Kaj Grönlund and Gunilla Runnsjö Kaj Grönlund and Gunilla Runnsjö can be considered technical polymaths. They have built a unique instrument to measure the chemical composition of small volumes of solid metals. During the last years the method was customised specially for cast iron related research at the School of Engineering, and the results have strengthened Jönköping University’s world leading position in research on cast metal solidification. Kaj Grönlund and Gunilla Runnsjö have been active in research and education at the School of Engineering and have been a source of inspiration for students and researchers at JU by sharing not only their unique instrument but also their enormous knowledge and expertise in material analyses.

Lennart Nordenfelt, Professor Emeritus at Linköping University, was from the mid-1980s to 2002 dedicated to building and strengthening research at the School of Health and Welfare. His theories of health and quality of life as well as his commitment to the development of the WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) form the basis for teaching and research projects at the School of Health and Welfare today. Lennart Nordenfelt has inspired several teachers at the School of Health and Welfare to take up postgraduate studies, and contributed to laying the foundations for what is today the transdisciplinary research education at the School of Health and Welfare.

Michael A. Hitt is Professor Emeritus at Texas A&M University. He has been the co-author and editor of many books and authored or co-authored several articles in scientific journals. Recently, he was listed as one of the ten most cited researchers in management over the past 25 years. Michael A. Hitt is appointed honorary doctor because of his important contributions in the development of family business research, as well as important efforts to develop research at the Centre for Family Enterprise and Ownership (CeFEO) at Jönköping International Business School.