Emeritus Professor Brian Byrne will be awarded Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa by Linköping University in Sweden in a ceremony in May.

The award, by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Linköping University, is in appreciation of his scholarly achievements and pioneering research addressing language, cognitive and gene-environment interactions underlying the development of early literacy skills.

Prof. Byrne’s research in this field goes back more than 30 years and have had a fundamental impact on international reading research and understanding of key prerequisites for early reading acquisition and risk factors associated with the development of early reading difficulties.  

The award also recognises his research collaboration with Professor Stefan Samuelsson, Linköping University and Richard Olson, University of Colorado Boulder, who will also receive the honour.