Dies Natalis 2025

In the Ufo building, but also via livestream

The academic ceremony with the presentation of the honorary doctorates took place on Friday 21 March at 15:30 in auditorium Leon De Meyer, Ufo building, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 33, Ghent.

The ceremony could also be followed via livestream on this page, with an English simultaneous interpreter. You can rewatch the whole ceremony below.

Closure speech Rector Rik Van de Walle

Read the full text of the closure speech

Opening speech Vice-Rector Mieke Van Herreweghe

Meet the honorary doctors 2025

On Dies Natalis, Ghent University will award six honorary doctorates. Based on social merits, we will award an institutional honorary doctorate to Ms. Christiana Figueres. In addition, five honorary doctorates will be awarded based on scientific merits.

An institutional title for: Ms. Christiana Figueres

Former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
(Costa Rica)
Promotor: Professor Rik Van de Walle, Rector

Christiana Figueres (°1956, Costa Rica) rose to fame as the former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the so-called Climate Treaty. She held this position from 2010 to 2016. Since then, she has been regarded as one of the most respected voices in the global climate movement. Christiana Figueres has remained active in the climate movement even after her work at the UN. She is the co-founder of Global Optimism, an organization that advocates for positive climate action. Global Optimism works with companies, governments and individuals to promote sustainable solutions and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.

"Christiana Figueres is a bridge builder and a world-class negotiator. With her exceptional talent for bridging different points of view, she knows how to create harmony and bring trust to the often heated climate debate. She connects not only opinions, but also people, while always keeping the global goals in mind. Ghent University is therefore particularly proud that Ms. Figueres will accept the honorary doctorate, and we look forward to welcoming her to our academic community.” (Rector Rik Van de Walle, promotor)

Acceptance speech of Ms. Christiana Figueres

Mr. Gunter Demnig

Visual artist (Germany)
Promotors: Professor Koen Aerts and Professor Bruno De Wever, Faculty of Arts and Sciences

The German artist Gunter Demnig has a great public impact, partly due to the social significance and scientific relevance of his work. With his art, he has been committed to raising awareness of the fundamental values ​​that underlie a humane and inclusive society for many years. As an artistic activist, he has an extensive track record, but perhaps his best-known work is the Stolpersteine, stumbling stones that cannot be bought, but donated. Spread across footpaths throughout Europe, these stumbling stones encourage passers-by to reflect on the personal stories of victims of National Socialism.

Professor Sandra Fredman

Professor of the Laws of the British Commonwealth and the United States & Director Oxford Human Rights Hub, Faculty of Law, University of Oxford - Professorial fellow at Pembroke College, Oxford (United Kingdom)
Promotor: Professor Pieter Cannoot, Faculty of Law and Criminology

Professor Sandra Fredman is an eminent legal scholar known for her significant contributions to the development of (comparative) equality and anti-discrimination law, and human rights law. Throughout her distinguished career, she has combined academic excellence with a commitment to social justice, making her a major influence on both legal theory and practice. One of Fredman’s most influential scholarly contributions has been her work on comparative equality and anti-discrimination law, in which she has advanced the notion of substantive equality. Fredman’s work is also interdisciplinary, combining insights from economics, sociology and philosophy to deepen the legal understanding of social justice. Marginalised groups and minorities are therefore central to her research. Fredman’s insights have been applied worldwide by courts in Europe, Canada, South Africa and India, among others. She is the Director of the Oxford Human Rights Hub, a digital platform that brings together academics, practitioners and policymakers from around the world to advance the understanding and protection of human rights and equality.

Professor Marina von Keyserlingk

Professor of Animal Welfare (Applied Animal Biology Program), Faculty of Land and Food Systems, The University of British Columbia (UBC), NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Animal Welfare and Academic Director, UBC Dairy Education and Research Centre (Canada)
Promotors: Professor Christel Moons and Professor Frank Tuyttens

Professor von Keyserlingk has dedicated her entire academic career to animal welfare. Her interdisciplinary approach focuses on identifying measures and methods to improve the lives of the animals we keep. She is also among the first in her field to combine experimental and qualitative methods in addressing animal welfare issues. Together with her colleagues and students, she has conducted groundbreaking studies that have led to improved care for farm animals worldwide. She has more than 350 peer-reviewed publications to her name, making her one of the highest-ranked and most influential scientists in the field of animal and veterinary sciences. Although most of her work focuses on finding solutions to improve animal welfare in dairy farming systems, she has also made scientific contributions to the welfare of other livestock species, laboratory animals and companion animals.

Dr. von Keyserlingk is a globally recognized leader in her field and a role model and mentor to her students. Her dedication to her students has enabled them to build successful careers in academia, government and beyond.

Professor Liza Korsten

Professor in Plant Pathology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences - Co-Director of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) - National Research Foundation (NRF) Centre of Excellence in Food Security, University of Pretoria (South Africa)
Promotors: Professor Marijke D'Haese and Professor Mieke Uyttendaele (Faculty of Bioscience Engineering)

Professor Liza Korsten specializes in plant pathology and food safety of plant products with a strong interest in food security. In 1992, she developed the first biological control agent in South Africa for the fruit sector. She has since focused on crop protection and good agricultural practices in plant production and post-harvest processes, always taking the agro-food system as a whole as a starting point (before the term ‘food system’ became widespread). In her approach, she strives to ensure an economically viable plant production chain (from farm to fork) that provides sufficient and safe food, taking into account local challenges for the community as well as the expectations of a global food chain. In this field, she is a pioneer avant la lettre in achieving global sustainability goals (SDGs) for a stable and prosperous society. She is co-director of the Centre of Excellence in Food Security in South Africa and has been president of the African Academy of Science since August 2023. Professor Korsten has been working with the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University since 1996. She is a model of multidisciplinarity and successful research in the Global South.

• Mini-Symposium: No Food, No Future - Let's Fix That!
  • Tuesday 25 March, 16:00
  • auditorium Oehoe, Blok E, Campus Coupure, Coupure Links 653

Professor Klaus Kümmerer

Professor of Sustainable Chemistry and Material Resources, Director of the Institute of Sustainable Chemistry (INSC), Leuphana University Lüneburg (Germany)
Promotors: Professor Evelien Wynendaele and Professor Serge Van Calenbergh, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Professor Klaus Kümmerer makes an outstanding contribution to sustainable pharmaceutical sciences and chemistry. He is globally recognized as a leader in advancing environmentally friendly chemistry, with important work on the environmental behavior of pharmaceuticals and the concept of “Benign by Design”. His research has helped shape the field by creating chemicals and materials, with a focus on pharmaceuticals, that reduce environmental damage, which is crucial in addressing global ecological challenges. His international focus and influence are demonstrated by his leadership roles, including that of Director of the Research & Education Hub at the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Center (ISC3), a position he held from 2017 to the end of 2024. In addition, his membership of the European Commission’s High-Level Roundtable on the Sustainable Chemicals Strategy underscores his strategic role in shaping environmental policy in Europe and beyond. Professor Kümmerer is also an active member of numerous national and international committees, such as the DFG Senate Committee on Water Research, UNEP’s Global Chemical Outlook, and the EU Technology Platform SusChem Europe.

Dies Natalis at Ghent University

Every year, on the penultimate Friday of March, Ghent University celebrates its Dies Natalis or birthday with a solemn session in the Aula and the presentation of honorary doctorates. Contrary to what you might think, this celebration is a fairly recent ritual.

Read more about the history of our Dies Natalis (in Dutch)