Jessica Körning-Ljungberg alumni speaker at Umeå University’s Graduation Ceremony 2026

On 27 May, Umeå University will hold a ceremony to celebrate students graduating from its international master’s programmes. Alumna Jessica Körning-Ljungberg, Professor and Head of Subject at Luleå University of Technology, has been invited to speak.

The ceremony will take place in Aula Nordica on Umeå campus and is intended for students from Umeå University’s international master’s programmes who are expected to graduate in spring 2026.

Jessica Körning-Ljungberg obtained her PhD in public health and clinical medicine from Umeå University in 2006. She is currently professor of psychology at Luleå University of Technology and continues to collaborate on research projects at Umeå University. Her research focuses on how attention, memory and distractions, such as noise, affect performance. Since her doctoral thesis, which examined the impact of sound in complex environments, her research has expanded to include ageing, brain plasticity, bilingualism and the role of curiosity in lifelong learning.

Umeå University asked Jessica how it feels to be this year’s alumni speaker.

“Honestly, it feels amazing. Umeå University has been such an important part of my journey, so returning as this year’s alumni speaker at the Graduation Ceremony for the international master’s programmes feels very special. It’s a mix of pride and gratitude, but also excitement because I get to celebrate with all the students who have worked so hard to reach this point. It feels less like giving a formal speech and more like sharing a moment together.”

The ceremony will be livestreamed on 27 May at umu.se/live.
More information about the Graduation Ceremony and Jessica’s participation is available here.