"This is as good as it gets! We are so proud to be the home of some of the most remarkable, creative, innovative and talented faculty, and we don't have a better example of that than David. They are the reason we're recognized as one of the top public universities in the world in terms of positive impact."
On Oct. 8, David Baker was already an accomplished biochemistry professor in the University of Washington School of Medicine: a computational biologist with more than 640 peer-reviewed research papers, 100 secured patents, and 21 biotech start-ups. But none of that prepared him for the 2 a.m. phone call from Sweden, when Baker learned he’d joined the upper echelon of prestigious international honorees as a recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Baker is now the eighth UW faculty Nobel laureate.
Baker’s Nobel Prize recognizes his innovative work in computational protein design. The 62-year-old Garfield High School graduate has spent his career at the intersection of medicine and computer science. (His wife, Hannele Ruohola-Baker, is also a UW biochemistry professor, and his parents are retired UW faculty.) Baker is the director of the UW Medicine Institute for Protein Design, whose mission is to create new proteins that solve modern challenges across medicine, technology and sustainability.
Baker and his team use computing power and artificial intelligence to design entirely new protein structures
— what he’s referred to as “the workhorses of all living things” — rather than simply amending existing ones. The applications of this science are endless: defense against viruses, targeting and attacking cancer cells, even combating pollution by breaking down harmful plastics in the environment.
“If you look at David’s work, this is about taking these great basic science ideas and pushing them out so that they make a difference in the world,” says UW President Ana Mari Cauce. “That’s what we are all about, and what we want to be for the state and the world.”
Baker’s co-recipients are Demis Hassabis and John Jumper, artificial intelligence researchers at Google DeepMind. The Nobel Prizes will be awarded at a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, on Dec. 10.
What’s next for protein design? Artificial intelligence’s effect on Baker’s work makes the impact limitless. “I’m very, very excited about the future,” he says. “I think protein design has huge potential to make the world a better place, and I really do think that we’re just at the very beginning.”
Find out more about Baker’s work at the UW Institute for Protein Design, which has been supported by donors, foundations and government grants.
A day to remember: Capturing the moment in real time
Highlights from the 24 hours after Professor David Baker was selected for the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Ian C. Haydon / UW Medicine
Baker talks by phone with co-honorees for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Ian C. Haydon / UW Medicine
Baker videoconferences with reporters shortly after the announcement
Ian C. Haydon / UW Medicine
Baker speaks with reporters in the living room of his Seattle home the morning of the announcement
Lindsey Wasson / ASSOCIATED PRESS
Baker shares a moment with his wife, Hannele Ruohola-Baker, between calls with media
Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times
Baker takes questions from reporters at a press conference
Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times
Baker arrives at his lab after the press conference to be greeted by staff and students
Lindsey Wasson / ASSOCIATED PRESS
Baker and his wife are greeted by Lynda Stuart, executive director of the Institute for Protein Design
Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times
Baker displays a 3D model of the predecessor of the COVID vaccine
"I want to thank Ana Mari [Cauce] and Tim [Dellit] for making the University of Washington an absolutely wonderful place to do science. It's an incredibly collaborative place, and I've never felt here that there were ever any boundaries within the University."
Celebrating a Nobel achievement
Messages and celebrations from around the world on social media honored the team’s accomplishments.
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The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the 2024 #NobelPrize in Chemistry with one half to David Baker “for computational protein design” and the other half jointly to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper “for protein structure prediction.”
The Nobel Prize
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It's not easy to get hold of a newly awarded Nobel Prize laureate! We are happy that chemistry laureate David Baker took our call, as he turned down "100 calls" while he was on the phone with us.
The Nobel Prize
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Warmest congratulations to Nobel Laureate, David Baker! We are so incredibly proud of you and your contributions to the field of protein design. Onward and upward!
King Lab
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Here we see Dr. David Baker @UWproteindesign holding a 3D printed model of the predecessor of the COVID vaccine, a self-assembling protein nano particle called I3-01
UW Medicine