At the closing ceremony of the academic year on June 25, 2024, Prof. Dr. Péter Sótonyi, Rector of the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, was conferred an honorary doctorate (honoris causa) by the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE). This recognition was awarded for his more than four decades of high-level teaching and research, and his outstanding contributions to agricultural higher education, particularly in the field of veterinary science.
At the ceremony held in the Royal Castle of Gödöllő’s Riding Hall, it was announced that in this academic year, 2,731 students graduated from MATE, and 137 obtained their PhD degrees.
In his festive speech, Dr. János Latorcai, Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament, emphasized the need for the agricultural sector to have open-minded, innovative professionals equipped with modern knowledge, and highlighted the university’s critical role in their training.
In his speech honouring Dr Péter Sótonyi and his achievements, Rector Dr Csaba Gyuricza stated the following:
“Prof. Dr. Péter Sótonyi is the Rector of the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, head of the Department of Anatomy and Histology, honorary doctor of Semmelweis University, Kaposvár University, Széchenyi István University, and Óbuda University, Vice-President of the Hungarian Equestrian Federation, recipient of the Order of Merit of Hungary (Middle Cross), and recipient of both the Széchenyi Prize and the Prima Prize.
Prof. Dr. Péter Sótonyi was born in Mosonmagyaróvár in 1954. He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1979 from the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest. After graduation, he started working at the Department of Anatomy and Histology as a scholarship holder. Between 1982 and 1985, he was a candidate at the Biological Institute of the Semmelweis University, after which he returned to his alma mater, climbing the academic ranks. In 1989, he earned his C.Sc. with a dissertation on ‘The Development and Functional Structural Changes of Gonads in Domestic Birds, with Particular Attention to the Endocrine Influence of Steroid and Troph Hormones.’
He habilitated in 1994 and won the Széchenyi Professorial Scholarship in 1997.
Since 2012, he has been a Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. His doctoral dissertation was titled: ‘Examination of Certain Functions of Hypothalamic Regulation.’
Since 2001, he has been a department head and served as the Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the predecessor institution of MATE, Szent István University, from 2012-2016.
Thanks to Prof. Sótonyi’s initiative, on July 1, 2016, the 237-year-old University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest became an independent institution. He is currently serving his second term as rector of the university, which transitioned to foundation maintenance in 2020.
He played a crucial role in the institution achieving two-step accreditation, resulting in the diplomas awarded by the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest being recognized throughout Europe without any need for further validation procedures.
Since 1979, he has lectured on subjects such as Anatomy, Regional Anatomy, and Biology, and introduced several new elective courses.
He revolutionized the teaching of Anatomy. The ‘Anatomia canis CD-ROM I-II,’ which he created, has been published in Hungarian, German, English, and Japanese, attracting significant international interest. Its scientific value extends beyond the narrower field of study to include educational informatics methodology.
He is credited with the Hungarian publication of the widely used König-Liebich Anatomy textbook and illustrated atlas, which has been translated into 16 languages. He is one of the 23 authors and the professional reviewer of the Hungarian edition.
For his teaching excellence, students have awarded him the title of ‘Best Lecturer’ 44 times. He received the ‘Lecturer of the Year’ title and grand prize from the editorial office of Diákinfo in 1999.
He has regularly taught and conducted research at Eötvös Loránd University, the University of Physical Education, the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, the universities of Cologne, Vienna, Berlin, and Timișoara, and has been a visiting professor at Yale University since 2004.
He established significant international scientific collaborations with the Institute of Anatomy at the University of Cologne, the Neuroanatomical Institute at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, and the C. and O. Vogt Brain Research Institute. He conducts joint research with Prof. Dr. Tamás Horváth from Yale University.
His scientific work is evidenced by numerous publications, with a total impact factor of 117.09 and 2,492 independent citations. He is the author or co-author of 10 books, has published over 200 popular science articles, and has given hundreds of presentations at national and international conferences.
He is a member and leader of prominent national and international scientific organizations.
His most notable professional and civil honours include the Apáczai Csere János Prize, the Nagyváthy János Prize, the Publisher’s Excellence Award, the ‘Master Teacher’ title, the ‘Veterinarian of the Year Award’ from the Hungarian Veterinary Chamber, the Order of Merit of Hungary (Middle Cross), the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award as ‘Agricultural Person of the Year,’ the Plósz Béla Prize, the Széchenyi Prize, and the Horn Artúr Prize.
For his high-level leadership and teaching-research work, and his outstanding professional activities in agricultural higher education, the Senate of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences confers upon Prof. Dr. Péter Sótonyi the title of ‘Honorary Doctor.’
Photos by Péter Snoj
