BERKELEY Inspire

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.

Baker, a biochemist who worked with 2013 Nobelist Randy Schekman at Berkeley, was honored in 2024 for computational protein design.

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’s research into bioorthogonal reactions furthers the work of her co-winners, who developed the new field of “click chemistry.”

Julius shared the prize with Ardem Patapoutian “for their discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cech shared his prize with Sidney Altman for their discovery of catalytic properties of RNA.

Lee designed experiments that sent streams of intensely packed molecules into each other at supersonic speeds, contributing to today’s powerful lasers.

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.”

Chamberlain and Emilio Segrè discovered the anti-proton, signaling a major leap in the study of matter and antimatter.

Erlanger shared his prize with Herbert S. Gasser for their discoveries relating to the highly differentiated functions of single nerve fibers.