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Nobel Laureates in Crystallography

Crystallography has played a pivotal role in some of the most groundbreaking scientific discoveries of the last century—many of which have been honored with the Nobel Prize. This section highlights the laureates whose work advanced our understanding of crystal structures, diffraction methods, and the fundamental nature of matter. Their achievements span physics, chemistry, and medicine, reflecting crystallography’s wide-reaching impact across the sciences.

Here you will find brief profiles of Nobel-recognized contributions, along with curated resources for exploring the broader history of the Nobel Prize. Whether you are learning about the pioneers who shaped the field or seeking deeper insight into the Nobel tradition, these materials provide a gateway to the scientific milestones that continue to inspire our community.

Why This History Matters

The sequence of Nobel Prizes shows an evolution: from discovering X-rays and basic diffraction, through mapping atomic structures of molecules and proteins, to understanding complex biological machinery — and now to predictive computational structure design.

Recent awards highlight that structural biology is not static: modern advances combine crystallography with computation and AI.

This continuum underscores the core role of structural methods (diffraction, modeling, computation) in understanding matter — from atoms to cells to machines.

 

Modern Era: Computational Structure Prediction & AI-Driven Structural Science

This milestone marks a new chapter: structural science moving beyond “just crystallography” into computational design and AI-enabled prediction, broadening the impact of structural insight across biology, medicine, and materials.

 2024  David Baker; Demis Hassabis & John Jumper Awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for computational protein design (Baker) and for methods to predict protein structures (Hassabis & Jumper). Their work dramatically accelerates structural biology, making it possible to determine or design protein structures far more rapidly than with traditional crystallography.

 

From Molecules to Membranes & Complex Assemblies

1962  Francis Crick, James Watson & Maurice Wilkins Proposed the double-helix model of DNA, uncovering the structural basis for biological information storage.
1988  Johann Deisenhofer, Robert Huber & Hartmut Michel Determined the first high-resolution membrane protein structure essential to photosynthesis.
1994  Clifford Shull & Bertram Brockhouse Pioneered electron diffraction and neutron diffraction methods — broadening the structural toolkit beyond X-rays.
2003  Peter Agre & Roderick MacKinnon Elucidated the structure of membrane channels, revealing how molecules move across cell membranes.
2006  Roger Kornberg Revealed the molecular basis of eukaryotic transcription — key for understanding how genetic information is read and regulated.
2009  Venki Ramakrishnan, Tom Steitz & Ada Yonath

Determined the structure and function of the ribosome, a central molecular machine in all living cells.
2011  Dan Shechtman Discovery of quasicrystals, expanding crystallography’s reach into novel solid-state matter.
2013  Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt & Arieh Warshel Developed multiscale models for complex chemical processes — bridging structural information and dynamic chemical behavior.
2016  Jean-Pierre Sauvage, J. Fraser Stoddart & Ben Feringa Design and synthesis of molecular machines — showing how structural insight enables molecular engineering.
2017 Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank, and Richard Henderson Advanced the technique of cryo-electron microscopy to determine biomolecule structures

 

Expanding Structural Chemistry & Early Biological Structures

1954 Linus Pauling

Determined the α-helical structure of proteins; made foundational advances in understanding chemical bonding.

1962

John Kendrew & Max Perutz

 

Solved structures of globular proteins (myoglobin, hemoglobin) — foundational work in protein crystallography and molecular biology.

1964

Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin

Solved important biochemical structures including cholesterol, penicillin, vitamin B₁₂, and insulin.

1976

William Lipscomb

Structural studies of boranes, shedding light on chemical bonding in unusual molecules.

1985

Herbert Hauptman & Jerome Karle

 

Developed direct mathematical methods for solving crystal structures — a major advance in crystallographic methodology.

 

Early Foundations

1901 Wilhelm Röntgen

Discovery of X-rays, which enabled later structural studies using diffraction.

1914

Max von Laue

First demonstration of X-ray diffraction by crystals — establishing a fundamental technique for probing atomic arrangement.

1915

Sir William H. Bragg & Sir William L. Bragg

Determined the first atomic crystal structure and established foundational principles (Bragg’s law).

 

 

Additional Important Contributors (Non-laureates but Foundational)

Arthur Patterson Developed the “Patterson function,” a method to map vector distances between atoms in crystals.
David Harker Advanced the interpretation of Patterson maps to identify key planes and sections, aiding molecular structure determination.

 

Additional Resources

Nobel Prize Home

For those interested in exploring the full history of the Nobel Prizes—including detailed biographies, award citations, and archival materials—additional information is available directly on the official Nobel Prize website. It offers comprehensive resources on every prize, laureate, and scientific achievement recognized since the awards were established.
IUCr Nobel Prize 

For a deeper look at the Nobel Prizes awarded for breakthroughs in crystallography, including laureate profiles and landmark scientific contributions, additional information is available through the IUCr. This resource offers an excellent overview of the field’s Nobel-recognized achievements.
AIP Nobel Prize Resources

The American Institute of Physics offers an excellent resource that highlights the scientific accomplishments of Nobel Prize winners across the physical sciences. This collection provides historical context, biographical information, and insightful commentary on the discoveries that shaped modern science. It’s a valuable companion for anyone interested in exploring the broader impact of Nobel-recognized research.