In memoriam Prof. Dr. József Molnár (1936–2025)

We are saying goodbye to an exceptional scientist, a dedicated teacher and an extraordinary person, whose intellectual legacy will remain with us for a long time to come.

Professor József Molnár completed his university studies at the Medical University of Szeged, where he received his medical degree in 1961. From that year until the end of his life, he remained loyal to the University of Szeged and the Department of Medical Microbiology, a community he not only served but also shaped, where he also worked as Vice dean of the Faculty of Medicine from 1985 to 1991. In 1985, together with Professor Gyula Telegdy and Professor László Kovács he actively contributed to launching the English language medical training in Szeged.

His scientific career was outstanding. As a doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, he achieved internationally recognized results in research on microbiology, bacterial genetics, virulence, combined chemotherapy and tumor cell resistance. His scientific career is marked by more than 450 scientific publications, two patents and countless international collaborations. His research activity was always guided by a sense of responsibility towards patients and a desire to alleviate human suffering. In addition to his research activity, he had a significant impact as a teacher and mentor, teaching medical microbiology to generations of medical, dental and pharmacy students since 1965. His lectures not only imparted knowledge, but also encouraged students to think, ask questions and take responsibility.

Professor József Molnár was first and foremost a human being: attentive, helpful, modest and reliable. He was a professor whose door was always open, who listened to questions and who never forgot where he came from. He continued to work actively as an emeritus professor because, for him, science and education were not work but a way of life. Now that he is gone, we are all a little poorer.

His students, colleagues and all those who knew him know that what he provided us with will never be forgotten. On behalf of the staff of the Department of Medical Microbiology, I bid farewell with the words of Khalil Gibran: ’Life does not leave those who pass away; it only changes shape in the hearts of those who remain.’

We will cherish his memory with love and gratitude.

Prof. Dr. Katalin Burián

Head of the Department of Medical Microbiology

Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School