Five new honorary doctors named in science and technology

British energy researcher AbuBakr Bahaj, born in 1952, is a Professor of Sustainable Energy at the University of Southampton, UK. His research concerns, among other things, renewable energy and energy efficiency enhancement, marine energy and energy supplies in developing countries. Bahaj was named one of the 100 foremost researchers in the UK by the UK Science Council for his ability to combine science and engineering with an understanding of the local society’s needs and political decision-making processes. For more than ten years, Professor Bahaj has very actively collaborated with researchers at the Ångström Laboratory and he has also been a visiting professor at Uppsala University.

Henry N. Chapman, born in 1967, is a Professor of Physics at Universität Hamburg, Germany. He leads a division at the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science at DESY, Hamburg, where algorithms, instruments and methods for X-ray imaging are developed in cooperation with leading materials researchers and structural biologists. Together with researchers from Uppsala University, Chapman has conducted innovative experiments where complex biological molecules have been depicted with ultrafast and extremely intensive X-ray pulses from the free-electron laser. The collaboration has created a new interdisciplinary research domain, which gathers researchers from various disciplines, ranging from biology to chemistry and physics, to develop new methods for atomic imaging and has resulted in a large number of joint publications.

Professor Gene Likens, born in 1935, is one of the founders of the Cary Institute of Ecosystems Sciences, USA. His research has, among other things, concerned ecology in forest and water environments and he was early to point out mankind’s role in environmental changes such as acidification. Professor Likens was an advisor regarding these issues at both the state and national level in the U.S. and he has been awarded the National Medal of Science and the Blue Planet Prize. His ties to Uppsala University are strong, including a period as a visiting professor in 2011-2013 where his passionate commitment to environmental issues inspired both senior researchers and doctoral students.

Stefano Moretti, born in 1966, is a Professor of Particle Physics Phenomenology at the University of Southampton, UK. His research concerns physics beyond the standard model, such as supersymmetry and, since 2006, he has led the NExT Institute which ties together theoretical and experimental research in particle physics, especially in connection with CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. For nearly 20 years, Professor Moretti has regularly visited Uppsala for cooperation with the faculty’s group in theoretical high-energy physics, resulting in some 30 research articles. Moretti’s participation in seminars and discussions has enriched the high-energy research at Uppsala University in a very positive manner.

Jean-Pierre Sauvage, born in 1944, is a Professor at the Université de Strasbourg, France. Sauvage is an inorganic chemist, specialised in supramolecular chemistry. He was one of the pioneers in artificial photosynthesis in the 1970s and 1980s, and in 2016, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the design and synthesis of molecular machines. His relationship to the faculty has been warm and generous for the past 20 years. Sauvage was an important support in the build-up of the Swedish Consortium for Artificial Photosynthesis (CAP) that was placed at Uppsala University in 2006, and the scientific cooperation has taken place, for example, through researcher exchanges, guest lectures and joint publications.

The conferment will take place in the University Main Building on 26 January 2018.