Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó to be awarded honorary doctorate of the world’s best university

Katalin Karikó, Hungary’s first female Nobel laureate, to receive honorary doctorates in Oxford and two US universities.

Katalin Karikó to become an honorary doctor of Oxford University

Katalin Karikó, Hungary’s pioneering female Nobel-winning scientist, is set to be awarded honorary doctorates in Oxford this June and at two leading American universities in May, the University of Szeged (SZTE) announced on Monday.

According to the statement, Professor Karikó of SZTE will receive the honour at Oxford University’s ceremony on 24 June, joining seven other distinguished scientists recognised this year.

The British institution’s announcement quotes its tribute to the biochemist, praising her work on RNA immunogenicity that laid the groundwork for the mRNA technology used in Covid-19 vaccines, transforming the prospects for vaccination and protein replacement therapies.

US universities’ awards

America’s oldest research university, Johns Hopkins, has invited Professor Karikó as a guest of honour for its 150th anniversary celebrations, where she will receive an honorary doctorate on 21 May.

Drexel University, founded in Philadelphia in 1891, has also invited her to deliver the keynote address at its medical school’s commencement on 14 May, naming the Nobel laureate among its honorary doctors.

Among her American, Asian, and European accolades, the first came from her alma mater. On 4 September 2021, during the national academic year opening at SZTE, Professor Karikó was awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa. Five years on, in June 2026, the SZTE professor—one of the most influential natural scientists of our age—will don her 23rd honorary doctoral robe in Oxford, the statement concludes.

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