Watch or read Rector Toomas Asser's greeting on the 101st anniversary of Estonia's national university.

Dear university community, dear new PhD holders, dear friends of the university!

Today is an exceptional day for Estonia’s national university. Hopefully, it is this one time only. We cannot celebrate the 101st anniversary of the national university in the traditional way, but we will not leave it uncelebrated either. Let us celebrate the anniversary, each in their own way!

When you think of the year 2020 and how to describe it, probably the first thing you remember is a certain virus. But let us see beyond the virus – it has been a year of growing. We have had to adapt to the new situation and thereby we have grown to be more intelligent and smart, cooperative, adaptable. And not just as individuals – also the university, the state, society, the world has grown.

While growing, we have quickly taken many steps ahead of the plans set out in the university’s strategic plan for the next five years, but also ahead of plans set out in Estonia’s long-term development strategy for the next 15 years.

One of the keywords of the government’s long-term development plan is adaptability: the skill of adapting to changes in economy and population, adapting to the constant need for self-improvement and retraining. In this short period, we have redesigned policies in many fields of life, and this adapting continues. We at the University of Tartu have taken the role of a smart leader of change. Universities and scientists all over the world have taken a similar responsibility.

We can also see a change of attitude in the state governance. Decision-makers look to researchers for evidence-based advice and are willing to take that advice. The government’s promise to increase research funding confirms that they really appreciate universities and our researchers’ work. The government has also given a second important message: doctoral students will be junior research fellows and the fact that money for their salary has been planned in the state budget gives evidence that securing the new generation of educated experts is important. This is a responsible and long-sighted decision from the government.

Dear doctorands! This year there are 110 of you. Although the traditional conferment of doctorates has been cancelled today, we will have a ceremony for you in spring. You have every reason to feel unique, because supported by your experience and feedback, we have stood for changing the status of doctoral students on the national level. At the university, we are also taking steps that our future young colleagues would feel good here, that their studies would be effective. I wish you enthusiasm in bringing the science-based mindset into society. This is particularly necessary now as the evidence-based thinking is increasingly more accepted in society, yet still a rather fragile way of thinking.

Today we also planned to confer five honorary doctorates for long dedicated cooperation, and congratulated our new expatriate Estonian visiting professor. And although we cannot physically present the award for contribution to Estonian national identity, we will announce the laureate today. By selecting this year’s recipient, the national university makes itself greater, we are once again widening the scope of national thought, the actual semantic field of this concept. The recipient of the 2020 award for contribution to Estonian national identity is theatre researcher Lea Tormis. The people who nominated her for the award have aptly said that “the thread of Lea Tormis in Estonian theatre is very bright: it is the culture of thinking of theatre, of creation, of national culture.” The University of Tartu has the honour.

Dear university community! From today, let us take with us the expanding of the scope of thought in the context of the current complicated period. When adapting to unusual circumstances, it is important that none of us feels left alone. In these gloomy days as we work or study remotely, the most valuable thing for a colleague or fellow student can be a warm phone call asking “How are you?”

I wish you all the best!

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See the list of people who defended their doctoral degree during the past year.

