Nobel Prize winners associated with crystallography

The Nobel Prize is an international award administered by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. It has been awarded every year since 1901 for achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and for peace. Over the course of its history, many awards have been made for scientific achievements directly related to, or involving the use of, crystallographic methods and techniques.

2024 Chemistry

D. Baker, D. Hassabis and J. Jumper
For computational protein design, and for protein structure prediction

2021 Physiology or Medicine

D. Julius and A. Patapoutian
For their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch

2020 Chemistry

J. A. Doudna and E. Charpentier
For the development of a method for genome editing

2016 Chemistry

J.-P. Sauvage, J. F. Stoddart and B. L. Feringa
For the design and synthesis of molecular machines

2013 Chemistry

M. Karplus, M. Levitt and A. Warshel
For the development of multiscale models for complex chemical systems

2012 Chemistry

R. J. Lefkowitz and B. K. Kobilka
For studies of G-protein-coupled receptors

2011 Chemistry

D. Shechtman
For the discovery of quasicrystals

2010 Physics

A. Geim and K. Novoselov
For groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene

2009 Chemistry

V. Ramakrishnan, T. A. Steitz and A. E. Yonath
Studies of the structure and function of the ribosome

2006 Chemistry

R. D. Kornberg
Studies of the molecular basis of eukaryotic transcription

2003 Chemistry

P. Agre and R. MacKinnon
Discoveries concerning channels in cell membranes

1997 Chemistry

P. D. Boyer, J. E. Walker and J. C. Skou
Elucidation of the enzymatic mechanism underlying the synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and discovery of an ion-transporting enzyme

1996 Chemistry

R.Curl, H. Kroto and R. Smalley
Discovery of the fullerene form of carbon

1994 Physics

C. Shull and N. Brockhouse
Neutron diffraction

1992 Physics

G. Charpak
Discovery of the multi wire proportional chamber

1991 Physics

P.-G. de Gennes
Methods of discovering order in simple systems can be applied to polymers and liquid crystals

1988 Chemistry

J. Deisenhofer, R. Huber and H. Michel
For the determination of the three-dimensional structure of a photosynthetic reaction centre

1985 Chemistry

H. Hauptman and J. Karle
Development of direct methods for the determination of crystal structures

1982 Chemistry

A. Klug
Development of crystallographic electron microscopy and discovery of the structure of biologically important nucleic acid-protein complexes

1976 Chemistry

W. N. Lipscomb
Structure of boranes

1972 Chemistry

C. B. Anfinsen
Folding of protein chains

1964 Chemistry

D. Hodgkin
Structure of many biochemical substances including Vitamin B12

1962 Physiology or Medicine

F. Crick, J. Watson and M. Wilkins
The helical structure of DNA

1962 Chemistry

J. C. Kendrew and M. Perutz
For their studies of the structures of globular proteins

1954 Chemistry

L. C. Pauling
For his research into the nature of the chemical bond and its application to the elucidation of the structure of complex substances

1946 Chemistry

J. B. Sumner
For his discovery that enzymes can be crystallised

1937 Physics

C. J. Davisson and G. Thomson
Diffraction of electrons by crystals

1936 Chemistry

P. J. W. Debye
For his contributions to our knowledge of molecular structure through his investigations on dipole moments and on the diffraction of X-rays and electrons in gases

1929 Physics

L.-V. de Broglie
The wave nature of the electron

1927 Physics

A. H. Compton

For his discovery of the effect named after him

and C. T. R. Wilson

For his method of making the paths of electrically charged particles visible by condensation of vapour

1917 Physics

C. G. Barkla
Discovery of the characteristic Röntgen radiation of the elements

1915 Physics

W. H. Bragg and W. L. Bragg
Use of X-rays to determine crystal structure

1914 Physics

M. Von Laue
Diffraction of X-rays by crystals

1901 Physics

W. C. Röntgen
Discovery of X-rays

List based on the compilation by Kate Crennell at http://img.cryst.bbk.ac.uk/bca/CNews/1997/Sep97/nobels.html