Investigative journalist Stéphane Horel appointed honorary doctor at Stockholm University
Stockholm University has appointed six new honorary doctors for 2026, recognising individuals who have contributed in distinctive ways to research and education. Among them is investigative journalist Stéphane Horel, whose work has brought new attention to environmental pollution and corporate influence in Europe.
Horel, a journalist at Le Monde, specialises in corporate harm, toxic industries and scientific disinformation. She has written several books and directed a number of documentaries, and has received major international awards, including the European Press Prize for Investigation (2018) and the European Science Journalist of the Year award (2024).
Her work is closely connected to research at Stockholm University. Through the Forever Pollution Project and the Forever Lobbying Project, Horel coordinated cross-border collaborations between journalists and researchers, including scientists at the Department of Environmental Science. These investigations mapped PFAS contamination across Europe and examined the role of industrial lobbying in shaping regulation.
”Through the Forever Pollution and Forever Lobbying projects, Stéphane Horel has demonstrated what becomes possible when investigative journalism is combined with scientific rigour,” says Ian Cousins, Professor of Environmental Chemistry.
“By coordinating cross-border teams of journalists and researchers, including those at Stockholm University, she made the scale of PFAS contamination in Europe visible in a way that no scientific paper or policy report had achieved.”
Horel has also presented her findings to policymakers in the Swedish Parliament.
Her appointment as honorary doctor reflects her contribution to advancing understanding of environmental contamination and its societal implications.
Other honorary doctors 2026
• Ugo Pagallo (Law)
• Matti Bye (Humanities)
• Corinne Péneau (Humanities)
• Karen Evans (Social Sciences)
• Marie Ekeland (Science)
Who can be appointed honorary doctor?
An honorary doctorate is an expression of the University’s appreciation of outstanding contributions in one or more of the University’s areas of academic activity. The awarded honorary doctor should be affiliated with Stockholm University or have contributed to the University’s activities in some way.
Conferment ceremony
The honorary doctorates will be conferred at the Inauguration and Conferment Ceremony in Stockholm City Hall on 25 September 2026.
Journalist Stéphane Horel. Photo: Cyrille Choupas
Last updated: 2026-05-06
Source: Department of Environmental Science