THE University of York is to award three experts in their fields with honorary degrees.

York graduate Professor Tanya Byron, who is popularly known for presenting television programmes on child behaviour, including House of Tiny Tearaways; David Atkinson, chief executive of City of York Council until July 2007; and Professor Else Roesdahl, an expert on Vikings and medieval archaeology, will all receive the honorary degrees of Doctor of the University at ceremonies on Saturday.

A spokesman for the university said: “Tanya Byron, David Atkinson and Else Roesdahl all have close links with York. Tanya Byron studied for her first degree at this university before making a huge contribution to public understanding of how we nurture our children. David Atkinson showed great leadership skills during the floods which hit the city in 2000 and Else Roesdahl is Denmark’s leading expert on the Vikings whose history is interwoven with York’s heritage.”

David Atkinson joined City of York Council in 1995 as director of resources and was promoted to the post of deputy chief executive three years later. In 2000 he was appointed chief executive and was responsible for a £153 million budget and 7,000 staff.

Prof Tanya Byron is a consultant clinical psychologist who graduated from York in psychology.

As well as House of Tiny Tearaways she has presented Am I Normal? and writes a weekly advice column in The Times. She also works for the NHS and is chancellor of Edge Hill University.

Finally Professor Else Roesdahl is an expert on Viking and medieval archaeology and is a professor in the Department of Medieval and Renaissance Archaeology at the University of Aarhus in Denmark. In 1992 she was made a Knight of the Order of Dannebrog; an honour conferred by the Queen of Denmark in recognition of her contributions to Danish life.

In 2007, she was elevated to the Order’s First Degree. She is also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and a Corresponding Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.