Honorary doctors 2017

A former county governor and a bird flu expert to become new honorary doctors

This year, the faculties have appointed two new honorary doctors at Linnaeus University; Kristina Alsér, the former county governor of Kronoberg County, has been appointed for the faculty of technology and the school of business and economics, and Björn Olsen, professor and bird flu expert, has been appointed for the faculty of health and life sciences.

Kristina Alsér is a true entrepreneur and has worked in different roles to promote and develop entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs. As county governor, she invested a lot of energy and skill in the development of the region and she is the initiator of many collaboration projects between the academy, the industry and the public sector.

Kristina Alsér's commitment to questions relating to technology and the natural sciences and her development of the industry in the county has close links to the faculty of technology and her commitment continues to benefit Linnaeus University in its work to develop its education and research.

In particular, Kristina Alsér's contribution to the following projects has been highlighted:

• "Mot nya höjder" for which she was the initiator of what has now become the Kronoberg model for inspiration from technology and the natural sciences for children and adolescents.

• "Smart Housing Småland" where she was a contributing factor that public Småland supported the venture on accommodation and construction in wood and glass.

• "Skogsstrategi Småland" which she initiated in order to put focus on the challenges and possibilities of the forestry industry in southern Sweden, with the aim of establishing a skills centre within forestry research and education in southern Sweden.

Kristina Alsér will be appointed honorary doctor by the faculty of technology and the school of business and economics jointly.

Björn Olsen is a senior physician and professor at Uppsala University. He is an academic who has managed to break new ground and think in new ways.

When the bird flu was the topic on everyone's lips, Björn Olsen established the zoonotic research at the then Kalmar University and created a multidisciplinary research environment where biologists, veterinarians and physicians worked together with ecology and epidemiology in connection to zoonotic viruses and bacteria.

Björn Olsen helped put the higher education institution on the map through good research and very active and outgoing work. He also helped establish good relations with the county council. His merits as mentor are also worth mentioning; he has contributed to the fostering of a number of successful research careers.