Pause carousel
Play carousel
Entrepreneur Chris van der Kuyl, Emeritus Professor of Mental Health David Alexander and Professor of Nursing Laura Serrant will be honoured at Abertay University’s summer graduations next week.
The three honorary degrees will be presented as part of the University’s summer ceremonies, which take place across morning and afternoon sessions on Thursday July 6 at the Caird Hall in Dundee.
Around 800 students from the schools of Arts, Media and Computer Games; Science Engineering and Technology; Social and Health Sciences, and Dundee Business School will graduate this year.
Professor Nigel Seaton, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, said the honorary graduates had been chosen for excellence in their respective fields.
He added: “Through their outstanding achievements, and by their personal qualities, our honorary graduates represent the values of Abertay University, and are hugely inspiring role models to our students.
“I look forward to welcoming all of our honorary graduates to this year’s ceremony.”
Chris van der Kuyl is an entrepreneur whose expertise combines the start-up, development and market-listed business arenas in the technology, media and entertainment sectors.
As chairman and co-founder of 4J Studios - one of the UK’s most successful computer game developers – he is responsible for the multi-million selling and multi-award winning console editions of global phenomenon Minecraft, currently on track to become the most successful game of all time.
Mr van der Kuyl is also chairman of fast growing data analytics company, TVSquared, and is the founding chairman of Entrepreneurial Scotland which represents all Scotland’s entrepreneurial talent and exists to inspire, connect and develop entrepreneurial behaviour in all Scotland’s people.
David Alexander is Emeritus Professor of Mental Health at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.
Having studied first at the University of St Andrews, followed by postgraduate study at Dundee and Aberdeen, he undertook specialist training at Birmingham University, the FBI Academy, the Universities of Pennsylvania and Maryland, and the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast.
A principal adviser to the UK police, Prof Alexander is also an Associate of the Scottish Police College and the Scottish Institute for Policing Research.
Having led the response to the Piper Alpha oil disaster in 1988, he has been an expert adviser following a number of major international incidents and conflicts.
Professor Laura Serrant is Professor of Nursing in the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at Sheffield Hallam University, one of only 6 black Professors of Nursing in the UK.
She has frequently found herself as the sole voice representing nurses and minority communities; a position which she has striven to challenge throughout her career by empowering others to come forward to join her.
She is one of the 2017 BBC Expert women, Chair of the Chief Nursing Officer for England's BME Strategic Advisory group and a 2017 Florence Nightingale Scholar.