Dorothy Hodgkin

Nobel Prize-winning chemist who decoded molecular structures through X-ray crystallography

Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin (1910-1994) revolutionized biochemistry by determining the atomic structures of penicillin, vitamin B12, and insulin using X-ray techniques. Her 35-year quest to map insulin's structure laid the foundation for modern diabetes treatments and earned her the 1964 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Despite developing rheumatoid arthritis at 24, Hodgkin perfected crystallography methods during WWII to analyze penicillin's structure for mass production. Her Royal Society research on vitamin B12 helped treat pernicious anemia, saving countless lives. As Oxford University's first female Wolfson Professor, she mentored future leaders including Margaret Thatcher.

Hodgkin's humanitarian legacy includes co-founding the Pugwash Conferences to prevent nuclear warfare and serving as president of the International Union of Crystallography. The Royal Mail honored her with a commemorative stamp in 2010, celebrating her as Britain's only female science Nobel laureate. Her protein structure database remains crucial for modern drug discovery.