Professor Shuji Nakamura will receive McGill’s top award, the Honorary Doctorate of Science

McGill announces its Spring 2025 Honorary Degree recipients

The 10 inspiring individuals will receive their awards at Convocation ceremonies, running from May 27 to June 4

By McGill Reporter Staff

May 7, 2025

McGill’s top award is the Honorary Doctorate, the University’s way of paying tribute to those who have made their mark through outstanding scholarly, scientific or artistic achievement, or by virtue of exceptional contributions to the public good through their professional or philanthropic activity. 

“McGill’s honorary doctorate recipients embody the remarkable diversity of excellence that defines our university community,” said Deep Saini, President and Vice-Chancellor of McGill.

“Their achievements not only inspire our graduates to reach beyond conventional boundaries, but also remind us of the profound impact that knowledge, creativity and service can have on the world.” 

Professor Shuji Nakamura is one of the 10 honorary doctorates to be awarded:

Shuji Nakamura

Doctor of Science, honoris causa (D.Sc.) Faculty of Engineering (May 29, 10 a.m.) 

Shuji Nakamura is a co-winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics. Along with his colleagues Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano, he earned the prestigious prize for the invention of blue-light-emitting diodes, which led to the commercialization of energy-saving LED lightbulbs in 1993.

Nakamura is a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Inventors and the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He holds 422 patents in the U.S. alone and has written or collaborated on 853 publications to date.