 In 2015 Professor Richardson received honorary doctorates from the University of Aberdeen and Queen's University Belfast.and was named an honorary member of the Royal Irish Academy.In 2016 Professor Richardson was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, named a fellow of the National Academy of Social Sciences, and awarded honorary doctorates by Trinity College Dublin and the University of St Andrews; she also received the inaugural Emily Winifred Dickson award from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, which recognises women who have made an outstanding contribution to their field.