John Hopfield
Physics, 2024 | Faculty
Hopfield — who shared the physics prize with Geoffrey Hinton “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks” — was a Berkeley Physics faculty member from 1961 to 1964.
David Baker Ph.D. ’89
Chemistry, 2024 | Alum
Baker, a biochemist who worked with 2013 Nobelist Randy Schekman at Berkeley, was honored in 2024 for computational protein design.
Gary Ruvkun ’73
Physiology or Medicine, 2024 | Alum
Ruvkun, a 1973 graduate with a B.A. in biophysics, shares the prize with Victor Ambros, a professor at the UMass Chan Medical School, for their discovery of microRNA and and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.
Carolyn Bertozzi Ph.D. ’93
Chemistry, 2022 | Alum
Carolyn’s research into bioorthogonal reactions furthers the work of her co-winners, who developed the new field of “click chemistry.”
David Julius Ph.D. ’84
Physiology or Medicine, 2021 | Alum
Julius shared the prize with Ardem Patapoutian “for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch.”
David Card
Economics, 2021 | Faculty
Card shared his prize for work that challenged orthodoxy and dramatically shifted understanding of inequality and the social and economic forces that impact low-wage workers.
Reinhard Genzel
Physics, 2020 | Faculty
Jennifer Doudna
Chemistry, 2020 | Faculty
Frances Arnold Ph.D. ’85
Chemistry, 2018 | Alum
Barry Barish ’57, Ph.D. ’62
Physics, 2017 | Alum
Eric Betzig
Chemistry, 2014 | Faculty
Randy Schekman
Physiology or Medicine, 2013 | Faculty
David J. Wineland B.A. ’65
Physics, 2012 | Alum
Saul Perlmutter Ph.D. ’86
Physics, 2011 | Faculty
Adam Guy Riess Miller Fellow ’96–99
Physics, 2011 | Alum
Berkeley professor Saul Perlmutter (a fellow Cal alum) led a team that discovered the accelerating expansion of the universe; the prize was awarded jointly to Riess and Brian Schmidt.
Thomas Sargent ’64
Economics, 2011 | Alum
Oliver Williamson
Economics, 2009 | Faculty
Carol Greider Ph.D. ’87
Physiology or Medicine, 2009 | Alum
George Smoot
Physics, 2006 | Faculty
Andrew Z. Fire ’78
Physiology or Medicine, 2006 | Alum
John C. Mather Ph.D. ’74
Physics, 2006 | Alum
Thomas C. Schelling ’44
Economics, 2005 | Alum
David Gross Ph.D. ’66
Physics, 2004 | Alum
Daniel Kahneman Ph.D. ’61
Economics, 2002 | Alum
George Akerlof
Economics, 2001 | Faculty
Daniel McFadden
Economics, 2000 | Faculty
Alan Heeger Ph.D. ’61
Chemistry, 2000 | Alum
Robert Laughlin ’72
Physics, 1998 | Alum
Steven Chu Ph.D. ’76
Physics, 1997 | Alum
Robert Curl Ph.D. ’57
Chemistry, 1996 | Alum
Mario Molina Ph.D. ’72
Chemistry, 1995 | Alum
Seamus Heaney
Literature, 1995 | Faculty
The distinguished poet from Northern Ireland — honored for “for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past” — came to UC Berkeley twice on temporary appointments, the first for two semesters in 1970-1 and the second for a single term in 1976.
John Harsanyi
Economics, 1994 | Faculty
Kary Mullis Ph.D. ’73
Chemistry, 1993 | Alum
This prize recognized contributions to developments of methods within DNA-based chemistry, with one half to Mullis for his invention of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, the other to Michael Smith.
Douglass North ’42, Ph.D. 1952
Economics, 1993 | Alum
Thomas Cech Ph.D. ’75
Chemistry, 1989 | Alum
Cech shared his prize with Sidney Altman for their discovery of catalytic properties of RNA.
Yuan T. Lee Ph.D. ’65
Chemistry, 1986 | Faculty
Lee designed experiments that sent streams of intensely packed molecules into each other at supersonic speeds, contributing to today’s powerful lasers.
Henry Taube Ph.D. ’40
Chemistry, 1983 | Alum
Gerard Debreu
Economics, 1983 | Faculty
Czeslow Milosz
Literature, 1980 | Faculty
Lawrence Klein ’42
Economics, 1980 | Alum
Hamilton Smith ’52
Physiology or Medicine, 1978 | Alum
Luis Alvarez
Physics, 1968 | Faculty
Charles Townes
Physics, 1964 | Faculty
Melvin Calvin
Chemistry, 1961 | Faculty
Willard Libby ’31, Ph.D. ’33
Chemistry, 1960 | Alum
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1960 was awarded to Willard Frank Libby “for his method to use carbon-14 for age determination in archaeology, geology, geophysics, and other branches of science.”
Donald Glaser
Physics, 1960 | Faculty
Owen Chamberlain
Physics, 1959 | Faculty
Chamberlain and Emilio Segrè discovered the anti-proton, signaling a major leap in the study of matter and antimatter.
Emilio Segrè
Physics, 1959 | Faculty
Willis Lamb ’34, Ph.D. ’38
Physics, 1955 | Alum
Selman Waksman Ph.D. 1918
Physiology or Medicine, 1952 | Alum
Glenn Seaborg Ph.D. ’37
Chemistry, 1951 | Faculty
Edwin McMillan
Chemistry, 1951 | Faculty
William Giauque B.S. 1920, Ph.D. 1922
Chemistry, 1949 | Faculty
John Howard Northrop
Chemistry, 1946 | Faculty
Wendell Stanley
Chemistry, 1946 | Faculty
Joseph Erlanger 1895
Physiology or Medicine, 1944 | Alum
Erlanger shared his prize with Herbert S. Gasser for their discoveries relating to the highly differentiated functions of single nerve fibers.
Ernest Lawrence
Physics, 1939 | Faculty
Harold Urey Ph.D. 1923
Chemistry, 1934 | Alum