In spring 2026, as the United States marks its 250th anniversary, Katalin Karikó will be celebrated in Washington, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Born in Kisújszállás – a small town on Hungary’s Great Plain – and later a researcher in Szeged, the scientist has lived and worked on the U.S. East Coast since 1985. Following the celebrations in the United States, the focus will shift to Europe, where she will be honored at the University of Oxford in June.
Martians in the Library
“Some discoveries have changed the world. And some scientists have inspired whispers in the corridors of Washington that they were not of this world.” This is how the invitation begins for The Martians, an exclusive exhibition that opened on April 26, 2026, in Washington, D.C. The title alludes to the long-standing nickname “Martians,” used to describe Hungarian scientists whose exceptional talent and global impact made them seem almost otherworldly. The interactive showcase presents some of the most influential minds of the 20th century – Hungarian-born and Hungarian-descended scientists who made their mark in the United States, including Katalin Karikó, the only woman featured.
The traveling exhibition The Martians, launched in Budapest in summer 2025, promotes science through comic-style storytelling. Photo: Ilona Újszászi
The following day, the focus shifted from scientific legend to historical legacy: what role have Hungarian Americans played in shaping the history of the United States? This question took center stage at the USA 250 Gala, a ceremonial event hosted by the Hungarian American Coalition on April 27, 2026, at the Library of Congress, with Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó among the distinguished guests.
The Breaking Through Fund
Following the U.S. celebrations, academic honors on both sides of the Atlantic will place Katalin Karikó in the spotlight once again. A professor at the University of Szeged and recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her pioneering work on messenger RNA (mRNA), Karikó is set to receive further honorary doctorates from leading universities in the United States and Europe in 2026.
One of the next stops will be Drexel University in Philadelphia, founded in 1891, where the SZTE professor will be honored as a distinguished guest speaker at the commencement ceremony on May 14, 2026.
“It is a relatively smaller institution, and delivering the commencement address is not considered a major distinction,” the scientist said modestly when congratulated on her latest honorary doctorate.
Drexel University also published an account of Katalin Karikó’s visit last year, when she took part in the 30th anniversary celebration of its Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program. In the brief biography published for the occasion, her affiliation with the University of Szeged is placed prominently in the opening line: “Professor Katalin Karikó, PhD, at the University of Szeged.” The university also noted that she received the ELAM Pinnacle Award.
The recognition has also translated into tangible support for future academic leaders. Drexel further reported that Karikó used the USD 10,000 prize to establish the
Breaking Through Fund, which supports students who might otherwise be unable to afford to participate in the program. The fourth fund of its kind at Drexel, it remains open to additional contributions and is
expected to have a lasting impact.
As previously reported, Johns Hopkins University has also highlighted Karikó’s extraordinary journey, noting that the “Hungarian immigrant toiled in obscurity before her COVID-19 vaccine work led to Nobel Prize.” Professor Karikó, who will receive an honorary doctorate from Johns Hopkins University, is also set to deliver the keynote address at the university’s commencement ceremony on May 21, 2026.
Oxford to award honorary doctorate to Katalin Karikó
The
University of Oxford has announced the recipients of its honorary degrees for this year, to be conferred at a ceremony on June 24, 2026. Here, Katalin Karikó is among the seven distinguished honorees, recognized by one of the world’s oldest universities, where teaching dates back to as early as 1096.
A news release published on April 22, 2026, on the University of Oxford website features portraits and brief biographies of the honorary degree recipients, including Katalin Karikó.
In its announcement on the honorary degree recipients, the Oxford University website writes: “Professor Katalin Karikó is a biochemist whose research focuses on RNA-mediated mechanisms and the therapeutic use of in vitro-transcribed mRNA. She was awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries enabling nucleoside-modified mRNA vaccines. A former Senior Vice-President of BioNTech SE, she holds academic posts at the University of Szeged and the University of Pennsylvania. Her work on RNA immunogenicity underpins mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines and has transformed prospects for vaccines and protein-replacement therapies. She is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences and a co-inventor on multiple patents relating to mRNA technology.”
For the University of Szeged, it is also noteworthy that both Johns Hopkins University and the University of Oxford used the same portrait of Katalin Karikó, taken by István Sahin-Tóth of SZTE’s Directorate for International Affairs and Public Relations.
Katalin Karikó receives the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Szeged at the university’s opening ceremony for the 2021/22 academic year on September 4, 2021. The event also marked the National Opening Ceremony of the Academic Year for Higher Education Institutions and the launch of SZTE’s centenary celebrations. Photo: István Sahin-Tóth / SZTE Directorate for International Affairs and Public Relations.
Among the honorary doctorates Katalin Karikó has received in recent years across the United States, Asia, and Europe, the first was awarded by her alma mater, the University of Szeged. Announced on January 25, 2021, the distinction was formally conferred on September 4, 2021, during the National Opening Ceremony of the Academic Year for Higher Education Institutions hosted by SZTE, where she received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa. Five years later, in June 2026, the University of Szeged professor – one of the most influential scientists of our time – will don her 23rd honorary doctoral gown, this time in Oxford.
Original Hungarian article by Ilona Újszászi
Sources: hacusa.org, drexel.edu, hub.jhu.edu, ox.ac.uk, u-szeged.hu
Photos: István Sahin-Tóth / SZTE Directorate for International Affairs and Public Relations, Ilona Újszászi
Further information about Katalin Karikó, research professor at the University of Szeged, is available on the
university website, the
SZTE news portal, and the
SZTE Klebelsberg Library and Archives’ Photo Gallery and Media Library page.
