ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ will honour two exceptional individuals at its Winter Graduation ceremonies on 19 and 20 December: conservationist Nigel Brown and Arctic researcher Professor David N Thomas. Both recipients will receive honorary degrees in recognition of their significant contributions to their fields and to the University community. An Honorary Degree is one of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™s most significant accolades.
The University bestows Honorary Degrees on notable individuals who have made a significant contribution in their academic field and/or a particular and consistent contribution over a period of time to the life of the University, locally, nationally or internationally. The individuals being honoured at the Winter Graduation ceremonies are eminently worth of the honour.
Professor Edmund Burke, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Vice-Chancellor, said, “It’s a pleasure and a privilege to award Honorary Degrees to individuals who have made such notable contributions in their chosen fields. We welcome these individuals to our degree ceremonies in the knowledge that they will inspire our graduating students.â€
Mr Nigel Brown, former Curator of Treborth Botanic Garden will receive a Doctor of Science (Hon DSci) for his contribution to the region and the University. Mr Brown served as the Curator of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½'s Treborth Botanic Garden from 1976 to 2015 expanding the Garden's role in both teaching and research as well as promoting public engagement with the biological sciences and horticulture. Treborth became an inspiring shop-window not just for plants but for celebrating and understanding the natural world as a whole. He was awarded a Teaching Fellowship for his dedication to teaching botany and ecology to students and for inspiring generations. Although retired, Mr Brown remains a passionate communicator for the natural environment, championing the biodiversity of Eryri and Anglesey through public engagement including numerous talks and field excursions. He continues to play a key role in co-ordinating botanical field work on Anglesey and writing a new Flora for Ynys Môn.
Professor David N Thomas, a Professor of Arctic Ecosystems Research at the University of Helsinki, Finland, will receive a Doctor of Science (Hon DSci) for his services to Education. Professor Thomas played a pivotal role at the University as a member of staff between July 1996 and November 2020, serving as both Head of the School of Ocean Sciences and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research). He then transitioned to his current role as Professor of Arctic Ecosystems Research at the University of Helsinki, maintaining research connections as a Bangor Honorary Professor while he co-supervised a project on plastics in aquatic systems. At ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½'s School of Ocean Sciences, he led research groups in sea ice biogeochemistry, land-ocean interactions and biofuel production from algal bioreactors. Professor Thomas has received notable recognition for his contributions to Antarctic and Arctic research, including having the Thomas Glacier in the Antarctic Peninsula named after him in 2020. In 2022, he was awarded the prestigious British Polar Medal by HM Queen Elizabeth II.