Honorary Degrees
At certain Congregation ceremonies the University awards honorary degrees to candidates who have been nominated by University staff and approved by Senate. During the ceremony a speech (oration) of the life and work of the graduand is presented prior to conferring the award, the orations for recent honorary graduates are published for information. All members of staff are encouraged to submit nominations for the award of honorary degrees at future Congregations and for the new Chancellors Medals to former academic staff.
The honorary degrees to be conferred at Summer Congregation 2013 (with one further award to be confirmed) are:
Lynne Brindley, Honorary Doctor of Civil Law on Wednesday 26 June at 2:00 pm
Dame Lynne Brindley is a professional librarian and was Chief Executive of the British Library from 2000-2012. Under her leadership the Library went through a major strategic overhaul and modernisation programme, thus ensuring its position as one of the world's great national libraries. She studied Music at the University of Reading and Librarianship at University College London. She held leadership positions in information technology and knowledge management at Aston University and at the London School of Economics before joining KPMG as a senior consultant. She was Pro Vice Chancellor and University Librarian at the University of Leeds before moving to the British Library. In 2008 she was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year Honours List.
Eamon Duffy, Honorary Doctor of Divinity on Friday 28 June at 9:00 am
Professor Eamon Duffy is Professor of the History of Christianity at Cambridge University. He is a leading historian of Catholicism in the English Reformation and a founding member of the Catholic Theological Association of Great Britain. Born in Ireland, he studied at the University of Hull and Selwyn College, Cambridge before joining Durham's Department of History as a Postdoctoral Fellow. He returned to Cambridge in 1979 and is a Fellow and former President of Magdalene College. He was a member of the Pontifical Historical Commission and sits on numerous editorial boards and advisory panels, including the Fabric Commission of Westminster Abbey. He is widely published and is a frequent broadcaster on radio and television.
Peter Ware Higgs, Honorary Doctor of Science on Thursday 27 June at 11:00 am
Professor Peter Higgs is a theoretical physicist whose landmark research theorised the existence of the Higgs boson. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, he studied Physics at King's College, London before joining the University of Edinburgh as a Senior Research Fellow. He worked at University College and Imperial College before returning to Edinburgh University as a lecturer in Mathematical Physics. He was promoted to the role of Reader, elected FRSE in 1974, FRS in 1982 and F Inst P in 1991. He retired in 1996, becoming Professor Emeritus at the University of Edinburgh.
Atifete Jahjaga, Honorary Doctor of Civil Law on Thursday 27 June at 9:00 am
Atifete Jahjaga is President of Kosovo. Born in the former Yugoslavia, she studied law at the University of Prishtina. She worked with the UN Mission in Kosovo as an interpreter and adviser before joining the Kosovo police service in 2000. She was promoted through the ranks of major, colonel to general major with responsibility for border policing. In 2009 she was deputy general director of the police of Kosovo until her election as president of the republic of Kosovo on April 7, 2011. She has continued her studies throughout her career, studying at the University of Leicester, University of Virginia and is continuing her master's studies in international relations at the Faculty of Law at the University of Prishtina.
Adetokunbo Oluwole Lucas, Honorary Doctor of Science on Tuesday 25 June at 4:00 pm
Professor Adetokunbo Lucas is a medical doctor and former professor of international health at the Harvard School of public health. Born in Nigeria, he studied medicine at King's College, Durham University, graduating in 1956 followed by postgraduate training in internal medicine and public health. From 1960 to 1976, he taught internal medicine and public health in Ibadan, Nigeria. He directed the World Health Organisation's Tropical Diseases Research Programme from 1976 to 1986. He was appointed Professor of International Health at Harvard University in 1990 and he is currently an adjunct professor at this institution. He serves on expert and advisory committees of various national and international organisations.
David Phillips, Honorary Doctor of Science on Wednesday 26 June at 4:00 pm
Professor David Phillips is one of the UK's leading scientists. Born in South Shields he gained his BSc and PhD from Birmingham University. He continued his postdoctoral studies in Texas and Moscow before joining the University of Southampton as a lecturer in Physical Chemistry. From 1980 to 1989 he was Wolfson Professor of Natural Philosophy at the Royal Institution. He was appointed as Professor of Physical Chemistry at Imperial College in 1989, where he held numerous senior roles including Senior Dean until he retired in 2006. He was president of the Royal Society of Chemistry until 2012 and is currently Senior Science Ambassador, Schools, Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Investigator at Imperial College.
Wolfgang Schomburg, Honorary Doctor of Civil Law on Wednesday 26 June at 11:00 am
Judge Wolfgang Schomburg is Chair of the Centre for Criminal Law and Criminal Justice of Durham University. Born in Germany he read law at the 'Freie Universitat Berlin' and the London School of Economics. He returned to Berlin where he worked as a Public Prosecutor and Undersecretary of State at the Senate Justice Department. He was a Judge at the German Federal Court of Justice before serving as a Judge at the United Nation (UN) International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. He was a Judge of the Common Appeals Chamber of International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and of the UN International Tribunal for Rwanda. In 2008 he was awarded the Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Gillian Constance Weir, Honorary Doctor of Music on Tuesday 25 June at 2:00 pm
The internationally renowned musician Dame Gillian Weir has been in the forefront of her profession since winning the St Albans International Organ Competition in 1964 while still a student, followed by a spectacular debut as concerto soloist in the First Night of the Proms and as the youngest organist to give a solo recital at the Royal Festival Hall. A unique career as a virtuoso concert organist performing in the world's greatest concert halls and with its leading orchestras followed. She is celebrated both for her artistry and for her audience appeal, her reputation extending well beyond the world of the organ; and she is acclaimed in particular as a pre-eminent scholar and interpreter of the music of Olivier Messiaen.
