Dies Natalis 2021 online edition
On- and offline. Always connected. This is how Ghent University opened its academic year in September. Because we had to, and because we could.
We’re embracing that same connectedness for Dies Natalis 2021. With an online edition that you can follow from the comfort of your own home. Unorthodox, sure. But the programme will make you forget you’re not sitting in the majestic Aula.
Naturally, on Dies Natalis we will be celebrating our honorary doctors for their exceptional scientific and/or social merits. Some traditions are too good to change.
We would like to invite you to join us in paying tribute online to eight honorary doctors. Be sure to mark 19 March in your calendar, from 15:00 to 16:00 (CET). You will be able to follow the online ceremony through this page.
List of honorary doctorates:
- Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee: inventor of World Wide Web
Chief Technology Officer Inrupt
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (United States)
University of Oxford (United Kingdom)
Promotor: Professor Rik Van de Walle, Rector - Mr Milo Rau: Swiss theatre director and author, artistic Director of the NTGent
Promotor: Professor Rik Van de Walle, Rector - Professor Iain Stewart: director Sustainable Earth Institute
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth (United Kingdom)
Promotor: Professor Marc Van Meirvenne, Dean faculty of Bioscience Engineering - Professor Dame Mary Beard
Newnham College, University of Cambridge (United Kingdom)
Promotors: Professor Lieve Van Hoof & Professor Koen Verboven, faculty of Arts and Philosophy - Professor John Knox
Wake Forest University School of Law (North Carolina, United States)
Promotor: Professor Luc Lavrysen, faculty of Law and Criminology - Professor Katrin Hinrichs
Clinical Studies-New Bolton Center University of Pennsylvania (United States)
Promotor: Professor Ann Van Soom, faculty of Veterinary Medicine - Professor Dave Goulson
School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex (United Kingdom)
Promotor: Professor Guy Smagghe, faculty of Bioscience Engineering - Dr Ajit Baron Shetty
Former Managing Director Janssen Pharmaceuticals & Corporate Vice-President Johnson & Johnson
Chairman Flemish Institute of Biotechnology (Belgium)
Promotor: Professor Dieter Deforce, faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences