The two researchers are recognised for their significant contributions to psychology, ranging from studies of brain development across the lifespan to research on culture and the development of psychology as a discipline. Both have also maintained close and long-standing collaborations with the University of Gothenburg, contributing to the faculty’s research environments.
Honorary doctorates are awarded to individuals outside the university who have made particularly significant contributions to research, education or other academic activities. The appointments are made by the Faculty Board following nominations from the faculty’s departments.
Kristine B. Walhovd – mapping brain development from childhood to old age
Kristine Beate Walhovd is a psychologist, neuroscientist and Professor of Neuropsychology at the University of Oslo. She is an internationally leading researcher in cognitive neuroscience, with a focus on how the brain and human cognition change over the course of life.
Her research explores how we are shaped by our brains and when critical changes occur throughout life. Together with her colleagues, she studies individuals aged 4 to 90 in order to better understand the relationship between the brain and behaviour across the lifespan.
Her work includes studies on how various risk factors and conditions, such as memory complaints and Alzheimer’s disease, affect the brain. She has also demonstrated how early life conditions – even during the fetal stage – can have long-term consequences later in life.
Kristine Beate Walhovd has made significant contributions to research at the University of Gothenburg, including her key role in the UGU-LIFE study and as holder of the 2025 Mark Visiting Professorship. In recognition of her outstanding academic achievements and her contribution to the university’s strategic research development, she is awarded an honorary doctorate.
The article is from Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Gothenburg: