Szilveszter E. Vizi
Former President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gedeon Richter
Born in Budapest in 1936, he earned his medical degree summa cum laude from the University of Medicine in Budapest in 1961. Early in his career, he researched the mechanisms of brain neurotransmission, working with Sir William Paton at the University of Oxford. He is credited with discovering the non-synaptic, analogue functioning of the brain and describing the central role of the noradrenergic system in the interaction between the nervous and immune systems. He served as Director of the Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and, between 2002 and 2008, as President of the Academy. He is the author of over 500 scientific publications and 12 books, holds 39 patents, and is an honorary member of several international scientific societies, including the British Pharmacological Society, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MHAS), the Academia Europaea (London), the Academia Scientiarum et Artium Europaea (Salzburg), Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine. Member of the Board of Directors of Gedeon Richter Plc. since 2008, Chairman of the Board of Directors since March 1, 2024. His achievements have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards, including the Széchenyi Prize, the Hungarian Corvin Chain, and the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary. An asteroid also bears his name. In addition to his scientific work, he is well known for his dedication to science communication and public engagement.