• Faculty of Arts and Humanities
  • Oksana Belova-Dalton, Doctor of Philosophy (English Language and Literature)
  • Mariko Faster, Doctor of Philosophy (Finnic Languages)
  • Anastasiya Fiadotava, Doctor of Philosophy (Folklore Studies)
  • Ksenia Filimonova, Doctor of Philosophy (Russian Literature)
  • Tiina-Erika Friedenthal, Doctor of Philosophy (Theology)
  • Anna Gerasimova, Doctor of Philosophy (Russian Literature)
  • Feliks Gornischeff, Doctor of Philosophy (History)
  • Sven Karja, Doctor of Philosophy (Theatre Studies)
  • Liina Kilemit, Doctor of Philosophy (Religious Studies)
  • Kristina Koppel, Doctor of Philosophy (General Linguistics)
  • Tiina Laansalu, Doctor of Philosophy (Estonian Language)
  • Tatjana Menise, Doctor of Philosophy (Semiotics and Culture Studies)
  • Annika Mikkel, Doctor of Philosophy (Classical Philology)
  • Karina Novaševskaja, Doctor of Philosophy (Russian Literature)
  • Maarja Olli, Doctor of Philosophy (Archaeology)
  • Holger Rajavee, Doctor of Philosophy (Art History)
  • Ragnar Saage, Doctor of Philosophy (Archaeology)
  • Irina Sadovina, Doctor of Philosophy (Folklore Studies)
  • Lyudmyla Zaporozhtseva, Doctor of Philosophy (Semiotics and Culture Studies)
  • Ilze Tālberga, Doctor of Philosophy (Estonian Language)
  • Denys Teptiuk, Doctor of Philosophy (Uralic Languages)
  • Terje Toomistu, Doctor of Philosophy (Ethnology)
  • Roger Michael Alan Yallop, Doctor of Philosophy (General Linguistics)
• Faculty of Social Sciences 
  • Raili Allas, Doctor of Philosophy (Educational Science)
  • Gaygysyz Ashyrov, Doctor of Philosophy (Economics)
  • Madis Ernits, Doctor of Philosophy (Law)
  • Shota Kakabadze, Doctor of Philosophy (Political Science)
  • Katrin Kukk, Doctor of Philosophy (Psychology)
  • Triinu Kärbla, Doctor of Philosophy (Educational Science)
  • Kadi Luht-Kallas, Doctor of Philosophy (Educational Science)
  • Tõnis Männiste, Doctor of Philosophy (Educational Science)
  • Karin Naruskov, Doctor of Philosophy (Educational Science)
  • Liliia Oprysk, Doctor of Philosophy (Law)
  • Mari-Liisa Parder, Doctor of Philosophy (Media and Communication)
  • Kärt Pormeister, Doctor of Philosophy (Law)
  • Katrin Sepp, Doctor of Philosophy (Law)
  • Annika Talmar, Doctor of Philosophy (Law)
  • Kadi Tulver, Doctor of Philosophy (Psychology)
  • Tõnis Tänav, Doctor of Philosophy (Economics)
  • Kaire Uiboleht, Doctor of Philosophy (Educational Science)
• Faculty of Medicine
  • Roman Balõtšev, Doctor of Philosophy (Neurosciences)
  • Kati Braschinsky, Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine)
  • Maarja Hallik, Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine)
  • Epp Kaleviste, Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine)
  • Sergo Kasvandik, Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine)
  • Hardo Lilleväli, Doctor of Philosophy (Neurosciences)
  • Natalia Lobanovskaya, Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine)
  • Julia Maslovskaja, Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine)
  • Raili Müller, Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine)
  • Kristiina Ojamaa, Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine)
  • Liisi Raam, Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine)
  • Madis Rahu, Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine)
  • Sten Saar, Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine)
  • Marianne Saard, Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine)
  • Helen Zirnask, Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine)
  • Kadri Toome, Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine)
  • Mari Urb, Doctor of Philosophy (Neurosciences)
  • Helen Vaher, Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine)
• Faculty of Science and Technology
  • Behzad Abdolmaleki, Doctor of Philosophy (Computer Science)
  • Sofia Raquel Alves Oliveira, Doctor of Philosophy (Biomedical Engineering)
  • Adriano Augusto, Doctor of Philosophy (Computer Science)
  • Karim Baghery, Doctor of Philosophy (Computer Science)
  • Jelena Beljantseva, Doctor of Philosophy (Biomedical Engineering)
  • Iuliia Burdun, Doctor of Philosophy (Physical Geography)
  • Artur Gornischeff, Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry)
  • Max Hecht, Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry)
  • Ruta Hecht, Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry)
  • Meelis Härmas, Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry)
  • Larisa Ivanova, Doctor of Philosophy (Molecular Engineering)
  • Kristjan Kalam, Doctor of Philosophy (Materials Science)
  • Ott Kangur, Doctor of Philosophy (Plant Ecology and Ecophysiology)
  • Sergey Koshkarev, Doctor of Philosophy (Physics)
  • Jekaterina Kozlova, Doctor of Philosophy (Materials Science)
  • Kristi Krebs, Doctor of Philosophy (Molecular Biomedicine)
  • Timmu Kreitsmann, Doctor of Philosophy (Geology)
  • Viktorija Kukuškina, Doctor of Philosophy (Molecular Biomedicine)
  • Ilja Kuzovkin, Doctor of Philosophy (Computer Science)
  • Maike Käärik, Doctor of Philosophy (Molecular Engineering)
  • Anu Lepik, Doctor of Philosophy (Plant Ecology and Ecophysiology)
  • Reet Link, Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry)
  • Orlenys López Pintado, Doctor of Philosophy (Computer Science)
  • Priit Lätt, Doctor of Philosophy (Mathematics)
  • Martin Maide, Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry)
  • Rihhard Nadel, Doctor of Philosophy (Mathematics)
  • Kaarin Parts, Doctor of Philosophy (Plant Ecology and Ecophysiology)
  • Pilleriin Peets, Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry)
  • Evelin Pihlap, Doctor of Philosophy (Environmental Technology)
  • Katriin Pirk, Doctor of Philosophy (Mathematics)
  • Helen Post, Doctor of Philosophy (Gene Technology)
  • Ida Rahu, Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry)
  • Janika Raun, Doctor of Philosophy (Human Geography and Regional Planning)
  • Sumaira Rehman, Doctor of Philosophy (Mathematics)
  • Faiz Ali Shah, Doctor of Philosophy (Computer Science)
  • Janno Siim, Doctor of Philosophy (Computer Science)
  • Elin Soomets, Doctor of Philosophy (Animal Ecology)
  • Ardi Tampuu, Doctor of Philosophy (Computer Science)
  • Indrek Teino, Doctor of Philosophy (Cell Biology)
  • Kadi Tilk, Doctor of Philosophy (Genetics)
  • Kunter Tätte, Doctor of Philosophy (Zoology and Ecology)
  • Kärt Ukkivi, Doctor of Philosophy (Genetics)
  • Egon Urgard, Doctor of Philosophy (Biomedical Engineering)
  • Kristi Uudeberg, Doctor of Philosophy (Physics)
  • Maarja Vaikre, Doctor of Philosophy (Animal Ecology)
  • Martti Vasar, fDoctor of Philosophy (Plant Ecology and Ecophysiology)
  • Triinu Vihmann, Doctor of Philosophy (Materials Science)
  • Edith Viirlaid, Doctor of Philosophy (Chemistry)
  • Mikk Vikerpuur, Doctor of Philosophy (Mathematics)
  • Birgit Viru, Doctor of Philosophy (Physical Geography)
  • Meeri Visnapuu, Doctor of Philosophy (Environmental Engineering)
  • Huishi Yin, Doctor of Philosophy (Computer Science)[/collapsed]

