They told her she would never succeed, now her work has saved millions. In this episode, Ryan talks with Dr. Katalin Karikó, the scientist behind the mRNA technology that led to COVID-19 vaccines. She grew up in rural Communist Hungary, faced rejection after rejection, got demoted, and struggled financially but she never stopped chasing the science.

Dr. Katalin Karikó opens up to Ryan about her experiences as an immigrant in the U.S., the grind of scientific discovery, enjoying the process rather than focusing solely on outcomes, misinformation in the scientific community, and the responsibility of scientists to communicate effectively with the public.

Dr. Katalin Karikó is a Hungarian American biochemist who specializes in RNA-mediated mechanisms. She won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with her colleague Dr. Drew Weissman for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

Read the New York Times feature on Dr. Katalin Karikó here

Follow Dr. Katalin Karikó on Instagram @katalin_kariko

Check Dr. Katalin Karikó’s memoir Breaking Through: My Life in Science

🎙️ Follow The Daily Stoic Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailystoicpodcast

🎥 Watch top moments from The Daily Stoic Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailystoicpodcast

✉️ Want Stoic wisdom delivered to your inbox daily? Sign up for the FREE Daily Stoic email at https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail

🏛 Get Stoic inspired books, medallions, and prints to remember these lessons at the Daily Stoic Store: https://store.dailystoic.com/

📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Resiliency Will Reward You | Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Katalin Karikó

The Daily Stoic