King's College London has just named emeritus professor and dentist Mogens Kilian from Aarhus University as an honorary doctor. He receives the title for his research within the field of microbiology.

2019.07.05 | Helle Horskjær Hansen

Mogens Kilian has worked as an academic adviser to a number of academic and industrial organisations. He has also served as the international panel member for the Research Assessment Exercise in the UK and is honorary professor in bacterial population genetics at the University of Copenhagen. For four years from 2014 he was director of iPSYCH, one of the world's largest psychiatric projects. Photo: private.

This is the second time that Mogens Kilian receives an honorary doctorate from a university abroad. The first time it was from Malmö University and this time around, King's College London honours the 75-year-old researcher. 

"It's really wonderful to be recognised for my long-standing research efforts. Even though I'm in the autumn of my career, it still means something to be recognised by your colleagues," says Mogens Kilian.

He graduated with a dentistry degree but became interested in microbiology during his studies. After having also earned a degree in clinical microbiology, he defended his higher doctoral dissertation in 1976 and completed two years of study in the USA, before becoming professor of oral biology at the Aarhus School of Dentistry. 

Among the most respected in the world

Ten years later, Mogens Kilian became professor of medical microbiology at Aarhus University. Until his formal retirement, he had responsibility for medical bacteriological research, while at the same time teaching medical students.

The grounds for awarding the honorary doctorate state that: "Mogens Kilian is one of the world's most respected researchers in the field of microbiology and he has played a particularly crucial role in our understanding of bacterial population genetics".

Early in his research career, Mogens Kilian developed a method which can detect coli bacteria. The method is used all over the world to diagnose urinary tract infections and to test the quality of drinking and bathing water. 

Contact

Emeritus Professor Mogens Kilian
Aarhus University, Department of Biomedicine
Email: kilian@biomed.au.dk