New awards for significant achievements

Five members of the university’s staff have been awarded the Elder Gustaf Adolf Medal for extraordinarily significant works. Peter Wallenberg, chair of the board of the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, has been appointed an honorary member of Uppsala University.

Peter Wallenberg new Honorary Fellow

The dignity of honorary fellowship of Uppsala University is conferred on those who, through particularly significant donations or momentous efforts in the public or private sector, have proved themselves especially deserving.

The jury’s justification reads:
Peter Wallenberg is chair of the board of the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and a director of a further eight Wallenberg foundations. With Peter Wallenberg in the chair, over the past decade the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation has consistently supported scientific excellence, primarily through the programmes Wallenberg Scholars and Wallenberg Academy Fellows. Each recipient receives grants in the multimillion-kronor class over a period of years. These grants, together with donations to SciLifeLab, have had an enormous impact on Swedish research and contributed to a number vital long-term research projects of the highest quality conducted at Uppsala University.

Recipients of the Elder Gustaf Adolf Medal

The Elder Gustaf Adolf Medal is also known as the Hedlinger Medal, after its engraver Johann Carl Hedlinger. The gold or silver medal is awarded to individuals who have served very long terms as dean, to department heads who have initiated and directed extraordinarily significant work and to individuals who have performed highly important work on an inquiry or similar commission of significant scope or long duration.

The Elder Gustaf Adolf Gold Medal:

Professor Agneta Skoog Svanberg receives the award for her preeminent research in the field of reproductive health and for her extensive management assignments at the Faculty of Medicine and in the disciplinary domain of medicine and pharmacy.

Post-retirement Professor Elisabet Nihlfors receives the award for her endeavours as dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences, in which role she worked tirelessly to raise the profile of teacher education within Uppsala University and to make it the concern of the entire university. Professor Nihlfors work has also been characterised by inclusive leadership and a profound interest in collaboration with society at large.

Professor Kristina Edström, professor in inorganic chemistry, is an internationally renowned battery researcher. She has occupied a number of management positions including vice-dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences, dean of the Section of Chemistry, member of the University Board, vice-dean for research at the Faculty of Science and Technology, advisor to the vice-chancellor on first-cycle studies and, currently, advisor to the vice-chancellor on infrastructure issues. Professor Nihlfors has also served as head of the research programme STandUP for Energy and been a member of the boards of the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research and Maxlab. She has demonstrated great skill in her leadership.

Professor Emeritus Sverker Gustavsson receives the award for his many years as a tireless advocate and strong, clear scientific voice in the internal discourse at Uppsala University, in public debate and academic writing on the university’s governance, higher education policy in general and the vital role academia plays in society and democracy.

The Elder Gustaf Adolf Silver Medal:

Therése Iveby Gardell joined Uppsala University in 2013 during the merger with Gotland University, where she was chief administrative officer. At Uppsala University she served as head of division and deputy chief administrative officer until 2019, when she left to take up the post of university director at Linnaeus University. She has led a number of extensive change and development projects with skill and integrity, not least in the merger with Gotland University, as part of the Segerstedt Project and work on university-wide IT.

Gustaf Adolf Medals are presented at the annual medal presentation ceremony in May.

Linda Koffmar