Department of Biomaterials had a lot to celebrate last week when University of Oslo was awarding outstanding researchers for their contributions to science. Our former PhD student Anders Verket was awarded His Majesty the King's Gold Medal, an award given to young scientist for their excellent scientific theses, while our collaborator Malcolm L. Snead received an honorary doctorate from the University of Oslo. Anders received his award for his PhD thesis On surface coatings of titanium-based bone graft materials, which he defended last September. That makes it four in a row for the Department of Biomaterials as the previous three King's Gold Medals for Faculty of Dentistry have also been awarded to our former PhD students, highlighting the excellent research environment at our department.
Winners of the King's Gold Medal from Department of Biomaterials
2017 - Anders Verket
2015 - Hanna Tiainen
2013 - Christiane Petzold
2011 - Sébastien Taxt-Lamolle
1997 - Ståle Petter Lyngstadaas
- It is such great honour to receive this award. This is not just an award for me but also for all the people who contribute to science at the Department of Biomaterials, Anders said after receiving his medal. While doing his PhD at the Biomaterials lab, Anders also specialised in periodontology and now continues his research career at the Department of Periodontology here in Oslo.
Malcolm Snead received an honorary doctorate
Faculty of Dentistry also honoured our long-term collaborator Malcolm L. Snead from University of Southern California with an honorary doctorate for his outstanding contribution to the dental science. Professor Snead is renown for this ground-breaking research on tooth development and enamel mineralisation, and he is acknowledge as the first scientist to clone a gene for enamel matrix molecule amelogenin. In his speech preceding his honorary doctorate lecture, the humble professor Snead expressed his pleasant surprise for receiving such a great honour from some of his most important partners in science. Snead is looking forward to continue the fruitful ongoing collaboration with researchers at our department that started already more than 20 years ago.
All photos by Margit Selsjord, OD/UiO