Swedish actor Christopher Wagelin and the Australian astronaut Katherine Pegg
12 September 2024
Alumni of the year 2024 – actor Christopher Wagelin and astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg
The title Alumnus of the Year at Luleå University of Technology is awarded to the former students Christopher Wagelin and Katherine Bennell-Pegg. They are both stars but in different galaxies. While Christopher is successful under the spotlights on stage and the film screen, Katherine is breaking grounds as she is the first woman to represent Australia as an astronaut.
The University awards the title of Alumnus of the year to someone who has been a student at Luleå University of Technology and later has achieved remarkable success in their career. This year, the recipients are Christopher Wagelin, with a Higher Education Diploma in Performing Arts and Media at the Theatre Academy at Luleå University of Technology, and Katherine Benell-Pegg, with comprehensive training within the disciplinary domain of space, where she earned a Master of Space Technology at Luleå University of Technology based in Kiruna.
“I am very honoured and proud. To be awarded the title Alumnus of the year confirms that you have made an impact within your profession, and this is really inspiring. It is also a proof of the fact that education at the Theatre Academy at Luleå University of Technology enables the students to develop a high level of originality in their works”, says Christopher Wagelin.
“It’s an incredible honour to be awarded as Alumnus of the Year, especially given the great calibre of other Alumni. I treasure my time studying at Luleå University of Technology in Kiruna. It was a formative time and a valuable experience that provided an excellent basis for my space engineering and astronaut career. I thank the dedicated team and experts at Campus Kiruna for their support and the knowledge they imparted”, says Katherine Benell-Pegg.
In 2024, Christopher Wagelin won the Swedish film award Guldbaggen in the category Best Actor in a Supporting Role as Fredrik in Shame on Dry Land, a film that broke the record as to the number of awarded Guldbaggar. Since Christopher graduated from the Theatre Academy at Luleå University of Technology, he has appeared on various stages, for example Dramaten (the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Sweden), as well as on the film screen and in several television productions. He has also played the role of Mattis, the father of Ronja, in the Netflix new screen version of Ronja Rövardotter, which is based on Swedish novelist Astrid Lindgren’s book with the same name. He says that his choice of profession was eventually inevitable.
“I tried other study programmes and professions but was constantly coming back to theatre and acting. The feelings I have for the profession today are filled with love and gratitude, and I recognise that I work with what is my greatest interest and passion. When I was six years old, I joined Vår Teater (Our Theatre) in Stockholm, and have not really finished after that,” he says.
He values highly the time at the Theatre Academy in the northern city of Luleå.
“It was a wonderful time, occasionally tough and difficult, but very instructive and formative. The studies gave me a secure foundation to stand on, with an understanding that the profession is about working hard and being loyal towards your colleagues.
Katherine Benell-Pegg is now training to represent her country as part of a team of nations in space, operating the kinds of systems she used to help design and develop. She is grateful for the opportunity to be the first to represent Australia as an astronaut and support the Australian Space Agency in their activities to grow the Australian Space sector.
“Becoming an astronaut is the culmination of a life-long dream. Ever since I was young, I was mesmerised by the sky above me and loved exploring the natural world around me. So I was drawn to space for the adventure, and that still really excites me, but as I studied and worked as a space engineer for over a decade, this evolved to wanting to help create concrete steps forward in human knowledge and discovery”, she says.
“Space is an eye in the sky from which we can see phenomena around the world and help contribute to global challenges like climate change, connecting and informing communities and supporting sustainable human development. It’s an honour to contribute to these grand endeavours”, she continues.
Nominations Alumni of the Year 2024, Luleå University of Technology
Christopher Wagelin, the Theatre Academy at Luleå University of Technology, Sweden, 2003-2007. Christopher Wagelin has appeared in about fifty films and television series. In 2024, he won the Swedish film award Guldbaggen in the category Best Actor in a Supporting Role as Fredrik in “Shame on Dry Land”, a film that broke a record as to the number of awarded Guldbaggar. Since Christopher graduated from the Theatre Academy at Luleå University of Technology, he has appeared on various stages, for example Dramaten (the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Sweden), as well as on the film screen and in several television productions. He has played different roles in everything from drama, produced by Swedish playright Lars Norén, to comedy including Sommaren med släkten. He has also played the role of Mattis, the father of Ronja, in the Netflix new screen version of Ronja Rövardotter, which is based on Swedish novelist Astrid Lindgren’s book with the same name. Christopher Wagelin is a versatile and highly popular actor and will soon appear in new television series and international film productions.
Katherine Bennell-Pegg, Master of Space Technology at Luleå University of Technology, 2008-2009. Katherine Bennell-Pegg is the first Australian-flagged astronaut and the first Australian woman to undertake professional astronaut training. She was previously a Director of Space Technology at the Australian Space Agency and has been a space engineer for over a decade. In 2022, she was one of only 25 people to successfully pass the European Space Agency (ESA) Astronaut Group selection stages out of an initial pool of over 22,500 eligible applicants.
In 2023, Katherine began Basic Astronaut Training at the European Astronaut Centre in Germany. She graduated in April 2024 as part of the ‘Hoppers’ class, the class name for the newly qualified astronauts, and she is now qualified for assignment on long-duration missions to the International Space Station and beyond.
In 2008, she was awarded an Erasmus Mundus full scholarship to study in Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom and the Netherlands as part of the Joint European Master in Space Science and Technology programme. Within this programme, she obtained two Master’s degrees; a Master of Astronautics and Space Engineering at Cranfield University, United Kingdom and a Master of Space Technology at Luleå University of Technology, based in Kiruna, Sweden. Katherine is a very committed alumna. She supports the new students at Luleå University of Technology and is a true role model for the young space generation.