency in second and foreign language use, which he has studied with his research group in his extensive project High-level Proficiency in Second Language Use. Professor Hyltenstam has visited the University of Turku as a lecturer several times and the collaboration with the researchers of the Department of English is still ongoing.

Faculty of Education Confers Professor Emeritus in Sociology of Education and Researcher of Cognitive Processes

The Faculty of Education confers Professor Emeritus Ari Antikainen and Professor Anastasia Efklides as their honorary doctors.

Ari Antikainen is the Professor Emeritus of Sociology of Education at the University of Eastern Finland and one of the founders of the discipline in Finland. Among other things, he has studied the global interrelations of educational systems, adult education and lifelong learning as well as higher education and universities. Furthermore, Professor Antikainen has been the President of the Research Committee on Sociology of Education in the International Sociological Association and published about twenty books and approximately more than two hundred scientific articles in several languages. Professor Antikainen is a long-standing partner in co-operation for the Faculty of Education, both as a researcher and expert.

Professor Anastasia Efklidesin is a prominent and internationally highly esteemed researcher in the field of cognitive processes, geropsychology, metacognition, motivation and self-regulation. She has received several awards for her scientific achievements. Professor Efklides has a long-standing scientific connection with Finland, for example, she has acted as an external evaluator in the panels of the Academy of Finland. She has also acted as opponent and pre-assessor of doctoral theses at the Faculty of Education. Professor Efklides and her research group are partners in a project funded by the Academy of Finland: The Social in Learning: Upbringing Socially and Academically Competent, Motivated, and Self- and Co-Regulated Young Learners in School and Family Contexts. Collaboration with Professor Efklides has enriched the learning research at the University of Turku.

Turku School of Economics Confers Professor Emeritus of Political Science and CEO of Valmet Automotive

As its honorary doctors, Turku School of Economics Confers Professor Emeritus of Political Science James Allen Dator from the University of Hawai'i and CEO of Valmet Automotive Ilpo Korhonen.

Professor Emeritus James Dattor is conferred as honorary doctor as an acknowledgement of his work in promoting futures studies and making it a more solid, epistemologically-founded research field in social sciences. Dator was the Professor of Political Science in the graduate program of Alternative Futures, and the Director of the Hawai'i Research Center for Futures Studies. Professor Dator has run the world-famous Hawai'i futures workshops which have increased academic knowledge of participatory futures studies methods.  He was the President of the World Futures Studies Federation and is the Editor of World Futures Review.

As the CEO of Valmet Automotive, Ilpo Korhonen has demonstrated persevering and bold leadership and has therefore influenced the renewal and international success of the company he represents. With his leadership, the company has renewed its strategy, made its production more versatile, increased its internationality, and become a significant operator and employer in Finland. Mr. Korhonen has completed an Executive MBA at Turku School of Economics.

Faculty of Medicine Confers Chairman of Biomaterial Manufacturer and Director of Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine

As its honorary doctors, Faculty of Medicine confers the Chairman of CG Corporation Makoto Nakao and Professor Irving Weissman.

Chairman Makoto Nakao is a highly esteemed business executive who has received several international honours and awards from the business sector, science communities and governments. GC Corporation is one of the biggest companies in the world which manufactures biomaterials for oral healthcare. For years, the company has been in close collaboration with Turku Clinical Biomaterials Centre in developing preventive bioactive composites for oral healthcare and especially composites for gerodontology. In 2013, the collaboration lead to the manufacture of the dental filling composite that won five different innovation and quality awards.

Professor Irving Weissman is a world-renowned expert in immunology, stem cell biology and developing new, innovative treatments. Professor Weissman is the Director of Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at the Stanford University and has received several significant international science awards and honours, such as being selected to the National Academy of Sciences of the United States in 1989. Professor Weissman has worked in close collaboration with researchers of the University of Turku for nearly 30 years. Professor Weissman has also been a founding member in many of the world's leading biotechnology companies and continues to be actively involved in drug development. He has visited the University of Turku several times and his laboratory has hosted University researchers as postdoc or visiting researchers.

Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Confers Researcher of Bacterial Genes and Expert of Knowledge Technology

As its honorary doctors, the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences confers Professor Irina Artsimovitch from Ohio State University and Professor Bernard de Baets from Ghent University.

Professor Irina Artsimovitch's research is focused on microbiology and biochemistry. She is one of the leading researchers in bacterial gene regulation and her discoveries have shed light on the function of antibiotics that prevent bacterial growth. Her most central area of research is studying the virulence genes in pathogens. Because of Professor Artsimovitch's research, it is possible to create more effective vaccinations and antibiotics in the future and to better understand the factors that promote antimicrobial resistance. The University's researchers in Biochemistry have collaborated with Professor Artsimovitch's research group for many years. The leading research in RNA polymerase conducted at Turku began has its roots in this collaboration.

Bernard De Baets holds an M.Sc. degree in Mathematics, a Postgraduate Degree in Knowledge Technology and a Ph.D. degree in Mathematics. He is currently a Full Professor at Ghent University, where he is leading the research unit Knowledge-Based Systems (KERMIT) as well as the Department of Mathematical Modelling, Statistics and Bio-informatics.  At present, Professor De Baets is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Fuzzy Sets and Systems journal and a member of the Editorial Board of several other journals. Professor De Baets has had long-standing, successful co-operation and active researcher exchange with the researchers of machine learning at the Department of Future Technologies.

Faculty of Law Confers Professor of Adminstrative Law

The Faculty of Law confers Professor of Adminstrative Law Olli Mäenpää as their honorary doctor. His scientific achievements are exceptionally extensive and include new initiatives. In his research, Professor Mäenpää has strongly highlighted the prerequisites for good administration and significance of openness in the administration of the public sector. Professor Mäenpää has gained significant merits in university and science administration, doctoral training as well as in different kinds of expert positions on legal issues. Professor Mäenpää has worked in close collaboration with the Faculty of Law, both in its education and especially in doctoral training and research.

Faculty of Social Sciences Confers Pioneer of Logopaedics and Researcher of Social Philosophy

As their honorary doctors, the Faculty of Social Sciences confers Professor Matti Lehtihalmes from the University of Oulu and Professor Emerita of Political Philosophy Susan Mendus from the University of York.

Matti Lehtihalmes has been the longest acting Professor of Logopaedics in Finland. He has been developing the multidisciplinary discipline of logopaedics and its education since the 1980s. His extensive and versatile expertise has lifted the discipline to new heights in Finland. The goal of Professor Lehtihalmes has been to increase international activities and to educate speech therapists and scientist with extensive skill sets. He was selected as the teacher of the year at the University of Oulu for his inspiring education. Videos of his lectures have also been disseminated to the students at the University of Turku. Professor Lehtihalmes has several times acted as an expert in different kinds of expert positions at the Speech and Language Pathology of the University of Turku and in the calls and funding decisions of the Faculty's doctoral programme. His expertise has also been recognised by invitations to both national and international scientific and clinical expert groups.

Professor Emerita Susan Mendus is one of the most well-known social philosophers in Great Britain. She has published several works on questions of tolerance, political responsibility and moral in politics. Professor Mendus is a fellow of the British Academy and a member of the editorial board of several journals. She has visited the Philosophy Unit of the University of Turku and worked in collaboration with the Unit's researchers.

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Photo: Hanna Oksanen