Dies Academicus 2021: "Leuphana is my personal and intellectual harbour in Europe"

“Leuphana used to be an underdog and their efforts were rewarded with success," said award winner Prof. Deniz Ones in her acceptance speech. The professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Faculty of Management and Technology for her scientific work in the field of organisational psychology and numerous other outstanding contributions to research. Ones’ research, which she herself described with the German word "unbequem", has direct implications for individuals, organisations and society. For the researcher, Lüneburg is an integral part of her academic network: "Leuphana is my personal and intellectual harbour in Europe." She also emphasised the meaning of education, especially for people who have experienced discrimination and oppression in their lives: "Education is the one thing that no one can take away!"

The second honorary doctorate was awarded to the engineer and President of the Leibniz Society, Prof. Dr. Matthias Kleiner. In his laudation, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Noomane Ben Khalifa emphasised that his work has made enormous contributions to science and society to this day. Kleiner is an outstanding communicator who has the gift of bringing people from different fields together and inspiring them to achieve great goals. In his acceptance speech, Kleiner said of his research, "It takes a sustained process of reflection to get good results." Kleiner praised Leuphana's engineering work: "I'm pleased that Leuphana supports engineering at the Faculty of Management and Technology!"  The engineer concluded by wishing all scholars and students a speedy return to campus.

"Research is an imposition. Insofar as impositions are a challenge to be met, we grow from them." In his speech, President of Leuphana Sascha Spoun appealed to the members of the university: "To impose something on someone implies to grant that person courage. For research-based learning at the university, impositions and challenges on students, researchers and teachers are something that must shape the academic community."

Here you can find information on all other award winners of the Dies Academicus 2021 from the areas of research, teaching, transfer and voluntary commitment.