Dorothy Hodgkin

Dorothy Mary Crowfoot Hodgkin was a British chemist whose mastery of X-ray crystallography unlocked the three-dimensional structures of biological molecules that were previously deemed impossibly complex. Despite suffering severe, painful rheumatoid arthritis from age twenty-four that crippled her hands and feet, Hodgkin pursued research at Oxford with relentless tenacity and mathematical genius.

In 1945, Hodgkin resolved the controversial three-dimensional molecular architecture of penicillin, proving that it contains an unexpected four-membered beta-lactam ring and enabling synthetic antibiotics. In 1955, using early digital computers, she solved the intricate structure of vitamin B12, which earned her the 1964 Nobel Prize in Chemistry—making her the first and only British woman to win a Nobel science prize. In 1969, after thirty-five years of painstaking dedication, she solved the structure of the insulin hormone, revolutionizing diabetes treatment. A passionate humanitarian, Hodgkin served as president of the Pugwash Conferences for global peace.