Castells one of four honorary doctors at KTH

Common to the four honorary doctors are their relationships with the Royal Institute of Technology, and they have become considerable assets to research, training and exchange of experience at various levels.

Manuel Castells

Manuel Castells, Professor of Communication Technology and Society at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, is one of the world's leading analysts of the social and political implications of the emergence of the Internet. He is ranked 5th in the world among the "Leading Scholars in the Social Sciences".

Manuel Castells is perhaps best known to the general public for his books, notably The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture and The Internet Galaxy - Reflections on the Internet, Business and Society, which has been translated into many different languages. Many governments and also the EU Commission have used his services as an adviser. He has many contacts within the Royal Institute of Technology and his work has provided inspiration for research and teaching at several KTH Schools.

Alberto Isidori

Alberto Isidori, Professor of Automatic Control at the University "La Sapienza" of Rome, is one of the foremost researchers in Automatic Control. His primary academic achievements have been within non-linear control, where his books Nonlinear Control Systems I and II have become standard reference works at universities around the world and have been quoted more than 4,500 times.

His research efforts are rooted in a deep understanding of mathematics and have led to the solution of several important problems in nonlinear control. He has received many awards and other honours for his efforts. Since 2008 he has been President of the International Federation of Automatic Control and is currently involved in three joint projects with KTH researchers.

Larry Leifer

Larry Leifer, Professor of Design Research at Stanford University has, for many years, demonstrated a strong commitment to developing new methods for student learning and social development.

He is the founder of the Center for Design Research and the Stanford Learning Laboratory, and has contributed greatly to the creation and development of the scientific field entitled Mechatronics (a course in design) and Product Development at KTH and the national research programme PIEp (Product Innovation Engineering), a ten-year programme funded by VINNOVA. The advent of the KTH Learning Lab is a further result of prolonged contact with Leifer and his colleagues at Stanford University.

Indra Kumari Varma

Indra Kumari Varma, Reliance Emeritus Professor at the Center for Polymer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, is a pioneer in polymer science in India and has long been the country's leading polymer scientist. She founded, and chaired for many years , the Society for Polymer Science India.

Indra Kumari Varma has always exhibited a keen interest in educational issues, has supervised more than 40 doctoral students to graduation, obtained numerous patents and has always had the ability to adapt her projects to limited resources. Since 2000 she has contributed greatly to cooperation within polymer science between India and the Royal Institute of Technology, including her annual, month-long stays at the Royal Institute of Technology, and has helped to open KTH’s door to modern India with its rapid technological development.

Christer Gummeson