On 29 March 2018, the University of Antwerp confered honorary degrees ​to five eminent scientists.
Jeffrey Sachs
Honorary degree for General Merit
- Laudation: Rector Herman Van Goethem
- Masterclass The Age of Sustainable Development
Jeffrey Sachs
Professor Jeffrey Sachs (Columbia University, New York) helped lay the foundations for the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, later followed by the Sustainable Development Goals, which have advanced thinking on sustainability all around the world.
Upendra Baxi
Honorary degree in Law
- Laudation: Prof Wouter Vandenhole
- Masterclass: Situating human rights in the postpolitical landscape
Upendra Baxi
The prominent Indian constitutionalist Professor Upendra Baxi (University of Warwick) is an expert in the philosophy of Western law and the founder of a sociology of Indian law. He has played a ground-breaking role in legal activism and training.
John Cryan
Honorary degree in Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences
- Laudation: Prof Jean-Pierre Timmermans
- Masterclass: Gut Feelings - The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis in Physiology and Behaviour
John Cryan
Professor John F. Cryan (University College Cork) studies the interaction between the brain, the gut and the microbiome and how this relates to stress and immune or psychological disorders.​
Michael Slater
Honorary degree in Social Sciences
- Laudation: Prof Heidi Vandebosch
- Masterclass: Four human need, motivation, and goals-based perspectives on Communication
Michael Slater
Professor Michael Slater (Ohio State University) is a leading communication scientist whose research focuses on media effects and how they are created. In particular, his work examines the influence of media on beliefs and behaviour in the domain of public health.
Laurajane Smith
Honorary degree in Design Sciences
- Laudation: Prof Alex Vanneste
- Masterclass: Affective Heritage Practices
Laurajane Smth
Professor Laurajane Smith (Australian National University) has made a substantial contribution to the development of heritage and conservation into a fully-fledged research discipline.
