The pioneering researcher whose work on messenger RNA technology formed the basis for both the Moderna and Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines has urged more girls and young women to follow in her footsteps and forge a career in the sciences. Between 1975 and 2019 Dr Karikó won two awards of note. Since then she has won 53, including Time Hero of the Year 2021 among dozens of top scientific prizes including, jointly with Weismann and Canadian Pieter Cullis for their work on mRNA technology, the VinFuture Grand Prize, with the trio sharing $3m last month. She is now favourite for the Nobel Prize in chemistry. ‘Never give up’ is a message she knows how to deliver.