Campus - 18.02.2025 - 11:00
Receiving a doctorate is an important academic step in life. The graduates have dealt intensively with a specific issue and presented a thesis that advances research in their respective disciplines. “Because that is the aim of a doctoral thesis: to make a substantial contribution to science and to present a new insight,” said HSG President Prof Dr Manuel Ammann in his address.
During their doctoral studies, graduates opened up new subject areas, applied new methods and collected and analysed new data. “By thinking things through thoroughly and methodically and stringently testing our assumptions, we arrive at new insights and achieve progress,” said Manuel Ammann. It is not just about theoretically understanding the world around us, but also about making it better, he continued.
Our predecessors, namely the scientists that came before us, also did this, recalled Ammann. They explored new areas in the hope of changing our lives with their findings. But it can often take a long time for this to happen – as the example of Brownian motion shows. In 1827, the botanist Robert Brown observed how pollen moved irregularly in a drop of water – without knowing that this discovery would later revolutionise the financial world. Albert Einstein (1905) and later Norbert Wiener developed a model from this that is used today to calculate stock prices and financial risks.
“Researchers like Brown or Einstein have undoubtedly made new discoveries. However, the fact that we are able to apply their findings in so many different ways today is thanks to innovative entrepreneurs who have succeeded in applying scientific findings to everyday problems. These people often remain unknown,” he continued.
Inventions are discoveries and developments whose practical use is still unclear. Innovation becomes a reality when a new product successfully establishes itself on the market. Innovations thus make a significant contribution to the dissemination of scientific innovations and their practical application, he explained.
That is why the University of St.Gallen places a strong emphasis on teaching students to think independently, responsibly and entrepreneurially. Students are supported in making their ideas marketable – combining scientific and economic expertise. Application-oriented research is always carried out in close cooperation with partners in the field.
The keynote address was delivered by HSG alumnus Dr Sigvald Harryson, professor of Disruptive Innovation at the HULT Business School in San Francisco and founder and CEO of iKNOW-WHO. The company is based on the method of the same name, which accelerates knowledge by networking with external experts instead of relying exclusively on internal know-how. Using examples from his work with companies such as Tesla, Porsche and BASF, Dr Harryson showed how relationships can drive innovation.
39 doctoral graduates received their diplomas:
Images: Foto Lautenschlager GmbH
