Penn's Mistreatment of Nobel Prize-Winning Researcher Katalin Karikó: A Faculty Quality Oversight

Katalin Karikó, the Nobel Prize-winning researcher known for her groundbreaking work on mRNA technology, faced years of mistreatment and neglect from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), according to eight current and former colleagues. Despite her contributions to science and the development of COVID-19 vaccines, Karikó's research was repeatedly overlooked, she was denied grants, and faced obstacles such as language barriers and a system that prioritized grant funding. Penn initially rejected her request to be reinstated as faculty, citing that she was "not of faculty quality." Karikó eventually left Penn and joined BioNTech, a German company. Her colleagues hope that her win will prompt changes in research funding allocations.