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Read about the new honorary doctors of the University of Tartu.

At its session of 29 May, the University of Tartu Senate appointed five honorary doctorates:

• Aleksander Pluskowski, Associate Professor of Medieval Archaeology at the University of Reading, was granted an honorary doctorate in archaeology for his outstanding achievements in medieval archaeology and long-term successful cooperation with UT researchers;
• Göran Bolin, Professor in Media and Communication Studies at Södertörn University (Stockholm), was awarded an honorary doctorate in media sociology for his considerable support in promoting the international renown and forming the new generation of social and media researchers of the University of Tartu and Estonia;
• Robert-Jan Simons, Professor emeritus of Utrecht University, was granted an honorary doctorate in education for promoting and strengthening educational research in Estonia and at the University of Tartu and helping to make the research results of our researchers visible in the world;
• Helena Kääriäinen, Professor, head of the Department of Clinical Genetics at Turku University Hospital, was granted an honorary doctorate in medical genetics for her achievements in the research and development of medical genetics and long-term successful cooperation with the University of Tartu researchers;
• Richard Kerner, Professor emeritus of Sorbonne University, was granted an honorary doctorate in mathematical physics for his long-term successful cooperation with the University of Tartu mathematicians and physicists and integrating them into the international research community.[/collapsed]

 

Read the greeting on behalf of the honorary doctors by Helena Kääriäinen, who was granted an honorary doctorate in medical genetics.