Professor Shuji Nakamura is presented with an honorary doctorate from Oxford University
“Encaenia provides an opportunity for us to reflect on and celebrate the extraordinary impact individuals have on the world through their dedication and vision. This year, our nine honorands have each reached the highest levels of achievement in their respective fields, advancing knowledge, shaping society, inspiring audiences and improving lives. Their contributions exemplify the power of ideas and creativity to make an enduring difference, and we are proud to honour and welcome them into the Oxford family.”
The nine recipients were: Rt. Hon. Dame Jacinda Ardern GNZM, 40th Prime Minister of New Zealand (2017-2023); Professor Daron Acemoğlu, economist, joint recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences and Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Carlos Acosta, CBE, internationally acclaimed dancer, choreographer and Artistic Director, and a former Principal Dancer of The Royal Ballet; Adjoa Andoh, MBE and British actress; Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr, Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University; Professor Katalin Karikó, biochemist, joint recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine from the University of Szeged and the University of Pennsylvania; Billie Jean King, former world No. 1 tennis player and winner of 39 Grand Slam titles; Professor Shuji Nakamura, FREng, engineer, joint recipient of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics, Professor of Materials and of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California and Co-Director of the Solid State Lighting and Energy Electronics Center; and Dame Emma Walmsley, DBE, former Chief Executive GSK and Board Director Microsoft.
Professor Shuji Nakamura, FREng, engineer, joint recipient of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics, Professor of Materials and of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of California and Co-Director of the Solid State Lighting and Energy Electronics Center.
‘It is a great honour to be recognised by Oxford. My work has been one continuous pursuit, harnessing light, from the blue LED, LED lighting to the lasers we are now developing to make fusion energy practical. But what matters most to me is what comes next: a generation of scientists and engineers willing to take on the hardest challenges, including clean and abundant energy. If my work helps convince even a few of them that the problems that seem impossible are the ones most worth solving, that will be the real reward.’
Find out more about the honorary degree recipients for 2026 here.
For background information on the Encaenia ceremony see: Encaenia | Oxford University.
Cherwell article (Oxford's oldest independent student newspaper)