Frank Biermann – from Faculty of Social Sciences’ nomination:
Professor Frank Biermann, based at Utrecht University, is a pioneering scholar in global environmental politics and sustainability governance. He developed the theory of Earth System Governance – a framework that displaces state-centric and technocratic paradigms in favour of a more integrated approach emphasizing political accountability, democracy, and planetary justice. He has built a global research alliance of over 600 scientists and 17 institutions, and founded the influential journal Earth System Governance.
Biermann is also recognized for his political engagement as a public scholar. He co-founded a network opposing climate geoengineering, influencing international policy debates. Today, the network has support from 2,000 civil society organizations and has been endorsed by governments in Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific.
Biermann won numerous international distinctions and has published 22 single-authored or co-edited books, 145 articles in academic journals; 111 book chapters; and 5 special journal issues. Biermann has a long-standing collaboration with Lund University, where he served as Visiting Professor from 2011 to 2015, and strengthened Lund’s position as a global hub for sustainability research. Over two decades, he has worked closely with colleagues across the Department of Political Science and the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies.
Brenda Yeoh – from Faculty of Social Sciences’ nomination:
Professor Brenda S.A. Yeoh, based at the National University of Singapore, is a world-leading scholar whose research focuses on the politics of space and mobility in colonial and postcolonial cities. Her work spans migration, gender studies, geography, sociology, social work, and political science. Her research has contributed critical and novel insights into the analysis of belonging, spatial boundaries, care, and the transforming trajectories of gender-intersected lives in various locations, as well as the ways in which urgent societal concerns can be analysed by using a range of methods and data collection techniques.
Brenda Yeoh is a world-leading specialist on mobilities and migration research and has shed new light on key themes such as national identity, citizenship, and violences; gendered social reproduction and care; cultural politics, family dynamics, and international marriage; and student mobilities in the face of globalising universities.
Yeoh has published extensively, with 296 articles, 41 books, and 149 chapters, and her work has been cited over 27,500 times. She has received numerous international awards and maintains a long-standing collaboration with Lund University, contributing to workshops, keynote lectures, and scholar exchanges, inspiring new research directions and strengthening international social science partnerships.
For questions regarding Frank Biermann, contact Fariborz Zelli at fariborz [dot] zelli [at] svet [dot] lu [dot] se (fariborz[dot]zelli[at]svet[dot]lu[dot]se)
For questions regarding Brenda S.A. Yeoh, Helle Rydström at helle [dot] rydstrom [at] genus [dot] lu [dot] se (helle[dot]rydstrom[at]genus[dot]lu[dot]se)