Doctor Honoris Causa ceremony: humanism, creativity and openness
March 25 marked a highly symbolic event for our university, in which we awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa to eight exceptional talents.
Eight committed figures
Embodying the values and commitments that are the very essence of the university, the presence at the Sorbonne of these exceptional scientists and writers was an obvious choice.
Through the way they shed light on the world and enrich it with their discoveries, our honorees help our societies to evolve, transcend the boundaries of their homelands, and nurture a stimulating dialogue between cultures.
In a world facing turmoil, the message conveyed by their respective works - openness to the world and to difference, equality, solidarity, humanism, diversity, integrity - set the tone for the battles to be waged in the name of the common good, at the forefront of which are the Sciences and Humanities.
The Sorbonne University community is as honoured to have welcomed such exceptional talents as it is proud to have been graced by their presence.
Nathalie Drach-Temam, president of Sorbonne UniversityThroughout your careers, your contributions and your legacy, you embody the hope of a reinvented world.
Relive the ceremony!
Cérémonie des Docteurs Honoris Causa
Rediscover their journeys
Giovanna Mallucci
Sorbonne University has a special place in my heart. When I was a child, Marie Curie was the inspiration for my career. And her historic place within this university is emblematic for me.
Jean-Jacques Muyembe
“Receiving an honorary doctorate from Sorbonne University is an immense honor. The work of African scientists is often unrecognized, and this distinction contributes to their visibility.”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“I've always wanted to write. Writing is my vocation and my religion. It's what gives meaning to my life. More than ever, we have to value different points of view. We need to be committed to a multicultural project.”
Oliver Primavesi
“It's hard to imagine an award that could mean more to me than an honorary doctorate from Sorbonne University.”
Rémi Quirion
“It's our duty as researchers to interact with our governments and civil society. We can no longer stay in our laboratories and hope for the best.”
James Skea
“I'm proud to be working on the challenges facing humanity through my work with the IPCC. This is our common, global objective, and without multidisciplinarity, without multilateralism, we won't achieve it.”
Olga Tokarczuk
“It is with great joy that I receive this honorary title. I am aware that I stand before you as a person from another world, an unknown place and an indefinite time, where neither scientific tools nor critics play an important role (...). We find ourselves in a very uncertain, perhaps even dangerous, period of world history. The old political order seems to be collapsing, while the new one, emerging before our eyes, is taking disturbing forms.”
Maryna Viazovska
“At a time when everything is being called into question, we can no longer take academic freedom for granted. We have to defend it.”
The ceremony in pictures
Credit© Corentin Bonnin et Axel Coquemon
