type here...
Awards

Katalin Karikó, a Hero of the Battle to Fight COVID-19, Honored by the Vilcek Foundation

Katalin Karikó, an adjunct professor of neurosurgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the scientific team whose innovative research established the foundation for COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, will receive the 2022 Vilcek Prize for Excellence in Biotechnology.

Established in 2000 by Czechoslovakian immigrants Jan and Marica Vilcek, the nonprofit Vilcek Foundation was formed to promote the impact immigrants have on the United States and to build recognition of the sciences and the arts. The Vilcek Prize for Excellence has been awarded since 2019. It is awarded to immigrants to the United States who change the country and the world or to those who are dedicated advocates of immigrants. Dr. Karikó will officially receive the award, which comes with $100,000, in the spring of 2022.

Originally from Hungary, Dr. Karikó, a senior vice president at BioNTech, teamed up with colleague Drew Weissman, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Pennsylvania, to study mRNA vaccines over two decades ago. In 2005, they published research that showed how to specifically alter one of the building blocks of mRNA in order to increase its therapeutic potential. That, along with other mRNA discoveries from the two scientists, including how to effectively deliver mRNA using vaccination, led to a path that BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna used to create mRNA vaccines for the COVID-19 virus.

“Dr. Karikó’s work has obviously had a tremendous impact on science and medicine — but the development of mRNA vaccines based on her research also has a profound humanitarian significance,” said Marica Vilcek. “In enabling people and communities to return to normal activities and to connect with one another in person, her work has had a direct positive impact on global society.”

Dr. Karikó earned a Ph.D. at the University of Szeged in Hungary. She conducted postdoctoral research at Temple University in Philadelphia and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles

Latest News

University of Arkansas Revokes Offer to Emily Suski to Be New Law School Dean

0
Emily Suski was slated to become the next dean of the University of Arkansas School of Law. However, just days after she was sent her offer, the university reversed its decision after several Arkansas lawmakers objected to Suski's prior defense of transgender athletes' rights to play on the teams aligned with their gender identity.

Kathleen Weaver Is the New Provost of Loyola Marymount University

0
“It is an honor to serve LMU in this role. I am deeply committed to the university and to working alongside faculty, staff, and students in sustaining a collaborative academic community rooted in mission, excellence, and care for the whole person,” said Dr. Weaver.

Danielle M. Conway Is the New President of the Association of American Law Schools

0
“This is a pivotal moment for us all in the legal academy to come together in coalition around academic freedom,” said Professor Conway, dean of Penn State Dickinson Law and the School of International Affairs. “We may disagree on many other things, but we must collectively uphold academic freedom."

Aviva Abramovsky Named the First Woman President of the National Judicial College

0
Avivia Abramovsky has been serving as a professor and dean of the University of Idaho College of Law. Before joining the University of Idaho faculty, she was dean of the University at Buffalo School of Law in New York.

Beverly Wendland to Lead Academic Affairs at West Virginia University

0
Dr. Wendland previously spent five years as provost at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. She will serve in the same capacity at West Virginia University beginning July 1.

Latest Job Listings

Sustainability Manager

0
The Sustainability Manager serves as the University of Nevada, Reno’s campus-wide sustainability lead, coordinating sustainability planning, implementation, reporting, and engagement across academic, research, administrative, and operational units.

Assistant Professor of Black Studies

0
The Black Studies Department at The City College of New York invites applications for a full-time, tenure track Assistant Professor of Black Studies who is firmly situated, trained, and credentialed in the field of Black Studies.

Instructional Professor of Sociology in MAPSS (Open Rank)

0
The University of Chicago Division of the Social Sciences invites applications for appointment as Instructional Professor at the rank of Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor, with a specialization in Sociology, in the Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences.

Instructional Professor of Political Science in MAPSS (Open Rank)

0
The University of Chicago Division of the Social Sciences invites applications for appointment as Instructional Professor at the rank of Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor, with a specialization in Political Science, in the Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences.

Instructional Professor of Psychology in MAPSS (Open Rank)

0
The University of Chicago Division of the Social Sciences invites applications for appointment as Instructional Professor at the rank of Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor, with a specialization in Psychology, in the Master of Arts Program in the Social Sciences.

About WIAReport

Tracking the Progress of Women in American Higher Education

Phone: (570) 392-6797

WIA Jobs

Latest Articles

Seven Women Administrators Appointed to New Roles in Higher Education

0
Here is this week’s roundup of Black Americans who have been appointed to new administrative positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States. If you have news for our appointments section, please email the information to [email protected].

The University of Miami Renames Faculty Award in Honor of Longtime Professor Melanie Rosborough

0
A longtime award honoring outstanding faculty achievement at the University of Miami has been endowed and renamed the Dr. Melanie Rosborough Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award. Originally trained as a mathematician, Dr. Rosborough taught German at the university for over four decades. She was hired just one year after the university opened in 1926.

Three Women Scholars Who Have Been Appointed to Endowed Chairs at the University of Pennsylvania

0
The three women appointed to named chairs in the School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia are Karen Detlefsen in philosophy, Nicole Rust in psychology, and Lilith Todd in English.

In Memoriam: Marvalene Hughes, 1937-2026

0
Dr. Hughes served as the first woman and first African American president of California State University, Stanislaus from 1994 to 2005, making her the university's longest-serving president. She then became the first woman president of Dillard University in Louisiana, where she oversaw major recovery efforts after the university's campus was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Newsletter

Receive our FREE email newsletter delivered every Tuesday to your inbox

2026 © Women In Academia Report | a BRUCON Publication