The first Hungarian female Nobel Prize-winning scientist, Katalin Karikó, will be awarded honorary doctorates in June in Oxford and at two American universities in May.
According to the statement, Karikó, a professor at the University of Szeged, will receive the honour as one of seven scientists awarded honorary doctorates at the University of Oxford’s ceremony on June 24.
The British university’s citation highlights that Karikó’s work on RNA immunogenicity laid the foundation for the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines and has transformed the prospects of vaccines and protein-replacement therapies.
As part of the 150th anniversary celebrations of the United States’ first research university, Johns Hopkins University invited Karikó as a guest of honour, where she will receive an honorary doctorate on May 21.
The medical faculty of Drexel University in Philadelphia, founded in 1891, has also invited Karikó to its graduation ceremony on May 14, where she will deliver a keynote speech. The institution will also award her an honorary doctorate.
Among her honorary titles from American, Asian, and European institutions, the first in her life came from her alma mater. On September 4, 2021, during the national academic year opening ceremony at the University of Szeged, she received the title Doctor Honoris Causa. Five years later, in June 2026 in Oxford, she will wear her 23rd honorary doctoral gown, according to the statement.
