Pioneer 8 of 21 · born 1955
Katalin Karikó
Contribution. With Drew Weissman, her modified mRNA research made mRNA vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, possible. Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 2023.
Factor coverage
Favorable entries (helped or barrier absent) and adverse entries (barrier or not overcome) by factor. Factor tags are this site's classification.
Barriers faced
| Factors | Statement |
|---|---|
| Societal Economic | In 1985 she left communist Hungary with her family, carrying savings from selling their car sewn into her daughter's teddy bear (sources differ on $900 or £900). |
| Societal Biological Social | In 1995 Penn gave her a choice between abandoning her research and accepting a demotion with a pay cut, as she was diagnosed with cancer and her husband was stuck in Hungary. She described being demoted four times. |
| Economic Cultural | Few scientists shared her vision, making grants hard to get. Some commentators, including UC Berkeley biologist Michael Eisen, have suggested she was penalized for being a woman and an immigrant from Eastern Europe. This is a suggestion rather than a documented finding. |
What helped
| Factors | Statement |
|---|---|
| Social | A chance meeting. She met Weissman at a photocopier in 1997. |
| Economic | A collaborator's funding. Weissman's grants kept her work going. |
| Psychological | Persistence in her vision despite funders' doubts. |
| Economic Societal | A private-sector path. She joined BioNTech in 2013. |
Not overcome
| Factors | Statement |
|---|---|
| Societal | Never granted tenure. |
Pattern summary
| Element | In this case |
|---|---|
| Door-opener | Weissman |
| Knowledge source | Doctoral training in Hungary |
| Institutional support | Weissman's grants, BioNTech |
| Built on recent work | RNA research base |
| Setback overcome | Emigration, demotion |
| Barrier not overcome | Never granted tenure |
Sources
- CNBC: Karikó demoted four times
- Times Higher Education: Karikó's Nobel
- MedicalBrief: Researcher demoted by university wins Nobel
Also relevant: Bell, A., Chetty, R., Jaravel, X., Petkova, N., & Van Reenen, J. (2019). Who becomes an inventor in America? Quarterly Journal of Economics, 134(2), 647-713. All references