Celebration of science, learning and new knowledge
The last Friday in September, Stockholm University celebrated its newly appointed doctors, professors, jubilee doctors and honorary doctors of the past academic year. During the academic ceremony at Stockholm City Hall, the President also presented the Award for Good Teaching as well as gold medals in two sizes.
The September sun shone brightly into the Stockholm City Hall as Stockholm University celebrated the 2025 Inauguration and conferment ceremony. The festive hall was filled with guests and decorated with flowers in rich autumn colours as well as flags representing this year’s honorary doctors.
“Academic freedom is a precondition for universities to carry out their mission”
In his opening speech, President Hans Adolfsson asked the question what a university really is and what is required to be able to freely generate and disseminate knowledge in order to meet society’s need for knowledge and skills supply:
“It is impossible to overstress that academic freedom is a precondition for the ability of universities to carry out their mission with quality and credibility, thus serving as one of the foundations for society’s defence of democracy as the form of governance.”
He addressed the increased polarisation and mistrust of culture, the media, the judiciary and academia that exists in certain political circles and which is putting severe pressure on the cornerstones of democracy in many parts of the world.
“We are happy to assist politicians by providing scientifically based information to enable them to take sensible decisions, but we are not a tool to be used to carry out assignments derived from political agreements,” he said.
Looking back on the past academic year, the President highlighted, among other things, the government’s relaunch of strategic research areas. Stockholm University has very good competence within all of the eight designated areas, he pointed out. Intensive activity is now underway to write applications together with other Swedish universities, where the University’s researchers can participate in bringing out new knowledge for the development of society. Several of the planned collaborations will be carried out within Stockholm Trio together with Karolinska Institute and KTH.
“As President I am proud that Stockholm University is an attractive and successful university, attracting excellent students and staff from all over the world, something that we will all be able to witness during today’s inauguration and conferment ceremony.”
169 new doctors participated
During the ceremony in the City Hall, 169 new doctors were conferred. They have successfully defended their theses and received their doctoral degrees at Stockholm University between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025.
The ceremony also saw the installation of 41 new professors who took up their duties during the same period. During the evening, 18 jubilee doctors were also conferred, four of which in absentia. The jubilee doctors received their doctoral degrees at Stockholm University 50 years ago.
Collaboration between research communities can get you far
The inaugural lecture was given by Dan Petersen, professor at the Department of Mathematics, who spoke about ‘The modular space of Riemann surfaces’. Riemann surfaces are a type of two-dimensional geometric object that has been studied since the 1850s. In his research, Dan Petersen investigates what happens when these Riemann surfaces change and deform, and he describes the research area as a kind of mathematical Rosetta Stone:
“It is rather unique, even within mathematics. It appears in many dramatically different contexts, and can be studied from so dramatically different perspectives: complex analysis, hyperbolic geometry, algebraic geometry, geometric group theory, homotopy theory, arithmetic geometry, dynamics...”
The different contexts mean that, as a researcher, you collaborate with several – completely different – research areas within mathematics, he says:
“My experience is that you can get far by taking tools and methods from one research area and applying them to questions that arise in another,” Dan Petersen said.
Three teachers received the Award for Good Teaching
During the evening the Award for Good Teaching was awarded to recognize good pedagogical efforts and their importance for students’ learning. The 2025 award winners are Juan Carlos Cruz Suárez, Department of Romance Studies and Classics, Eva Fromholz, Department of Social Work, and Eva Hedlund, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics.
Six honorary doctors were conferred
At the ceremony, six honorary doctors were also conferred, all of whom have made outstanding contributions to the university’s areas of academic activities. This year’s six honorary doctors are: Philippe Aghion, Patrizia Calefato, Thomas von Heijne, Mats Melin, Gita Mishra and Åsa Simma.
Gold medals to Astrid Söderbergh Widding and Anders Karlhede
The President also awarded gold medals to two people who have promoted the university’s activities in various ways. The university’s former President Astrid Söderbergh Widding was the 2025 recipient of the University’s large Gold Medal and Anders Karlhede was awarded Stockholm University's Gold Medal of the 8th size.
Watch the broadcast from the ceremony (until 10 October 2025) (in Swedish)
Last updated: September 30, 2025
Source: Communications Office