Northwestern announces 2026 honorary degree recipients

• Link to: Northwestern Now Story

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Northwestern University will present honorary degrees to four inspiring leaders during its 168th Commencement ceremony on Sunday, June 14, at the United Center in Chicago.

This year’s honorary degree recipients are pioneering researcher Michael Graetzel, Tony and Grammy Award-winning singer Heather Headley, David Skorton, CEO and president of the Association of American Medical Colleges, and actor and producer Sarah Jessica Parker, who will deliver the address to graduates.

Parker was announced as commencement speaker on Feb. 24.

“This year’s honorary degree recipients — Michael Graetzel, Heather Headley, Sarah Jessica Parker and David Skorton — have made extraordinary contributions to society in the fields of science and research, the performing arts and medicine,” said Northwestern Interim President Henry S. Bienen. “I look forward to welcoming them to campus for our commencement weekend.”

This year’s honorary degree recipients

Michael Graetzel will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Science. Graetzel, a professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland, pioneered research on colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals and their use for solar energy conversion and storage, which has led to several groundbreaking discoveries in photovoltaics, electrochemistry and photo-electrochemistry, addressing the urgent need to develop low-cost and efficient systems for the conversion of sunlight to electricity and chemical fuels.

He is particularly well known for his discovery of mesoscopic dye-sensitized solar cells — named after him as “Graetzel cells” — which in turn engendered the advent of perovskite photovoltaics. He applied this concept for the solar generation of hydrogen and reduction of carbon dioxide as well as high-power lithium-ion batteries.

His achievements have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Millennium Technology Grand Prize, the Balzan Prize and the Global Energy Prize. He is an elected fellow or member of several learned societies including the Order Pour le Mérite in Art and Sciences in Germany, the Royal Society in the United Kingdom and the Leopoldina in Germany.

Heather Headley ’97 will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts. A Tony and Grammy Award-winning singer, Headley considers her multifaceted career a blessing. She was born and spent most of her childhood on the Caribbean island of Trinidad before her family moved to the U.S. in the 1990s.

In 1997, she won the role of Nala in the original Broadway cast of the Tony-winning musical “The Lion King.” Her subsequent portrayal of the Nubian princess, Aida, in the musical of the same name won her the praise of critics and the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical.

Headley continued her musical success on the pop charts in 2002 with her debut album “This Is Who I Am.” In 2009, she released “Audience of One,” which earned her a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album.  

She originated the leading role of Rachel Marron in London’s West End premiere of “The Bodyguard.” After which, she returned to Broadway in 2016, starring in the Tony-winning “The Color Purple.” In 2018, she had a recurring role on “Chicago Med” and in 2021 she won critical praise for her role in the New York City Center’s production of “Into the Woods.” Headley currently stars as Helen Decatur on the hit Netflix series “Sweet Magnolias.” She has traveled the country and the world performing her concerts, as well as joining other artists, but considers her life with Northwestern alumni, Brian Musso and their three children, the greatest of the blessings. 

She graduated from Northwestern’s School of Communication in 1997.

Sarah Jessica Parker will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts. An award-winning actor, producer and businesswoman, Parker has garnered four Golden Globe Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Emmy Awards.

She recently executive produced “The Librarians,” which made the 2026 BAFTA longlist in the documentary category.

Parker is best known for her role as Carrie Bradshaw, which she recently reprised in HBO’s television series “And Just Like That.” The show is a sequel to the critically acclaimed series “Sex and the City” in which Parker starred and served as an executive producer. Parker also starred in and served as a producer for the screen adaptation of the hit series with the theatrical release of “Sex and the City” and “Sex and the City 2.”

Most recently she appeared on stage opposite her husband, Matthew Broderick, in the revival of Neil Simon’s comedy “Plaza Suite,” the third highest-grossing play revival in Broadway history.

In 2026, she was honored by the Golden Globe Foundation with its prestigious Carol Burnett Award, recognizing her outstanding contributions to television. She celebrated the honor alongside colleagues, family and friends — including Burnett herself — at the inaugural Golden Eve event in January.

Dr. David J. Skorton ’70, ’74 M.D. will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Science. Skorton is president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), a not-for-profit association that represents medical schools, academic health systems and teaching hospitals and academic societies.

He began his leadership of the AAMC in July 2019 after a distinguished career in government, higher education and medicine.

Prior to the AAMC, Skorton served as the 13th secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, where he oversaw 19 museums, 21 libraries, the National Zoo and numerous research centers and education programs.

Before that, he served as president of Cornell University (2006–2015) and president of the University of Iowa (2003–2006), where he also served on the faculty for 26 years and co-founded and co-directed the University of Iowa Adolescent and Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic. A pioneer of cardiac imaging and computer processing techniques, he was a contributor to and editor-in-chief of a major text on cardiac imaging.

Skorton earned his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern in 1970, and in 1974, he graduated from the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine.