At the ceremony, academician Mirko Orlić presented the scientific contribution of Tkalčić, the head of the Geophysics Department at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra.
He stated that Tkalčić is a scientist of exceptional international renown, whose work has contributed to the advancement of the University of Zagreb. He highlighted Tkalčić's efforts in popularising science.
Tkalčić expressed his gratitude, stating that the honorary doctorate is also a recognition of the joint efforts of his colleagues, doctoral students, and institutions that have supported him throughout his academic journey.
Speaking about the future of seismology and other branches of geophysics, he said that he believes they will continue to play a crucial role in deepening people's understanding of earthquakes and their prediction.
Tkalčić is a full professor and head of Geophysics at the Earth Research Centre at ANU. He is considered one of the leading authorities on Earth’s core physics in the world.
He was born in Bjelovar in 1970 and grew up in Vinkovci, where he attended primary and high school. He graduated in 1996 with a degree in physics, specialising in geophysics and meteorology, from the Department of Physics and Geophysics at the Faculty of Science at the University of Zagreb. He obtained his PhD in 2001 from the University of California, Berkeley.
He was a postdoctoral researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, and at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the USA. In 2007, he moved to ANU, where he advanced to the position of full professor.