Greek Cypriot scientist Demis Hassabis was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Wednesday, October 9, sharing the honour with his colleagues, American scientists David Baker and John Jumper. Their groundbreaking work in decoding protein structures and designing new proteins has significantly advanced drug development.
Hassabis is the CEO and co-founder of Google DeepMind. He was born to a Greek Cypriot father from Famagusta and a Singaporean mother, growing up in north London.
Together with Jumper, he utilised artificial intelligence to predict the structures of nearly all known proteins. Baker, the third recipient, developed innovative methods for computational protein design, as noted by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
BREAKING NEWS
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 9, 2024
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.” pic.twitter.com/gYrdFFcD4T
Hassabis is not only a neuroscientist but a video game designer, entrepreneur, and champion chess and poker player, who has long aimed to develop machines capable of independent thought to tackle global challenges. He gained early recognition for his remarkable chess abilities and contributed to the well-known video game Theme Park at the age of 17. He graduated with double honours from the University of Cambridge in 1997 and later earned a PhD in perceptual neuroscience before founding DeepMind.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry, one of the highest honours in the scientific field, carries a value of 11 million Swedish crowns, which equates to approximately $1.1 million.
Source: Ekathimerini.
