The Dies Natalis was kicked off with a speech by Prof. Dymph van den Boom, rector magnificus of the UvA. Titled ‘Latent Trust’, Van den Boom spoke about how collaboration increases trust in science, prevents fraud and safeguards overall quality. The opening speech was followed by the traditional Dies speech, given by Matthijs van Veelen, professor of Evolution and Behaviour. In his speech, Van Veelen spoke about the subject of ‘good and evil’.

Honorary doctorates

Following the Dies lecture, honorary doctorates were conferred on Australian legal scholar James Crawford and American economist and Nobel laureate Alvin Roth.

Prof. James R. Crawford

As one of the most influential scholars in the field of international public law, James Crawford has played a seminal role in the development of international liability law.

Prof. Alvin E. Roth 

Alvin Roth was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work in the field of applied market design, which draws on elements of game theory to resolve social issues.

2013 Lecturer of the Year

The Dies Natalis concluded with the presentation of the annual UvA Lecturer of the Year award, which went to Dr Mieke Mulder from the Faculty of Medicine.