David Baker Nobel Prize press conference - full

David Baker was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for computational protein design. He is a professor of biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, and director of the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington School of Medicine. The prize was shared with Demis Hassabis and John Jumper of Google DeepMind for their contributions to protein structure prediction.

Baker’s research combines computational and laboratory techniques to create custom proteins with unprecedented precision. The Baker Lab pioneered the field by developing much of the world’s most popular and effective software for computational protein design, including the Rosetta program. The lab also succeeded in creating the first protein with a novel 3D shape, an inert molecule called Top7. It has since produced several thousand new proteins, including molecules that neutralize viruses, target cancer cells, and even serve as catalysts for chemical reactions.

This UW Medicine Press Conference occurred October 9, 2024, the day the award was announced. For press inquiries, please email [email protected].