Björgvin Hjörvarsson Elected for the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Björgvin Hjörvarsson, Professor of materials physics at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University was elected on December 16, 2015 as ordinary member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in the Class for physics.

The Class for physics has 18 members and is one of ten classes within the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences which represent different scientific areas.

It is in the classes the primary work of the academy takes place. The tasks of the members also means to be engaged in various interdisciplinary committees, where questions which demand a broad scientific competence are treated and to take part of the prize labour around the prizes the academy hands out, whereof the Nobel prizes are the greatest.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which is an independent organisation, has the mission to “promote the sciences and strengthen their influence in society” and to be elected into the academy is a great scientific recognition.

“This is a great honor. RSAS' activity is very important and is in many ways an irreplaceable front for the natural sciences, both nationally and internationally,” says Björgvin Hjörvarsson.

The activity of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences began in 1739 and has today in total 450 Swedish and 175 foreign members. The members are elected for life and are ordinary until the age of 65. After that a member has continued rights of attendance and opinion. In total 1600 Swedish members have been elected to the academy since 1739.

Camilla Thulin