Professor Ann Blandford awarded Honorary Doctorate in Computer Science

The award ceremony included celebrations of the academic achievements of staff at AU, as well as the induction of Honorary Doctorates representing the four faculties at AU. By happy coincidence, Professor Niels van Berkel, Ann’s main collaborator at AU, also received an award: for excellence in teaching. Most of the ceremony was in Danish, with simultaneous translation, but fortunately the Hon Docs were not expected to communicate in Danish beyond “tak!”. See https://www.aau.dk/aau-s-arsfest-2025-se-highlights-fra-ceremonien-her-n133465 for photos and a summary (how good is your Danish?).

The ceremony was followed by wine, nibbles, dinner and a dynamic (and noisy!) party with live music, disco, and about 1000 students celebrating alongside staff and external collaborators. Like most academics in Scandinavia, they know how to party.

The previous day had featured a round-table discussion involving the Rector, a Distinguished Professor and the four Hon Docs, with participation of around 40 university staff from all levels. This took place in the university’s Innovation Centre, which is designed to create opportunities for interactions between the university, industry and the local community. The Round Table discussed the evolving geopolitical situation (including but not limited to that in Greenland), the future of AI in university education and career strategies for early career researchers.

Ann gave a lecture on the challenges and rewards of interdisciplinary working across HCI and Healthcare and had inspiring conversations with local colleagues and young researchers in the department. Congratulations, Ann!

Photo by Peter Witten