UZH Awards Eight Honorary Doctorates

Today, the University of Zurich (UZH) is celebrating its 192nd anniversary at Irchel Campus together with important personalities from society, politics and science. It is the first time that the Dies academicus has taken place on a Friday. UZH President Michael Schaepman invited Tiana Angelina Moser, a Zurich Councillor of States and member of the Green Liberal Party, to deliver the keynote address. Among other topics, she reflected on her own time as a student at UZH. Barbara Bleisch hosted the event, as she has in previous years.

UZH’s administrative and technical staff (ATP) were represented at the event by Ruth Hunkeler-Wittleder and Laura Beccarelli. In their speech, the two co-presidents of the V-ATP association held a mock Nobel Prize ceremony to highlight the offices whose behind-the-scenes work ensures that university operations run smoothly. They reminded us that success is built just as much on the quiet efforts of office workers as on the brilliance of leadership.

In his address, UZH President Michael Schaepman presented the key milestones achieved in the past year as well as some of the potential challenges to this success in the years to come. “Every day, we wake up to news telling us how the global situation is constantly changing and presenting us with ever new challenges. We’re operating in an extremely complex environment.” Against the backdrop of current economic, environmental and political challenges, it’s essential to raise awareness of the importance of basic research and to deliberately and responsibly shape the role of research universities such as UZH within the global community, said the UZH president.

Following the President’s speech, honorary doctorates were awarded. The faculties of the University of Zurich honored five women and three men for their outstanding contributions through their research or life’s work. Each of the recipients was introduced in a short video.

• The Faculty of Theology and the Study of Religion handed out two honorary doctorates this year to mark its 500th anniversary: Prof. Dr. Amy Nelson Burnett of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was honored for her pioneering research on the international impact of the Zurich Reformation in the 16th century. Prof. Dr. Herman Johan Selderhuis of the Theological University of Apeldoorn was recognized for his scientific expertise on John Calvin and the history of Reformed Protestantism.
   
• The Faculty of Law awarded the title to Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Holzleithner. The legal philosopher from Vienna is a pioneering scholar in in the field of legal gender studies.
   
• Prof. Dr. Laura Starks of the University of Texas was honored by the Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics for her exceptional work in sustainable finance and environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.
   
• The Faculty of Medicine presented its honorary doctorate to banking specialist Dr. Christian Rahn for his longstanding financial support of the Children’s University Zurich as well as his commitment to the Neuroscience Center Zurich.  
   
• The Vetsuisse Faculty honored Fredy Knie Jr. for his outstanding achievements as a horse trainer. His work puts the animals center stage and has captured the imagination of the public.
   
• Linguist Prof. em. Dr. Elisabeth Gülich was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences for her research on spoken French, text linguistics, everyday communication and conversation analysis.
   
• The Faculty of Science honored wildlife conservationist Dr. Paula Kahumbu for her research on elephants. Her work on campaigns such as Hands Off Our Elephants aims to reconnect people with nature in Africa.

In addition, the Extended Executive Board of the University appointed Dr. Eveline Saupper and Dr. Christian Wenger as honorary senators, acknowledging their extraordinary commitment to the UZH Foundation and the University of Zurich.

The UZH Teaching Award was presented to Florian Altermatt, professor of aquatic ecology at the Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies. The students in his courses at the Faculty of Science enjoy his well-structured, experiential and enthusiastic teaching style that makes biodiversity palpable, e.g., through excursions in the field and in urban areas.

The in-house fire and rescue services team at UZH received this year’s Team Effort Award for their invaluable contribution to ensuring the safety of the UZH community. Many of the team’s dedicated members volunteer to carry out this hugely important duty on top of their regular work tasks.

This year’s annual faculty awards went to: Dr. phil. Jill Marxer (Faculty of Theology and the Study of Religion), Dr. iur. Luca Ranzoni (Faculty of Law), Dr. phil. Niklas Bürgi (Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics), Dr. sc. Med. Simon Kraler (Faculty of Medicine), Dr. vet. med. Mikiyo Weber (Vetsuisse Faculty), Dr. phil. Philipp Musfeld (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences) and Dr. sc. nat. Mara Knüsel (Faculty of Science).