Ferenc Krausz and György Matolcsy welcomed BME’s new PhD graduates

Ferenc Krausz was awarded BME’s John von Neumann Professorship, while György Matolcsy, Governor of the Hungarian National Bank, received the Honorary Citizen of BME title from the university’s rector.

Tibor Czigány, Rector of Budapest University of Technology and Economics, emphasized that “we are honouring two leading personalities today, who also made it a priority to strengthen international relations in their careers. European connectivity is of paramount importance and considered indispensable for our university also.” He added: “Among all the universities, research institutes, companies and governmental organisations, BME is the most successful EU applicant for EU grants in Hungary. In fact, it is the most successful institution in this respect not only in our country but in the Visegrád Four countries, with whom we joined the European Union 20 years ago.” In his speech, the Rector highlighted those who have contributed to the global reputation of Budapest University of Technology and Economics over the past 242 years: the Nobel Prize winners, the Olympians, the heroes of 1956, as well as the honorary citizens of the institution, whose outstanding careers have been exemplary for the University and for the whole of Hungary.

Ferenc Krausz, a BME alumnus and staff member, who graduated as an electrical engineer at BME in 1987, was honoured for his scientific achievements in the field of ultrafast laser science. From microchip manufacturing to cancer diagnosis, the area of science that the physicist founded has revolutionised many fields. The award was presented by Tibor Czigány, Rector of BME, and György Beck, President of the John von Neumann Computer Society, at the ceremonial session of BME’s Senate. After receiving the award, Ferenc Krausz stressed in his speech: “Gaining knowledge is not just an intellectual task, but a moral duty - a responsibility we owe to future generations.”

György Matolcsy, Governor of the Hungarian National Bank, received the Honorary Citizen of BME title from the university’s rector. György Matolcsy has played a pivotal role in initiating and supporting the cooperation programme between the MNB and BME that has been running with great success since 2019. The strategic goal of the two institutions’ cooperation is to further develop economics and management focused thinking, and to explore the business and social benefits of technical innovations. Within the framework of these joint activities, new scientific workshops were set up at the university with the participation of about 100 teachers, researchers and students, and several books and studies on the subject were added to expand the knowledge base on digitalisation and finance in Hungary. During the four years of collaboration, over 530 students received scholarships in 24 academic and professional competitions and thematic grant schemes. As described at the event: György Matolcsy also contributes personally to shaping future generations by meeting BME students in popular lectures, held at the university.

BME’s John von Neumann Professorship title was awarded to Katalin Karikó in 2023 and the year before that to Sir Konstantin Novoselov, who won the Nobel Prize for being the first person to isolate graphene. The title of Honorary Citizen of BME has been awarded in recent years, among others, to Bertalan Farkas, the first Hungarian astronaut and former student of Budapest University of Technology and Economics, György Habsburg, Hungary’s ambassador to France, Erik Bogsch, CEO of Richter Pharmaceuticals, Miklós Bendzsel, President of the Hungarian Academy of Engineering, and Dale Martin, the President of EELISA, the European Engineering Learning Innovation and Science Alliance, which brings together 10 leading technical universities, including BME.

At the ceremonial session of BME’s Senate, around 150 new PhD graduates received their diplomas from the doctoral schools of the University’s eight faculties. Several awards, such as the Archduke Joseph Commemorative Medal, the József Sztoczek Commemorative Medal and the Distinguished Lecturer of BME titles were presented at the event.

This year, Budapest University of Technology and Economics also presented a new award. “BME’s Alfréd Hajós Award”, established this year, is given to the best student athlete of the year who is a student of BME and has achieved outstanding sporting results in the past year. The first awardee is Ádám Varga, the university’s physics undergraduate and Olympic silver medalist in kayaking, who was presented the award by Rector Tibor Czigány and Chancellor Miklós Verseghi-Nagy.

Ferenc Krausz will give a lecture to BME students on the afternoon of 11 May. Uniquely, Budapest University of Technology and Economics is hosting two Nobel laureates in one week, as Bernard L. Feringa will visit BME on 16 May to talk to staff and students about his groundbreaking research.

Rector's Office Department of Communications

Photo: B. Geberle