NEWS Jörg Richter, professor in psychology, and the journalist Carina Bergfeldt, have been appointed 2018 honorary doctors with the Faculty of Social Sciences at Umeå University.
Professor Jörg Richter is a highly qualified researcher in the areas of mental health, personality, personality assessment, behavioural psychology and psychotherapy. He has collaborated with Umeå University since the end of the 1980s, initially with the Department of Clinical Science, the Unit of Psychiatry and the Department of Nursing. Later, he also began collaborations with the Department of Social Work and the Police Education Unit at the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Professor Jörg Richter’s long career in research has been characterised by persistence, a true thirst for knowledge and a thorough interest in spreading knowledge. Through his research on human personality (temperament and character) and about social health risk factors and mental health, Jörg Richter has contributed to Umeå University having established itself as one of the major global players in the field. Additionally, Jörg Richter has long been an important cog in the work of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida, in developing education and research at several universities in northwest Russia.
The journalist Carina Bergfeldt has been appointed honorary doctor thanks to her exceptional contributions of a clear and understandable media coverage of society. During this current period of time when democracy and human rights are being questioned and challenged, the Faculty of Social Sciences wishes to acknowledge that Carina Bergfeldt uses exemplary and simple methods of explaining both difficult and complex occurrences in society. Her coverage, which is characterised by high topicality and professionalism, contributes in an excellent way to the spread of knowledge on our contemporary society and constitutes a counterbalance to the current phenomenon of fake news.
After ten years as a writing journalist, Carina Bergfeldt started as a correspondent for Swedish national television, SVT, in 2016. She has spent the majority of a decade covering terrorist attacks in not least Scandinavia and Europe, but also worldwide. Moreover, Carina Bergfeldt has also written extensive material on violence against women and children, crime and punishment, life and death. On the side of her job, she has also written three books on the same subjects.
Ruth Mannelqvist, dean of the Faculty of Social SciencesPhone: +46 90-786 71 17
E-mail: ruth.mannelqvist@umu.se
Editor: Mattias Grundström Mitz