Pharmaceutical expert, nanophysics professor and entrepreneur new honorary doctors at LTH

Biotechnology expert Abdu Alayash, Professor of Nanophysics Frances M. Ross and economist Björn Savén have been awarded honorary doctorates by Lund University’s Faculty of Engineering. “These people have made important contributions in fields that are also challenges for society; pharmaceuticals for future diseases, new materials for competitive information technology, and new solutions for future green enterprise”, says Anders Axelsson, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering (LTH).

Abdu Alayash

Abdu Alayash is in charge of evaluation and verification of biologic and biomedical drugs at the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He also carries out extensive research of his own and is among the leading researchers in the field of biologic drugs, especially for the treatment of haematological conditions. Dr Alayash has also worked to develop blood replacement products in a number of different collaborative projects.

At Lund University, Dr Alayash has had great importance for the developments within biochemistry and protein technology, including through his lectures on the MSc Biotechnology and supervision of engineering undergraduates and doctoral students.

“No other drugs have played such an important part in our ability to treat diseases effectively as the biologic drugs, while they also test our confidence. This is a major future challenge for the pharmaceutical industry”, says Leif Bülow, proposer and Professor of Applied Biochemistry.

Frances M. Ross

Frances M. Ross is head of the Nanoscale Materials Analysis Department at IBM T.J. Watson Research Center in New York. Dr Ross conducts research on structures and dynamics on surfaces and interfaces in semiconductors and other materials. Her most important research method is electron microscopy. She has been pioneering in the development of a system in which it is possible to study how structures change and grow in real time and at atomic level, which is very important for the understanding of the growth of nanostructures.

Dr Ross spent seven months as a visiting professor at nCHREM, the National Centre for High Resolution Electron Microscopy, at Lund University. A number of LTH’s young researchers have had the opportunity to undertake extended research trips as visiting researchers in her research group at IBM.

“Reinforcing our knowledge and skills in this field is important to meet the need for knowledge that will come with ESS and MAX IV”, says Reine Wallenberg, Professor of Nanophysics and one of Frances M. Ross’s proposers.

Björn Savén

Björn Savén is an economist and works with business development and structural changes. He has demonstrated an impressive ability to develop technical expertise for successful companies. He has invested in some 80 companies and has become involved in Lund University's Faculty of Engineering (LTH) through his involvement in Alfa Laval and Perstorp. He has previously sat on the boards of Orkla, Nordea, Vattenfall and Konecranes, among others. Mr Savén is also Vice President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences.

For the past five years Mr Savén has provided financial support for the establishment of a skills centre, the Centre for Electromagnetic Energy Conversion (CEMEC). At the centre, work is carried out to develop smaller, more efficient and cheaper motors and transformers that make energy transfer and conversion greener. He has actively participated as a lecturer and inspirational speaker at different events. Today he is helping to plan the future organisation and financing of the centre.
About the honorary doctorates:

An honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Engineering (LTH), Lund University, is awarded in recognition of outstanding contributions to academic research within the faculty’s areas of expertise, and for contributions to LTH. The honorary doctorates are presented at the University’s doctoral conferment ceremony in Lund Cathedral in May. Those who already hold a doctorate from Lund University cannot receive an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Engineering.

For more information, please contact one of the proposers: Leif Bülow (Dr Alayash), Reine Wallenberg, Lars Samuelson and Knut Deppert (Dr Ross) and Mats Alaküla and Mats Andersson (Mr Savén). All contact details can be found at www.lunduniversity.lu.se – enter a name into the search field.