Honorary doctorates

Honorary doctor

About Honorary Doctorates

Honorary doctorates are the highest academic accolade that the University confers without the recipient first having defended a doctoral thesis in Denmark.

The vast majority of honorary doctorates are conferred on non-Danish scientists who, as visiting teachers or through international research collaboration, have played a significant role in research and researcher training at the University of Copenhagen.

Researchers and research environments at the University of Copenhagen nominate candidates for honorary doctorates. The academic councils of the faculties concerned then recommend selected nominees to the Rector for final approval.

To qualify for consideration, it is a prerequisite that the individual concerned has conducted extensive and significant research of high international quality.

Read more about the rules and nomination procedure

Honorary doctorates in 2023

At the Annual Commemoration on 10 November 2023, the University of Copenhagen conferred honorary doctorates on:

Professor
Heinrich Assel
Faculty of Theology
University of Greifswald
Germany
Theology

Professor
Rebecca Comay
Department of Philosophy
University of Toronto
Canada
Theology

Professor
Astrid Erll
Institute of English and American Studies
Goethe University
Frankfurt am Main
Germany
Philosophy

Professor
Leonardo López Luján
National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and
National School of Conservation, Restoration, and Museography
Mexico City
Mexico
Philosophy

Professor
Paul Dupree
Department of Biochemistry
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
Science

Professor
Laurie Goodyear
Joslin Diabetes Center
Harvard Medical School
Boston, USA
Science