Katalin Karikó to Receive University of Oxford Honorary Doctorate

Katalin Karikó, the first Hungarian woman to win a Nobel Prize, will be awarded an honorary doctorate in Oxford in June and at two American universities in May, the Public Relations Office of the University of Szeged (SZTE) informed MTI on Monday.

According to the announcement, Katalin Karikó, a professor at SZTE, will be among the seven scientists honored with honorary doctorates at the University of Oxford’s ceremony on June 24.

In its announcement regarding the award, the British university quotes a tribute to Katalin Karikó, stating that the biochemist’s work on RNA immunogenicity laid the foundation for the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines and transformed the prospects for vaccines and protein replacement therapies.

In preparation for the 150th anniversary of the founding of Johns Hopkins University, the first research university in the United States, Katalin Karikó has been invited as one of the guests of honor for the series of celebrations, and she will be awarded an honorary doctorate on May 21.

Drexel University’s School of Medicine, founded in Philadelphia in 1891, has invited Katalin Karikó to its May 14 commencement ceremony and asked her to deliver an inspirational speech. The institution will also confer an honorary doctorate upon the Nobel laureate.

Among her honorary doctorates from the United States, Asia and Europe, the first honor from her alma mater. On September 4, 2021, as part of the national academic year opening ceremony held at the University of Szeged, a ceremony was held at which Katalin Karikó received the honorary title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Szeged. Five years have passed since then, and in June 2026, in Oxford, the University of Szeged professor — one of the most influential natural scientists of our time — will don her 23rd honorary doctoral gown, according to the announcement.