In 2010, the University of Antwerp’s honorary doctorates were conferred on 29 April. The university awarded five honorary doctorates: four for scientific merit and one for general merit.
Scientific merit
Prof Moshe Ben-Akiva
Moshe Ben-Akiva, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), received an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Applied Economics. Ben-Akiva has made an enormous contribution to the field of analysing and modelling business and consumer choices. His work has many applications in diverse fields such as transportation and transport systems, marketing, financing, economics, health, politics, sociology and medicine.
Supervisor: Prof Hilde Meersman
Dr Frank De Winne
The Faculty of Medicine’s honorary doctorate was awarded to astronaut Frank De Winne. As an ESA astronaut, De Winne played an essential role in scientific research into the effects of weightlessness on human physiology.
Supervisor: Prof Floris Wuyts
Prof Andre Geim
Andre Geim, professor at the University of Manchester, received an honorary doctorate in Physics from the Faculty of Science. He has made an exceptional contribution to various domains of physics.
Supervisor: Prof François Peeters
Prof Hendrik C.J. van Rensburg
The Faculty of Political and Social Sciences awarded its honorary doctorate to Hendrik C.J. van Rensburg of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of the Free State in South Africa. He has had an exceptional career, playing a significant role in the social policy of the new South Africa and carrying out research of international renown.
Supervisor: Prof Francis Van Loon
General merit
Dr Rajendra Pachauri
Nobel Prize winner Rajendra Pachauri is Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which received the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Al Gore in 2007. Pachauri has drawn attention to the fact that global warming may lead to increased stress on our water supplies and water shortages may in turn lead to lower food production, resulting in undernourishment in certain regions. Illnesses may spread more easily and safety will be reduced due to diverse weather phenomena and rising sea levels. Global warming will also have an irreversible impact on biodiversity.
Supervisor: Prof Patrick Meire