Empa researcher honored

Linda Thoeny-Meyer awarded honorary doctor degree

Jun 12, 2009 | MICHAEL HAGMANN
Great honor for Empa scientists Linda Thorny-Meyer: The University of Lund has awarded her the title of Honorary Doctor of Philosophy. In doing so the highly reputed Swedish institution has recognized Thoeny’s active involvement in the scientific council of the «Academia Carolina».
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Caption: Lund University presents its honorary doctors with a ring. This select group now included Empa researcher Linda Thoeny-Meyer, who received the accolade at the end of May 2009.


«Linda Thöny-Meyer en framgångrisk vetenskapsvinna inom universitetsvärlden och hon är en mycket god förebild särskilt för yngre forskare», in the words of the laudation. Linda Thoeny-Meyer is «a visionary scientists» and «a rôle model for young researchers». In addition to her doctoral degree in the natural sciences, since May 29th the head of Empa’s Biomaterials laboratory has also been entitled to use the title Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa. “I am very pleased to have been so honored, all the more so as it comes as a complete surprise,” says the beaming Empa researcher.
 
The University of Lund has recognized Thoeny’s engagement beyond her own research field. Not only has she taught extensively at the highest academic level – among other positions at the Biology Department of the ETH Zurich – but she has also acted as an examiner of doctoral students defending their dissertations and has supervised various research projects. Above all, though, the Swiss academic was for several years one of the three international members of the scientific council of the university’s Faculty of Science, where she was particularly involved in improving the position of women scientists.
 
 
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Linda Thoeny-Meyer, Head of Empa’s Biomaterials Laboratory, has been awarded the title of Honorary Doctor by the University of Lund in Sweden.
 
 
Lund University, with its 24,600 students, is Sweden’s largest and it looks back on a long history. In 1666 it was founded as the country’s second university, situated in the southern Swedish province of Skåne, not far from Öresund and the Danish capital, Copenhagen. The «Academia Carolina» is one of the most highly reputed academic institutions in northern Europe, its alumni including not just many famous scientists such as Carl Linnaeus, the founder of modern taxonomy, but also economic leaders and politician including several former prime ministers of the country.