Dr. Ingeborg Hochmair, co‑founder and CEO of MED‑EL, a global leader in hearing implant technology, has received an Honorary Doctor of Engineering from the University of Michigan, recognizing her lifelong contributions to engineering innovation, medical technology, and global accessibility in healthcare.
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University of Michigan awarded Ingeborg Hochmair an Honorary Doctor of Engineering on May 2, 2026 in Ann Arbor, MI. Dr. Hochmair also addressed graduate students as Keynote Speaker at the Rackham Graduate Exercises, the university’s official graduation ceremony for master’s and doctoral candidates.
The honorary doctorate was conferred during the University of Michigan’s Spring Commencement ceremonies on May 2, 2026. Earlier that weekend, on May 1, Dr. Hochmair addressed graduate students as Keynote Speaker at the Rackham Graduate Exercises, the university’s official graduation ceremony for master’s and doctoral candidates.
A Career Rooted in Engineering and Purpose
An electrical engineer, inventor, and medical‑device executive, Dr. Hochmair has dedicated her career to improving lives through technology. Her early research led to the development of the first micro‑electronic multichannel cochlear implant, successfully implanted in Vienna in 1977. This breakthrough laid the foundation for the modern cochlear implant and transformed access to hearing for people with profound hearing loss worldwide.
“I am deeply honored by this recognition from the University of Michigan,” says Dr. Hochmair. “Engineering has always been, for me, a way to create meaningful change – and to ensure that technology serves people by improving communication, connection, and quality of life.”
Dr. Hochmair studied electrical engineering at the Technical University of Vienna, Austria, where she later became the first woman to earn a doctorate in electrical engineering. Her academic and research career took her to the Institute for General Electrical Engineering and Electronics in Vienna, Stanford University, and the University of Innsbruck, shaping a lifelong commitment to applying technical knowledge to real‑world medical challenges.
From Academic Vision to Global Innovation
Following the success of their research, Dr. Hochmair and her husband, Erwin Hochmair, co‑founded MED‑EL and hired the company’s first employees in the 1990s. Today, MED‑EL remains a privately owned Austrian company, headquartered in Innsbruck, with operations in more than 30 locations worldwide and hearing solutions available in over 140 countries.
Addressing the Next Generation of Leaders
As Keynote Speaker at the 2026 Rackham Graduate Exercises, Dr. Hochmair addressed master’s and doctoral graduates from across scientific and academic disciplines, highlighting the responsibility that comes with technical expertise and innovation. “You are the architects of the future world,” she told the graduating class. “Your ambitions and your ability to realize your visions will influence the fate of this world and shape it.”
Drawing on her own career in engineering and medical innovation, Dr. Hochmair encouraged graduates to align professional excellence with societal responsibility. “Always remember to use your talents and your learnings to the highest degree possible in order to deliver a maximum of positive contribution,” she said, emphasizing the importance of accessibility and inclusion in technological progress.
Reflecting on her own journey – one she described as being built on “curiosity, stubbornness, and perseverance, pursuing a vision” – she urged graduates to remain committed to their goals: “If you happen to be in the right place at the right time, grab the chance and do not let go. It pays off to fight hard for something one really wants to have or not lose.”
International Recognition for Scientific and Societal Impact
Dr. Hochmair is the author of more than 100 scientific publications and the inventor or co‑inventor of over 50 patents and patent applications. Her international honors include the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, awarded jointly with her husband Dr. Erwin Hochmair, as well as the Lasker–DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, the Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize for Bioengineering, the Technology Prize of the Eduard Rhein Foundation, and the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal.
The University of Michigan’s decision to award Dr. Hochmair an honorary doctorate recognizes not only her scientific achievements, but also her enduring commitment to accessibility, interdisciplinary collaboration, and improving quality of life worldwide.
The full ceremony recording is available on the University of Michigan’s official YouTube channel, with Dr. Hochmair’s keynote address beginning at 00:49:35.
About MED-EL
MED-EL Medical Electronics, a leader in implantable hearing solutions, is driven by a mission to overcome hearing loss as a barrier to communication and quality of life. The Austrian-based, privately owned business was co-founded by industry pioneers Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair, whose ground-breaking research led to the development of the world’s first micro-electronic multi-channel cochlear implant (CI), which was successfully implanted in 1977 and was the basis for what is known as the modern CI today. This laid the foundation for the successful growth of the company in 1990, when they hired their first employees. To date, MED-EL has more than 3,100 employees from around 90 nations and 30 locations worldwide.
The company offers the widest range of implantable and non-implantable solutions to treat all types of hearing loss, enabling people in 140 countries enjoy the gift of hearing with the help of a MED-EL device. MED-EL’s hearing solutions include cochlear and middle ear implant systems, a combined electric acoustic stimulation hearing implant system, auditory brainstem implants as well as surgical and non-surgical bone conduction devices. www.medel.com
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