David Baker, a biochemistry professor at the University of Washington, became the eighth UW faculty member to receive a Nobel Prize when he was awarded the recognition in chemistry Wednesday.
“Joining the ranks of Nobel Laureates is a testament to David Baker’s dedication and innovation,” UW President Ana Mari Cauce said in a news release. “The University of Washington is proud to be a place that fosters groundbreaking and impactful research, and extends its heartfelt congratulations to David on this remarkable recognition.”
Here’s what to know about some of the other Nobel laureates with ties to Washington, according to Seattle Times archives and HistoryLink:
- David J. Thouless (Physics), 2016
Thouless was honored for breakthroughs made in the 1970s and ‘80s about exotic states of matter — work that could result in improved materials for electronics or quantum computers.
Thouless, who was a professor emeritus at UW when he won the award, had been a professor in the UW Department of Physics from 1980 to 2003, according to his obituary from the university.
- David J. Wineland (Physics), 2012
Wineland won the award for research on experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems. He was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Washington in the ‘70s.
- Linda B. Buck (Medicine), 2004
Buck won the award for her research on discovering the molecules that detect smell and relay the information to people’s nervous systems. Born in Seattle and a UW grad, Buck was a member of the Basic Sciences Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle when she won the award.
- Irwin Rose (Chemistry), 2004
Rose won for his research in immune defense and proteins, where he discovered a way that cells destroy unwanted proteins. He spent his first undergraduate year at Washington State University.
- Leland H. Hartwell (Medicine), 2001
Hartwell won for his research on normal and abnormal cell growth that helped revolutionize the understanding of human malignancies. He was the president of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center when he won the award.
- Martin Rodbell (Medicine), 1994
Rodbell won the award for discovering that cellular communications involved guanosine triphosphate, or GTP. He received a doctorate in biochemistry at UW in 1954.
- Douglass North (Economics), 1993
North won the award for the development of “cliometrics,” a new method of studying economic history using modern statistical techniques. He taught economics at UW for 33 years from 1950 to 1983 and chaired the department from 1967 to 1979, according to the university’s obituary.
- Edwin Krebs (Medicine), 1992; Edmond H. Fischer (Medicine), 1992
Krebs and Fischer won the prize for a discovery that a chemical reaction with phosphate can activate an enzyme in muscle cells, according to The Associated Press. The research, done in the 1950s, was conducted at UW, according to the university’s obituary of Krebs.
Krebs was professor emeritus of pharmacology and biochemistry at UW when he died in 2009. Fischer was also a longtime professor of biochemistry when he died in 2021, according to the university’s obituary.
- William F. Sharpe (Economics), 1990
Sharpe won the prize for the development of the capital asset pricing model, a system to explain the relationship between securities prices, risks, and returns. He taught at UW from 1961 to 1968.
- E. Donnall Thomas (Medicine), 1990
Thomas won the prize for research on bone marrow transplantation, much of which was conducted at the Seattle-based Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute. He performed the first successful bone marrow transplant between identical twins in the 1950s.
- Hans G. Dehmelt (Physics), 1989
Dehmelt won the prize for experiments determining the size of electrons. He was the first professor at UW to win a Nobel Prize. He joined UW as a visiting assistant professor in 1955 and stayed at the university for the rest of his life.
- George Hitchings (Medicine), 1988
Hitchings won the prize for developing medicines to treat leukemia, herpes, and arthritis. Born in Hoquiam, he graduated from UW in 1928.
- George Stigler (Economics), 1982
Stigler won the prize for his work on the economic theory of regulation. Born in Renton, he graduated from UW in 1931.
- Walter Brattain (Physics), 1956
Brattain won the prize for the invention of the transistor. He graduated from Queen Anne High School in Seattle and Whitman College in Walla Walla.
